There is more to the music industry than agents, musicians, and producers. It takes a whole team of people behind the scenes to keep your iTunes library stocked with hit after hit. So, who are these people and what do they do?
We all hear about the glamorized roles of music industry bigwigs, but we forget that these people actually have daily responsibilities and job descriptions. While the territory comes with plenty of perks, it also comes with high expectations. Since so many people love music and want to be a part of the industry, the competition is high, and before you jump into an industry job, you should probably know what that job entails. We took a look at some of the industry jobs out there to help you get familiar.
Booking Agent
Example: Neil Warnock, CEO of The Agency Group
What people think he does: Schedule concerts, set tour routing, take a big chunk of tour profits, set up hotel accommodation, manage artists.
What he really does: “Even if an artist doesn’t want to tour in one particular territory, we at least bring to the manager the opportunities so that the manager can bank it and discuss it with the artist. We bring the possibilities for all of our artists all of the time. That’s why we are set up so broadly in the UK, Sweden, Canada, New York and LA. We’re able to bring a worldwide perspective on what we do. We have about 150 employees in five offices with about 76 agents and nearly 2,000 artists… I’m not a promoter and have never been a promoter. I’m an agent. A promoter takes the risk to mount the show. We facilitate the deal between the artist and the promoter…we’re brokers.” – Neil Warnock as told to DFMO.NET.
A&R
Example: Jon Tanners, A&R for Epic Records
What people think I do: I think GZA summed up the the public perception of A&R as out of touch culture thief best: “First of all, who’s your A&R?/ A mountain climber who plays an electric guitar?/ But he don’t know the meaning of ‘dope’/ When he’s looking for a ‘suit-and-tie rap’/ That’s cleaner than a bar of soap.” Basically, people think A&R’s swoop in, snatch up hot musicians, and water down what makes them great for mass consumption.
What I really do: Seek out both bubbling acts and amazing talents, then create the conditions to make the best album (and, increasingly, musical experiences) possible. That can mean pairing artists with producers, writers, remixers, and collaborators, or simply acting as a sounding board. A lot of the time, though, I’m listening to music, trawling the corners of the digital and physical worlds to find great artists. – Jon Tanners (@jontanners).
Tour Manager
Example: Rich Bozzett, Tour Manager for Bon Jovi
What people think he does: Go to the same concert every night, sell overpriced band merchandise that no one really wants, take advantage of groupies trying to meet the artists and generally live a very fratty, on-the-road lifestyle.
What he really does: Tour managers help organize many aspects of the musicians life while they are on the road. They are responsible for keeping the band or artist on time for all of their commitments during the tour. If they have a radio interview in New York and a show in Boston they need to get to the station on time so they can leave for the next city on time. The best laid plans can easily be derailed when dealing with an artist’s busy schedule. Additionally they are held responsible for ensuring that all of the artists needs are met while he or she is on the road, this includes checking the green room when they arrive at a show and making sure the rider has been fulfilled to checking in at hotels and making plans for their meals.
“As tour manager I never missed a show. The original members and I never missed a show and as tour manager my job is to make sure that band is on stage on time. Unless someone breaks their arm or Jon’s throat is in a critical situation, where he can’t sing and the fans won’t enjoy it; we put that show on. But to have a band member disappear, it was a little scary that day.” – Rich Bozzett as told to Lithium Magazine.
Special Projects Manager
Example: Luke Armitage, Special Projects Manager at Metropolis Group (London, UK)
What people think I do: Hang out with bands, go for pointless meetings and lunches with artists and brand executives, be online 24/7, go to every networking/industry event, gig and party.
What I really do: Create music-based TV shows for franchise and licensing, tailored music experiential events, run my own music academy, release deluxe artist products from new and established acts – Luke Armitage (@LukeArmitage).
Label Executive
Example: L.A. Reid, Chairman and CEO of Epic Records
What people think he does: Rub elbows with celebrities all day, walk around dangling record contracts over the heads of aspiring musicians, travel around the world, attend shows and actually discover acts themselves.
