STUDENT GUIDE 2017
MUSIC
HOW TO GET STARTED IN MUSIC If you’ve ever had rock star aspirations or thought you could spot the next big thing a mile off, you’ve presumably considered a career in the music industry. Whether it’s writing, performing, managing or promoting, being choosing music as a viable career might seem like a pipe dream. Kirstyn Smith spoke to four fi gures from the Scottish music scene who say it’s entirely possible – it just takes a bit of hard work
ANASTASIA CONNOR FREELANCE JOURNALIST AND MUSIC PR
MAKE CONNECTIONS Music is a contact sport. It’s all about developing your networks. Make sure you go to showcase events and festivals that tend to attract artists, press, labels and agents. If writing is your thing, I wouldn’t recommend starting your own blog; start writing for someone else. You have to push yourself to get outside of your comfort zone, to aim to do things that are difi cult. You’ll learn a lot, become more resilient and gain coni dence. If you can, try and i nd yourself a mentor. I think everyone should have a mentor at any stage of their career. 112 THE LIST 1 Sep–31 Oct 2017
WORK HARD AND SMART The music industry is a practical discipline. You have to have the coni dence to get out there and do things – nobody is going to come to you with an offer. It’s difi cult to get paid work, but there are plenty of work experience and internship opportunities. Try writing for blogs, or start a DIY label, or get into promoting gigs. All those things are easy enough to do, but they’ll give you an insight into how things work, and also help you build your networks and your name. I don’t think most people are prepared for the terrible poverty and insecurity they have to endure in the i rst few years. You often hear about mental health issues in music but usually with reference to musicians, which I i nd quite worrying because the
changing same problems affect other people working in music. There aren’t enough women in some areas of the music industry. This, however, rapidly. We’re is dei nitely moving the right direction. Ageism, on the other hand, is never talked about but I see it as a far bigger problem. Most jobs in music are really customer services jobs. Only a small number of jobs have a creative element to them. It’s dei nitely not glamorous.
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ROSE MANSON MANAGER OF SUBCITY RADIO, GLASGOW DON’T GIVE UP Try everything, but be ready to realise you might not be that
great at everything. Things don’t always work out smoothly at i rst; it’s about dedication and not giving up. Things don’t happen right away, but that’s OK.
trying
Instead of MAKE SOME PALS By going to events and meeting people who are also trying to get started, you’ll make friends who you can end up collaborating with. to get to know people who’ve established their careers, get to know people in the same boat as you and start getting creative. Surround yourself with people who support you, people who encourage you to be coni dent in your own ideas – and listen to them when they do.