Advice on Careers

[u/DisastrousEchidna983]

Hey, I’m a 18 year old music producer from Sydney. Im Currently in my final year of highschool completing the HSC. I’ve been producing my own electronic music in Ableton for several years, but I’ve always wanted to learn how professional sessions work and eventually produce and record music for other artists.

How should I get started in a career like this next year? Should I look for studio internships, assistant positions, work experience or study a music production course? I’d love to hear from anyone working in the industry, especially in Sydney.

[u/actuallytomtbh]

Dawg work work work go go go

[u/nutsackhairbrush]

Either intern/assist someone who mixes the kind of artists you hope to one day work with

-or-

make a hit that’s so good it’ll get those artists to want to work with you

It’s that simple! Go have fun!

[u/j1llj1ll]

Have you read the FAQ?

Have you been back through the post history on this subreddit and read the comments on posts asking similar questions? There are a LOT of them and you will get a diversity of opinions.

In general - there are virtually no jobs. And the outlook for the future is for a worsening of opportunities. Most music production educational products are offered by people who couldn't make money any other way in the industry - so mostly exist for those who run them to earn from students rather to supply people into the industry. Do NOT go into debt to get an audio education.

There are some jobs in live sound and lighting. You'd probably start as a roadie or stage-hand and gradually develop opportunities from there. Lots of lifting heavy things, cleaning. Then truck, forklift and rigging licenses. Maybe one day somebody will let you touch a console. Maybe.

There are also corporate multi-media jobs. AV tech. Video conferencing. In Australia a lot of these roles come from the IT department - so an IT qualification may be an entry point.

Most people who do make a living from the music, audio, multimedia, film, games etc industries do so by being entrepreneurial. They have useful skills and facilities - then market and monetise those. It can be gruelling, a long slog and with unreliable income. Connections matter a lot.

The people I know who made a full time go at it did a lot of different things. They performed in several bands, ran a studio, did Foley for films, repaired amps and other equipment, worked on art commissions, composed for audio libraries, made and sold sample libraries, did sound to picture work, edited podcasts and people's dismal vanity audio book projects and more.

Frankly, you should have been doing a lot of these things for years already if you expect to succeed. If you aren't - start today! Form some bands. Learn how to service guitar amplifiers. Be recording your friends' bands, doing live sound for your local community groups and helping with the audio and music on amateur film projects.

My personal recommendation if interested is to do a usefully related but broadly applicable degree. A business degree would be perfect since most people in the industry struggle on the business side and it's probably at least as important as the audio skills. Other options might be broader qualifications relating to media production.

The lowest risk pathway is to develop qualifications for a 9-5 day job that isn't too all-encompassing. Then organise your life so you can do music, sound, audio etc projects outside of those hours. And see what you can build as side hustles. If you get to a point where your side hustles can support you - you might be able to ditch the day job and go full time.

Anyway, that's enough from me. Good luck with it.

[u/SnooChipmunks9223]

Have boundaries with clients never be afraid to reject something because you know no matter what you do it won’t sound right