Music is a huge industry that involves a whole lot more than simply recording and performing. Once upon a time, people with a bit of talent would come together and create either a band or a record label and start raking in the money. Today, however, music is a real business and to make it in this business, you need a music business degree.
Billions of dollars are involved in the music industry every year. While performing stars continue to be the ones who earn the most, they also require more and more people around them in order to be able to perform. Simply making an album requires the skills of a dozen or more people, including:
- The artist.
- Composers.
- Song writers.
- Orchestras.
- Bassists.
- Guitarists.
- Backup singers.
- Sound engineers.
- Vocal arrangers.
- Musical directors.
- Producers.
- Marketing directors.
Because music is a business, it is now made up of specific plans. Additionally, the business itself sets specific goals, and these can easily be quantified.
While this is now hugely complicated, it also means that there are lots of opportunities for someone who wants to become involved in the industry itself. However, you do have to prove that you can do the job, and that you have something that others do not have. A music business degree is a good start, not in the least because you are likely to have to complete an internship, which means you will also have some contacts.
Contacts also continue to be hugely important. Because the industry is one of fame and stardom, there is still an element of who you know, instead of what you know. You need to be able to set yourself apart by being both. As soon as you can, you should take the opportunity to build up those contacts, therefore. Volunteer at a radio station, work in a local bar with live music, being a gopher at a record label, anything that works for you.
Be aware that getting into the music industry requires a whole lot of hard work, and much of it will be unpaid. An internship, for instance, is generally unpaid work experience. Not just that, some companies will actually charge you to run your internship there! You need to consider what your personal career goals are, so that you can find the right internship for your needs, be that paid or not.
The music industry is now so business orientated that some schools even offer a master in business administration (MBA) with a music business concentration. That said, the MBA is a graduate degree, so something you can only consider once you have completed a bachelor’s degree. If you are serious about becoming involved in the true business side of the music industry, then completing this at bachelor’s level with the expectation of completing an MBA later on in life may just be the right path for you. This will also give you the chance to complete some work experience in between your two degrees.