Unsolicited Advice for Music Industry Beginners

Well I got the official word yesterday that I have two weeks left here, so I wasted no time hitting up everyone on my AIM buddy list for leads. And I scored two interviews. One was this morning, and I think it went ok. I'm a little over-qualified for the job, but it will probably pay a good deal more than I'm making here, and it's much closer to home. It's also another 3-man company, and I'm trying to stay away from the indie world because it's proven to be unstable and it's so easy to hit a ceiling. But hey - they've been in business for 15 years and they're making money. So maybe....?

The next interview (aka "Doctor's Appointment") is Thursday at a major record label. But the job is to be the assistant to what my position is now. And it will probably pay less. My problem is that the positions I want in larger companies are generally promoted from within, and I'm over-qualified to take on those assistant gigs that get promoted.

So for anyone who's just starting out after college who has accidentally stumbled upon my blog, I offer the following advice (which I think is stolen from some career self-help book): "Go blue-chip early". It's cool to have your first internship at an indie - it's a great way to learn the industry, you'll get plenty of experience, and most importantly, you'll get "the indie spirit" deeply engrained. I'm a big fan of indie spirit. Apply that in a big corporate environment and you'll blow all those white-collar fat-asses away.

But after that first indie internship, make sure your next gig is at a major. Meet people. Keep in touch with people. Get your next paid job at that major.

Indies are great to own, terrible to work for.