What he really does: Mentors artists, finds new talent, and works on developing that talent to its full potential. “Joni Mitchell had this great line. She was singing about David Geffen, and she said his job was to ‘stroke the star-maker machinery behind the popular song.” And that’s my job. To do that, the artists have to believe that I have taste. And style is a matter of taste. I believe that I’ve built up a reputation for caring about style.” – L.A. Reid as told to GQ Magazine.
Social Media Coordinator
Title: David Amaya, Social Media Coordinator at Def Jam
What people think I do: Sit online all day everyday, drink Ciroc at my desk instead of doing actual work, surf the internet, listen to Drake on Spotify all day, only hang out with people that are Hollywood, have lunch with Rihanna every Thursday afternoon. They don’t think I actually work at Def Jam.
What I really do: Run all the social media for Def Jam Records. Run the Def Jam Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram & DefJam.com as well as the weekly Def Jam Newsletter. – David Amaya (@AmayaNYC).
Artist Manager
Example: Michael “Blue” Williams, Artist Manager for Big Boi, Busta Rhymes, Cee Lo Green, Goodie Mob and more
What people think he does: Hang out with their clients all the time, go to concerts on the regular, weasel their clients out of their money, and act as a 24/7 on-call personal therapist.
What he really does: “As a manager you can’t be afraid to keep it 100. If your manager is scared to speak up because they don’t want to get fired because they get to pay their bills from money the artist is making that only hurts the artist in the long run. It’s like ok you’re signed to Def Jam but you’re not a Def Jam priority yet, that’s just the reality of it. But at the same time you have to keep your artist motivated to work harder so they can be a priority and its kind of balancing tricks a manager has to be able to handle.” – Michael “Blue” Williams as told to PMP Worldwide.
Example: Jim Scott, Audio Engineer
What people think he does: Sit in studios all day and go to shows all night.
What he really does: Audio engineers are a vital part of the music production process. They use their expertise to bring together the creative and practical sides of music. Through their knowledge of different recording media and technology they create music that has a crisp, clean and synchronized sound that sounds great in your car, on your headphones or in the club.
“When I went to college, I thought I could study to be a drummer, but I discovered I wasn’t a very good one. I fell in with some other students who had a folk-rock band. They were very good musicians, but they didn’t sound good in the clubs and coffeehouses because you couldn’t hear them properly. I bought another P.A., some mics, and I engineered their shows. I didn’t think of it as a job; I just wanted my friends to sound good.” – Jim Scott as told to Mix Magazine.
Music Publisher
Example: Jim Vellutato, Music Publisher
What people think he does: Does anyone really know what a music publisher does?
What he really does: “I make calls to New York, Nashville and London and catch up on current news with Billboard and other media. My job is all about connecting people, so I spend a lot of time calling A&R personnel and managers to see what songs their acts are looking for. Then I speak with songwriters, and find out their availability. After a few days of going back and forth (where, when, and how much it will it cost), I look for a budget approval. I set up sessions, check that they run as scheduled, and that people are showing up on time. I spend most of my time putting what I feel is the best combination of artists, writers and producers together. – Jim Vellutato as told to The Music Business Journal.
Music Supervisor
Example: Scott Vener, Music Supervisor at HBO
What people think he does: Find songs to be used in movies/TV shows, write songs for movies/TV shows, scour music blogs for songs
What he really does: A music supervisor is responsible for selecting, negotiating, and placing appropriate songs into different types of visual media. Their job is a marriage between creativity and business, they need to have a good ear for music in addition to good business sense in order to negotiate the proper clearance and price for the songs that they want to use. Certain songs are more difficult to incorporate into shows or movies due to mistakes the artists may have made when creating it, such as uncleared samples in rap tracks.
“A lot of the time I’ll hear a song that I really like that has a strong energy, and I’ll try to find the right scene to place it, and sometimes it’s just one part of a song that’s perfect as a transitional piece of music. It really depends. Picking the right song can really change the mood of a scene, so sometimes I’ll try out a few different songs and see how it feels.” – Scott Vener as told to Complex Magazine.
Props to Pigeons & Planes & [AlLindstrom]
