Hot jobs in the music industry: You don't have to have a recording contract or sell out stadiums to work in the music industry - Hot Jobs

Career World, April, 2002 by Jean Ann Cantore

You don't have to be Jennifer Lopez or the Backstreet Boys to be part of the music industry. There are many other jobs for people who love music. Behind each performance you watch or each recording you hear are sound technicians, recording engineers, and backup musicians. Remember, too, that someone plays the recorded music you listen to on the radio.

Sounding Off

Sound technicians do everything from setting up speakers and stringing wires to running electronic equipment during a performance.

"It's a dual craft--both an art and a science," says Jonathan Haggard, a sound technician who is completing an associate's degree in sound, performing arts, and electrical service technology at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. Being a musician is not a requirement of the job, but it has given Haggard an appreciation for and an understanding of the business. "You can be the best technical person in the world, but if you don't have an ear for sound, you won't be very successful."

Haggard has run public address (PA) systems for many concerts in west Texas. When Haggard works for musicians, he is in charge of setting up the microphone and speaker systems as well as connecting them to a series of electronic devices that power and manipulate the sound.

He says that getting experience setting up PAs can lead to many jobs. Working with large national or seminational acts that have their own crews, or owning your own business that provides sound for performers are only two possibilities.

"There are lots of jobs within the sound technology field," he notes. "The systems technicians 'tech out' the sound systems, which means installing and troubleshooting them before a concert. There are people who design and run the house sound, the sound that the audience hears. Then there are people who work as monitors, handling the sound only the musicians hear."

Although Haggard's several years of experience and his associate's degree will help him to get even bigger jobs in the sound field, he is considering getting a bachelor's degree in sound technology or engineering.

Recording engineers work in studios where musicians record their CDs. To get these jobs, it's important to have a lot of experience working in studios and with musicians. Some of these people also have bachelor's degrees in engineering or technology.

As with sound technicians, recording engineers must have a good ear for music so that they know how to adjust the sound during a recording session. While a recording is being made, the engineer works in a booth, watching the performer through a soundproof glass and listening to the performance through high-tech studio monitors. Most of the work the engineer does is with a mixer, a large board where bass, treble, and volume are controlled with levers.

Instead of working only for large record companies, many engineers are beginning to work with much smaller project studios, a new trend in the field. These studios are being used more often to record commercials and to make CDs. Because the sound is monitored and adjusted with computers, the studio staff is smaller than that of traditional recording studios.

Although working in the sound field is exciting, it requires patience and commitment. A crew may work 18 or 20 hours a day to set up for a concert and that means putting in time late at night. Recording engineers also may work long days; recording a song often takes hours. After all, making beautiful music is hard work.

Musically Inclined

Backup or session musicians and vocalists provide much of the sound you hear during a live performance or on records. Whether they sing in a chorus or play electric bass in a band, these people are a vital part of the music industry.

Becoming a professional musician takes years of training and practice. Talent is a big part of it, but so are hard work, persistence, and making contact with the right people. The major centers in the United States for people wanting to work as backup or session musicians are Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York City.

"Just because you have a music degree doesn't guarantee you a job," notes Eric Kilby, a professional musician who works in Nashville, Tennessee. "I recommend college for anybody because you learn so much there, not just about music, but about life."

Kilby graduated in 2000 with a degree in commercial music, specializing in saxophone with a secondary emphasis in piano from Belmont University in Nashville. The school is primarily a music school, and many of the instructors there are music industry professionals.

In his job, Kilby has the best of both worlds. He works regularly in the studio as a backup musician for country and religious music performers and has played the saxophone and piano, provided percussion tracks, and even sung on some recordings. He also tours as a backup musician and serves as the tour manager with some acts during the warmer months.

"The biggest challenge [of being a backup musician] is the difficulty of making sure everything is right the first time," Kilby advises. "You must be accurate, on time, and have the right attitude every time. if not, chances are you'll not be called back."