We all love to listen to music but some of us are just so emerged and passionate about music that they want to build a career out of them. When we think of music as a career we always get an image of a star performer performing in a full of crowd setup or a song recording in a music studio, well the prospect of music is not limited to this point, there are peoples involved with promotion and publicity of singer as well as songs, people who manage the whole setup of a stage show and make the concert look fabulous. There is much more to do in this career path than one can think and, in this article, we are breaking down 10 career options in the music industry for graduates in the USA.
Music Producer
A music producer is a person behind that perfection with which the music is recorded and management which enables coordination of all the activities related to recording and production of the final piece of art. The music producer is responsible for developing relationships between musicians and record labels and creating an environment that enables the artist to record the song. They assist artists to record their songs by pointing out even the minute teaks and tweaks in the music and song for its improvement and lead its way to perfection. Graduates in the USA who have proper knowledge of engineering and mixing can choose this career but have to keep in mind that competition is tough in this field.
The annual salary in the USA: $25,000-$100,000+
Recording Engineer
The recording engineer is responsible for managing sound while recording. They have to be an expert of both traditional and modern tech-savvy ways of sound recording. While recording they are responsible for dealing with analog and digital signals and microphones and signal-flow. They should also be equipped with proper knowledge of all technological instruments as they are asked to resolve any technical glitch in the middle of recording.
Graduates in the USA who have complete knowledge of all recording technology and of recording and mixing along with a passion for music can look up for a career in this field.
The annual salary in the USA: $25,000-$150,000+
Musicians on hire/Session Musician
If you have dreamed to perform live on stage along with a team session musician might be the career you should look forward to. Session musicians are hired by music bands or other artists to perform on their album and in this way session musicians get a chance to dabble into multiple genres. If you are extremely professional and expert with your instrument, you may lead your path to become a solo performer in concerts. To build a successful career as a session musician you need to be a connoisseur in your instrument and must know how to build a strong network that will help you get better at your career.
The daily salary in the USA of a session musician: $100-$100000+
Artist Manager
The person on whom artists trust the most and who is responsible to build up and manage their career is their manager. As an artist manager, they are responsible for arranging, negotiating, planning, and managing the whole career of the artist. They have to work very closely with the artist and trust in their work as you have the sole responsibility to enhance their career by arranging better work opportunities for them. They are responsible for building and maintaining the fame of the artist and plan and organize their whole day for them. They might never get recognized in public for their efforts but gets a decent paycheque for their work. Their work is hectic and requires long working hours and even requires to work on weekends.
Graduates in the USA who are excellent in leadership skills and have great communication skills can look for their career as an artist manager. They can either join a celebrity management agency or after a certain period of experience and improving network in the industry can even work separately.
The annual salary in the USA: $30,000-$1,000,000
Tour Manager
Music bands generally hire a tour manager for managing all activities related to scheduling, transportation, finance for the tour, and accommodation for band members to stay in the city of performance. They are responsible for making things run smoothly for the band members and every person related to making that event happen. For working as a tour manager, you will need to have excellent knowledge of the industry and should be a graduate in the business management program.
The annual salary in the USA: $2,500-$10,000+
Music Teacher
As a musician one can even choose to become a music teacher, teaching music at various platforms and different age groups. One can choose to teach music at a school, a small music shop, or incorporate their own music academy to teach many students at once. They can choose to teach theory or a specific instrument and even many instruments. Success in this field depends upon the efficiency of the teacher and their ability to understand the learning pattern of the student.
Your success in this career depends upon the platform on which you choose to teach and depending on that your qualifications may differ. If you want to teach music in school require significantly more qualifications and experience as compared to private instructor services or working in association with a music academy.
The salary in the USA: $30-$120 per hour (private instructor
$30,000-$71,000 annually (music teacher)
$43,000-$57,000 annually (assistant professor)
Booking Agent
Booking agents are appointed by music bands to manage all arrangements and activities which are required to get the band on stage and get the event conducted. They are required to manage all the logistics work related to live performance, right from securing the venue for performance and negotiating the deal to book that venue for the performance. They get to work closely with the management team of the band and event promoters and are required to work in coordination with them to make a successful event possible.
Graduates in the USA with a degree in music management, marketing, or accounting can prepare themselves for a career as a booking agent.
The income of a booking agent in the USA ranges from $20,000-$150,000 per booking.
Publicist
Publicist works in close relation with media outlets, marketers, and venues. They ensure proper positive publicity for future concerts of the bands which have hired them. Their work is related to the PR manager of the band and has a duty to ensure proper media coverage of the story and to make sure that information about the concert is reached to as many people as possible. Proper communication and marketing skills required for this job.
Monthly income in the USA ranges from $500-$10,000.
Composer
The soulful songs and wonderful music behind them which we still listen to and enjoy are the creation of music composers. Not only for music producers they also write for films, T.V., and video games. Regardless of whom you wish to work for, proper knowledge of music theory and a good hand on various musician instrument is required for this job.
Composers are paid on a project basis which ranges from $1,500-$60,000 per project.
Music Arranger
The job of a music arranger is to rearrange a piece of music to synchronize it with the rhythm of the music. Music arranging is a specialized skill and they can either work independently as a freelancer or can join a band.
Their monthly income in the USA: $20,000-$43,000.
Also read: TOP 10 PROMINENT GOVERNMENT JOBS FOR GRADUATES IN USA
