Working in the music field

[Pen]

I will be leaving my position as director of a non-profit foundation in a few weeks and in search of suitable employement. I'm researching different fields and thought it would be interesting to work in the area of my passion - music.

My very brief bio (to explain what style of work I'm looking at). I am in sales, development and marketing. My experience is in outside relations, event planning and client management. Soooo, that being said......

Do these type of jobs exist in the music industry or representing an instrument manufacturer? If so, do they pay a wage that would allow one to raise a family (50k/year min)?

Oh yes, 2 other things. I live in Colorado and, although not out of the question, would prefer not to move (I'm sure there's plenty of positions in spots like Nashville or CA). I do not want to get into retail either.

Thanks for any advice and information. I looked around online and couldn't find much.

[Bob A]

Consider flacking for an established symphony. They would benefit from decent marketing, and it sounds like you've been there, done that. Connect with music depts in universities. Universities are also into generating funds, and you'd get good network. Festival promotion would bring you into popular music arena. All this requires a lot of self-starting and self-promotion, but if you can't sell yourownself, it'd be tough selling the music.

[Santiago]

You might contact John Stiernberg, brother of Don Stiernberg. He's written books about working in the music industry, runs a consulting business, and generally has good ideas and contacts. http://www.stiernberg.com/

[sgarrity]

As someone who just went through a career change, I can tell you it isn't easy. #And the internet is one of the worst places to look. #"They" say only 10-15% of available jobs ever get posted on-line. #Networking and getting your name out there is really the best way. #I would have loved to have found something music/instrument related. #But I'm perfectly happy with the position I did find and think it will be a long term career for me. #And funny thing is.......I found out about the position through selling a mandolin! #I wish you the best of luck! #

Shaun

[pickinNgrinnin]

Have you notified your current employer that you plan to leave? If not, it's generally a good idea (obviously) to have something lined up before you pull up stakes with your current employer.

50k a year, in the music business, in Colorado. That sounds too good to be true. It would be helpful to identify the people working in this field and to know how they got there. What types of skills, qualification, work history did they have that led them to these jobs? If you could arrange some information interviews with folks currently doing this work, you could find out more about the different options within this field. Every person you talk to in this line of work, will likely know someone else working in the same field and they could refer you to the people they know. It would start with one contact and could potentially build to hundreds of contacts. Personal connections offer you the best opportunities to find work these days. Do your research, get a lay of the land and begin to make personal contacts. When you set up the informational interviews, let the people know you are there to gather information - not apply for a job. This approach will help set the contact person at ease and it will help open doors. Best wishes!

[Lee]

Contact your local chapter of the Piano Technician's Guild.
With proper training, some investment in tools, you can learn the essential skills to get you started tuning and doing simple adjustments and repairs. Depending on your inclination you could concentrate on certain aspects; refinishing, or touch-ups for example, or work in conjunction with a store, or freelance.
Or contact me.

[Santiago]

I used to do PR in the music industry, but now I do high tech communications. Today it isn't hard to work remotely, but it is hard to establish yourself in a new industry remotely. The time to network, of course, is before you need a new job, but there are web resources such as Linked-In (www.linkedin.com) which are of some value in terms of getting the word out about you to existing contacts... much the way you have here. Hey, it's essentially a marketing job to get a marketing job!

[mandocrucian]

BMI/ASCAP is always looking for a few good thugs

[Harrmob]

LOL http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif but it is actually not that funny.... There is a local establishment that no longer has live music, just a jukebox. Rumor has it is was visited by "thugs". http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif

[Big Joe]

Most jobs in the music industry seem to come from relationships you have developed with others. While it seems the industry should be huge, it is a fairly tight family. It is not impossible to break in, but without a strong background in the industry it is much more difficult. Let me also say that it is not usually what most people imagine it to be. There is not a lot of glitz and glamour. It is like any other job...lots of very hard work and long hours for less than a comparable job may pay in a different field. Still, speaking for myself, I love every minute of my day. I can't wait to get up in the morning and get to work and hate to leave when I finally feel near total exhaustion coming on late in the day. I hate to take vacations because I don't like to be away. I just truly love what I do. I'm 57 years old, have done this for a very long time. Not many people I know can say that about their job...especially at my age.

[jim simpson]

"I will be leaving my position as director of a non-profit foundation in a few weeks"

I would say the music industry fits right in the "non-profit" realm.

[John Flynn]

As I always like to say,

"There's tens of dollars to be made playing old-time music!" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Jeff A]

You need to read that book "How to make $400 a year playing bluegrass" #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[mandroid]

Tips are pretty good for pole and lap dancing, I hear. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Lee]

A few years ago Forbes researched jobs to compare income vs. stress levels. Guess what won?
Self employed Piano Tuner
Let me tell ya, after tuning pianos, tuning a mandolin is like a walk in the park.