1. How do you advance from an entry level to executive or leadership position in a particular market segment? And what are the intermediate steps along the way? To determine this, you need to research and discover the career ladder for your music industry areas of interest.

2. One of the best ways to fill in the various career ladders you are investigating is to speak with working professionals to learn the steps on the career ladder and as much detail as you can about the duties, responsibilities, and salary levels in that field. This will allow you to gain insight into what happens in any segment of the industry, what promotions occur as you build a career, and what type of earning potential there is at each step of the way. Without this depth of knowledge, you will likely be groping in the dark to find out what is involved in any music industry career. Let’s now look in depth at three market sectors and their respective career ladders.

3. MUSIC PUBLISHING AND LICENSING  Publisher controls and administers copyright of original work  Licensing dept. accommodates anyone wishing to use work for any purpose  Negotiates fees for use of work Example: EMI Music Publishing publishes Kanye West’s original songs. If a filmmaker wants to use a song in a movie, she would contact EMI Publishing’s licensing department (Film & TV Division) who would negotiate synch fee for use. Basic steps of career ladder:  Entry-level (coordinator, copyright analyst, associate, administrative assistant) titles vary – duties similar  Publishing, Licensing, or Copyright Specialist  Department manager  Director of Music Publishing or Licensing  Vice President of Music Publishing or Licensing

4. Note: There may also be “senior” level positions with added responsibilities at the V.P, director, and manager level, e.g., Senior Vice President of Licensing. Career ladder will vary based on:  Size of firm  Size of catalog  Larger catalog = more employees & position levels  Mid-sized firm = less employees – all functions of large firm  Smallest firm (1 to 3 people) there are thousands of these – most functions – farm out subpublishing, administration, litigation

5. What differentiates the positions on the publishing career ladder?  Experience  Roles change moving up ladder  Example:  Coordinator - duties  Filing copyright registrations  Processing royalty statements  Creating invoices  Copyright research  Handling mechanical license requests

6.  Specialist or Manager – all of above in addition to  Handling counter claims  Assisting with audits  Preparing reports  Mentoring junior staff  Director, Vice President – added duties  Data analysis  Income and royalty liability projections  Tracking performance of various copyrights  Attending conferences, seminars, annual meetings of trade associations, etc.

7. DIGITAL MUSIC DISTRIBUTION We interviewed a range of managers at some of the most successful digital-music distribution companies to learn about the career ladder in digital music distribution. Furthermore, students of ours have been interning with some of these companies since 2004, so we have nearly a decade of experience watching these companies evolve and managers grow the business. The managers we spoke with reiterated that there is a dues-paying period required to establish oneself in digital music. Another factor that differentiates digital music distribution from other fields is the market sector is still very new. It’s a bit like the American West in the 1870s to 1880s; changes are occurring at lightening speed.

8. Many of the firms that are operating in the digital-music distribution space also are struggling to earn a profit. A number of the business models follow the Internet 1.0 “build it and they will come” mantra: paying customer acquisition and income generation are often an afterthought to the founders, who focus on building scale and user population, in the belief that once those are attained, some form of monetization will be achieved.

9. Another important characteristic of the digital music distribution sector is that this area does not employ scores of people, as more of the content management processes become highly automated. As a result, it’s idea-driven with fewer people, each doing more work. Accordingly, job opportunities are not as plentiful as they are in some other music industry sectors, and since there is a high residual demand for jobs in digital music distribution, those wishing to make their mark will have to work very hard. One manager commented, “Don’t aim for a career in this field with rose-colored glasses on. You’re going to have to work your ass off, so it better be something you really believe in.” These trends and factors impact the career ladder and salary ranges found in the digital music distribution market sector.

10.  Digital Music Distribution Career Ladder (at one Silicon Valley firm)  Unpaid Internship: Content Ingestion, Data Input  Content Ingestion, Data Input (paid)  Production Coordinator  Production Manager  Client Relations Manager  Client Relations Director  Vice President of Client Relations (or other areas e.g. Marketing, Business Development, etc.) While salaries found at the vice president level are comparable to those found in other areas of the music industry, entry-level jobs (even coordinator and manager) pay very little, compared to other professional industries. Nearly all internships in digital music distribution begin unpaid and require a real dedication and commitment to doing an excellent job to stand out among the crop of other interns. A typical summer-long internship of ninety days may lead to an offer to continue doing content ingestion and data input and to be paid for your work. However!

