If you have a genuine love and talent for music, know that there are plenty of ways that you can turn it into a source of revenue. As a matter of fact, you don’t even need to have musical talent or be a musician to work in the music industry. There are so many career choices that involve music; some you probably never knew existed. Working in a field you love is a privilege only a few can enjoy, and, if your passion is music, then you could make a pretty good living from it. Let’s look at some awesome careers for music lovers.
Reader's Roadmap
Record Label Executive
If you’re good with numbers, have an eye for talent, and love the business aspect of music, then you should consider becoming a record label executive. Executives have to do more than audition talent, however. They have to know how to balance budgets, plan record releases, and manage a full roster of artists. That is a job that requires great organization and multitasking skills, and great people skills as well.
Artists are not the easiest bunch to work with, especially in the music industry. You might have to become sort of a counselor or even therapist to your artists. You might have to deal with artists going through meltdowns or issues with their personal lives and make sure that they’re still profitable for the label.
If you think you have what it takes, know that not everyone can become an exec. Most will need to have at least a bachelor’s in music business and many executives nowadays have their MBA. If you’re ready to get the credentials, however, then this is one of the most fulfilling and lucrative jobs in the industry you can get.
DJ
If you’re known for having great musical taste, have an ear for music, and you’re always asked to DJ at family functions or office parties, then you might have what it takes to become a professional DJ. Being a DJ is a great career option if you want to enjoy your freedom and work whenever you want. Conversely, this can be a great job if you like stability as you could score a residency at a major club or start hosting your own regular nights.
Know that you don’t have to break the bank to get your initial setup either. Some DJs start with nothing but a laptop and DJ software. However, if you want to start DJing seriously and have more control over your sets, you should gradually start building your setup until you have everything you need.
If you want to know how to get set up as a DJ, you should check out Pirate.com’s beginners DJ setup guide. They have a useful guide explaining exactly how to build a DJ setup for beginners. You’ll learn about things like how to pick a good mixer, the difference between digital and vinyl turntables, and how to pick a workstation, among others.
Become a Music Blogger
This is probably the cheapest and easiest way to start a music career. You could literally start a music blog for under $20 today and start blogging immediately. All you really need to do is to make sure you have a great internet connection. You can compare satellite internet providers in your area to ensure you have an internet plan that best suits your needs; with high speeds, and good connectivity at the best price possible. The main goal when building a music blog is choosing your niche carefully and knowing how to monetize your blog. When it comes to the niche, it’s always better to choose a genre that you know and love. From then on, you can narrow down your niche. Your blog doesn’t have to be about one musical genre per se either. For instance, you could start a blog discussing the ins and outs of the music industry, or you could start a blog on how to start producing music. The niche you pick should influence your monetization methods. If you decide to build a blog about music production, then you could have affiliate marketing in addition to native and sponsored ads.
One thing you could do would be to have reviews about software or hardware producers use. You could then sign up for these products’ affiliate programs and get paid every time someone buys after following your links. This monetization method could have a lot of potential when considering how expensive music production software and instruments can be. It’s not uncommon for things like keyboards to cost in the thousands of dollars, and even a 10% commission on these could get you a lot of money. So, look at different niches you could exploit, how you could make money, and start blogging if that’s something you could see yourself doing.
Music Producer
Speaking of music production, you could also become a music producer and possibly earn millions from your production. If you’re a great producer in a popular genre, you could eventually make a name for yourself and create music for multiple major artists. Or you could sell beats in high quantities for cheap to aspiring artists trying to make it in the industry.
Just like DJing, you can start a career as a producer with nothing but a laptop. You have software like FruityLoops that will allow you to make professional beats and use your keyboard keys as an instrument. You could also go for something bigger and get yourself a midi controller, a solid DAW like Cubase or Pro Tools, and a drum machine. From then on, it’s all about working on your craft.
If you know how to play the keyboard, know that you’ll have a huge advantage as a music producer. Electronic and hip-hop music production is very keyboard-heavy, and while some producers were self-taught, those who were classically trained automatically stand out. So, if you’re great with the keys and would love to sell your compositions for a living, consider the option.
Songwriter
If you’re better with a pen, however, then you should consider becoming a songwriter. This is great if you’re poetically gifted, but also if you’re a singer/songwriter who can’t get a deal but are extremely gifted as a writer. You don’t necessarily need to get a degree if you want to become a songwriter but going for a creative writing degree could significantly help your writing, so think about this too.
These are all great careers every music lover should consider. Not only are these fulfilling, but most of them pay very well, so look at which ones you could see yourself working in and what it would take to succeed.