Best Resources to Find a Music Industry Job
We compile some of the best resources and websites to help you find a music industry opportunity…
Finding a job in the music industry is one of the goals of many music students once they’ve completed their studies with us.
As a musician, songwriter, artist, digital marketing or music business professional, there are myriad opportunities out there.
But how do you go about your search to ensure you’re not only finding relevant opportunities but keeping your hunt locked on target?
Some essential tips from ICMP’s Careers and Industry Hub’s Oli Tatler on finding a job include:
- Reflect on your skills and experience to develop a plan
While studying, you have the chance to assess your skills, strengths and any areas where you need to develop. You should consider your experiences both in the classroom and your professional life. Think about the direction you want your career to head in, then start plotting out a series of smaller objectives to help you achieve your bigger ambitions.
- Pursue professional experience in your industry area
The most valuable insight you will get into a career is via professional work experience. So try to find opportunities, whether it be an internship or part-time roles. Undertaking work like this at a music festival or record label will give you the chance to see what these jobs entail and the skills you need to succeed in them.
You can read the blog on how to get a job in the industry and check out our list of essential job hunting resources below…
Here are some of the best resources we've found online to help you...
Young Music Boss
Educators and music industry experts YoungMusicBoss often post a variety of job ads, in a round-up each week, mainly on their Instagram profile.
You can connect with them via social media to learn more about their schemes, initiatives and insightful music industry content.
Christine Osazuwa
Chief Strategy Officer of Shoobs, Measure of Music Founder and Director at shesaid.so, Christine has great experience of the music industry with more than 15 years of success.
As a special treat for her near 20,000 followers on LinkedIn, she shares regular updates on what she bills as "cool jobs and opportunities".
You can also check out her thought leadership articles too for more.
Elijah
Less jobs and more career/life motivation but some great advice from former Butterz label boss and grime DJ Elijah has landed via his Instagram channels and lectures.
‘Close the app, make the thing’ might sound simple but it cuts to the heart of how creatives need to operate in 2023…
Follow Elijah on Instagram for more inspiration and insight into the kinds of questions you need to be asking of yourself to succeed...
Job boards
There are plenty of music industry news websites out there with the latest opportunities listed.
Not only can you stay up to date with all the most exciting trends and topics but also discover which businesses and companies are hiring. If you want to give yourself an additional chance of success, then make sure you bookmark these sites…
LinkedIn is an amazing place for jobs, especially if you know how to use it effectively. You can create your own profile, list your various roles, qualifications and work experience.
Use the filters on the job page and set up alerts for particular job searches. You won't miss a job again as LinkedIn will send you a notification and a regular round-up email with anything relevant included.
Sign up to LinkedIn and create a profile.
She Said So
shesaid.so is a community consisting of women and gender non-conforming people from all sectors of the music industry: from record labels, artist management companies, and booking agencies, through to technology platforms, creative agencies, composers, artists and more.
Their website features a regularly updated job portal which is well worth bookmarking...
F-List
The F-List is an online community aimed at providing a platform for women and gender-expansive people to promote their skills and find opportunities within the music industry.
If anyone is searching for talent from these demographics, then the aim of the site is to offer a directory where the appropriate professionals can be found. More than 5,000 musicians are listed in the directory and ICMP's Sophie Daniels is among the organistions's directors.
Run The Check
Run The Check is not just music related jobs but paid opportunities for creatives.
You can sign up for their newsletter or just jump on the website, search and apply for a suitable role.
Visit the Run The Check website to find out more.
Recruitment and consultancy agencies
Recruitment agencies and consultancies can be worth liaising with to source opportunities within the music industry. It's not a guarantee of success but it can help if you regularly contact them and keep your name and experiences in front of them.
You can connect with recruiters that work for these businesses on LinkedIn and stay in touch there. Some in the UK include Handle, Arts and Media Jobs, The Music Recruiters and Creative Recruitment.
BIY People & Talent work with a range of music business clients providing recruitment, HR, people development, and future talent support and advice.
You check out their podcast here for more insight.
UK Music Jobs
UK Music Jobs is a great online hub for careers although you have to pay a subscription to see their list of opportunities.
Visit their website to find out more.
Live music opportunities
Another great place to look for live music industry jobs is the IQ Mag jobs board:
If the live industry is where you want to work then Pollstar has a great list of opportunities on their jobs board:
Synced In
Synced In regularly post vacancies specific to the sync, production music and publishing sectors.
Join the LinkedIn group and Facebook group.
Other resources
For music charity roles check out Arts Jobs
SocialFixt connect black talent to job opportunities in the UK Creative Industry.
entertainmentcareers.net is a useful website for careers in the entertainment and digital media industries (music industry included).
Careers and Industry Hub
Of course, if you are an ICMP student or alumni, then you should be aware of our Careers and Industry Hub.
For further support on developing your career, book in a meeting with the Careers & Industry Hub via careersplus.icmp.ac.uk.
Take the first steps in your music career with ICMP
We've been developing and delivering contemporary music education for over 30 years – longer than any other music school in the UK. With a proven track-record, countless music industry connections and unrivalled access to facilities, it's easy to see why hundreds of students choose ICMP each year.
To completely immerse yourself in your music career, chat with our friendly Admissions Team via email enquiries@icmp.ac.uk or give them a call on 020 7328 0222.
Find your course
We've been developing and delivering contemporary music education for over 30 years – longer than any other music school in the UK. With a proven track-record, countless music industry connections and unrivalled access to facilities, it's easy to see why hundreds of students choose ICMP each year.
To completely immerse yourself in your music career, chat with our friendly Admissions Team via email enquiries@icmp.ac.uk or give them a call on 020 7328 0222.