25 Music Jobs That Most People Dont Know About

By: Rita Henry

Careers in Music Industry
You may have heard that music jobs are almost impossible to find, especially if you're young and just starting out. While it may be true that few aspiring musicians will reach the top of the charts, there are hundreds of thousands of music jobs available.

Some are for performers, some for teachers, and some for support staff for musicians and performers. Musicians and others in the music industry may work in production, performance, promotion, and education - even medicine.

Music Jobs That Most People Don't Know About
While music jobs are limited, there are still many jobs that people know about but do not consider them as part of a music career. Ready for the list? Here we go:

1) Music Jobs for Songwriters

  • A Staff Songwriter works for a record or media company and writes songs for the artists signed by the label.
  • A Freelance Songwriter writes and markets his or her own songs. Your hours are your own, but you'll have to work a lot of them to get your songs heard.
  • A Lyricist writes just the words to songs. He may team up with a composer, or be teamed up with one by a music production company.
  • A Jingle Writer writes those catchy ads that you hear on the television and radio - you know, the ones that get stuck in your head for days. A jingle writer may not become a famous household name - but he or she will always find work.

2) Music Jobs in Publishing

  • A Music Publisher finds and acquires the copyrights to songs with the intent of licensing or selling them to record companies and musicians.
  • A Copyright/Licensing Administrator ($20,000 - $60,000) manages the licensing and copyrights for a music publishing company.
  • A Music Editor ($20,000 - $60,000) works closely with the composer to document, organize and time cues for the musicians in a project.
  • A Notesetter ($15,000 - $50,000) transcribes music from audio to the page.


Music Jobs in the Record Business

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