11.  Pay will likely be the prevailing minimum wage  California current minimum wage is $8.00 per hr  Translates to $1,387 per month for 40 hr work week (California)  $16,644 yearly (before deductions (taxes, unemployment, social security)  Managers can earn $40.000 to $50,000  Directors can earn $50,000 to $60,000  Vice Presidents can earn $75,000 and above  Majority of digital-music firms are in Silicon Valley where cost of living is higher than national norm  Research cost of living in that area  Successful managers say key to advancement is demonstrating a strong grasp of how content is created and shared through platforms such as: YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.

12.  They also suggest that aspiring candidates start building skills while in school before looking for jobs or internships  One manager offered this specific advice: Start a channel with a band on campus, and work every possible social media. Every digital music distributor wants people that know how to effectively build an audience. By doing this, you can learn how to use the channel to monetize the music, tag, embed, annotate, and get fans coming back or subscribing to your feeds. The goal is to get subscribers, not one-time viewers. Direct people from watching something on YouTube to finding it on Google Play or wherever your songs are available. Doing this will allow you to demonstrate your skills, your passion, your capacity for independent thought and problem-solving, which is what firms are seeking.

13. Helpful reference guide – YouTube’s Creator Playbook  Free online resource that guides users in building audiences for online content Another manager suggested becoming Google AdWords certified  Become knowledgeable about search engine optimization  Learn terminology of search-based marketing and customer acquisition Another manager advised that in an interview situation, having the data and metrics for project work a candidate has done at one’s fingertips will help candidates stand out “Smart companies make decisions “by the Numbers,” and metrics are the “prove it to me” coinage of the digital music distribution world.

14. Another key to advancement in digital music is: To be a teacher to the older generation still working in and managing the industry.  Managers & Execs always looking to younger hires for new ideas and innovative ways to address opportunity and solve problems  The Wall Street Journal recently reported that many mid-career execs are increasingly tapping new hires to teach them about new technology and it’s potential impact on their businesses.

15. SOUND MIXER FOR TELEVISION Television production is growing rapidly (think international market in addition to domestic) Sound post production for television  Offers wide range of options for young professionals  As in digital-music, “dues-paying” process along with knowledge and training in:  Sound, audio recording and editing systems  General practices in film and television post production industry Author Keith Hatschek launched and managed a successful audio post-production facility for nine years. Clients included MTV, Academy-award winning filmmakers, and top ad agencies He interviewed several sound mixers for TV in LA.

16.  Advise for getting started in this career Take advantage of every opportunity to get real world experience:  Any form of visual media that affords an opportunity to contribute:  Student films  Public service announcement  Documentary film project Clear career ladder in this market sector which includes interns, entry-level positions, successive promotions to final goal, being employed as a sound mixer for TV series, drama, sitcom, ect.

17. TV Audio Post Production Engineering Career Ladder  Intern/Runner  Tape Library/Dubbing  Assistant Sound Editor (Dialog, Music, or Sound Effects)  Sound Editor (Dialog, Music, or Sound Effects)  Sound Mixer All internships are unpaid Entry-level salary range - $24,000 to $28,000 Sound Editors can range - $40,000 to $60,000

18. Lead mixer for show can make $100,000 and above (All this depends on what kind of show, how successful, how long has it run, etc.) Similar to to other areas of the industry, junior sound staff, once they have proven themselves reliable and capable, are trained and mentored by senior sound staff. Necessary skills:  Proficiency with Pro Tools, the industry standard for post production  Strong aural acuity skills – the ability to hear and listen with great precision

19. Veteran sound mixers emphasize: once you’ve developed the technical proficiency, “ it’s all about your ear, which is something that develops over time. The more you learn how to hear and become a very good critical listener you can decide what is important and what isn’t important for a particular scene.” Veterans also point out that similar to digital music distribution, it’s valuable to have a portfolio (or demo reel) that demonstrates you have done some post production, be it a student film, band video, and to be able to discuss your methodology, in detail, including problems you addressed and how you solved them.

20. A difference between audio post and the two previous careers discussed is that many audio post-production engineers work as independent contractors, also known as “freelancing.” Successful freelancers often eventually land full time work with benefits. SIMILAR BUSINESS STRUCTURES Regardless of whether the three careers covered are you areas of interest: you should take away the importance of studying career ladders for the areas that do interest you. You will find similarities and differences in other career ladders

21. Researching and understanding the nitty-gritty details of the career ladder will help you avoid investing in a career path that may never meet your expectations for creative or financial development. Create a chart with the key skills and responsibilities, salaries, titles, and anticipated time froam for promotions before you dive fully into a career path. Doing so will help you to understand what it will take to get to the top in your field of interest. IMPORTANT NOTE: Starting with Workshop 5.1 you are no longer responsible for doing any more work on your career portfolio. Since we just have three more classes, I want you to have ample time to prepare for the final. I hope you will keep this book and continue working on your career portfolio on your own after the semester is over.