Conference napalm::heavy_metal

    
    gissa job.

re: .0
    
>    I've narrowed it down to Record Promoter, that's not too difficult,
>    is it?? 

Yes, it is a very difficult and time-consuming job. Much harder than you
would ever think possible, and also *very* stressful. There is a lot of
pressure put on you.

>    = Schools that offer such a course[s]

No. It must be learned through experience. That is the only real teacher.

>    = What the job is besides listening to records and deciding if the
>      group is going to make or break it.

Nothing of the sort. A record promoters job is, simply, to sell records.
In more detail - he tries to get radio stations to play his records, he
thinks up and runs promotions (giveaways, trips, etc.), he works in 
conjunction with the artist, and many more things. There are many aspects
the job. Also, music itself has little to do with it. It is a business.
You do not decide who will make/break it. Nor is it even that important
that you listen to the music.

>    = Is it a particularly good-paying job.

Not right away. You must pay your dues first. That means working your way 
up with little or no pay to start. Expect to spend years acting like a
slave before getting any respect (if you ever do).

  Renee, I'm sorry to be so down about this, but it is not a very easy
industry to work in. It is also even more difficult to be successful in.
In all of Boston there are only a dozen or so record promoters. Most have
been in their jobs for years, and in the business for over 10 years.
I know because I worked for almost 10 years in the music industry, including
three years doing record promotions. It's not all that it's cracked up to
be. Yes, there are good times, but it is a job, and it is a hard one.

  Feel free to pick my brains for info. I just want you to realize that 
you can't just walk into a job like that.

cat

I was just looking over my responce, and wanted to amend it a little.
I was a little to harsh, I think. By all means, pursue your dreams. 
Never let a big mouth like me persuade you from that. I just wanted to
give you an idea of what you are getting into. But I will be happy
to answer any questions you have, and point you in the right direction
if you want.

cat

    
    While there are no classes perse on Record Promotion, you could
    take classes on issues that would deal in that field, like Marketing,
    Business of music, Music Appreciation.  I've taken the Music Business
    class...its tough!! contracts and payment and fees and legaities,
    its all there!
    
    Buck

Yes, its true you could take courses, but for the most part you would be 
better off using that time energy and money on getting experience.
Out of all people I know in the music industry (probably in the hundreds)
*not one* of them went to school for it.

cat

    You want an easy job that pays good, go into POLITICS!
    
    gh

    If you're seriously interested in going into the music biz, then
    you might try:
    
    	o	Making an appointment to see someone at a place like
    		The Don Law Agency/Tea Party Concerts, or;
    
    	o	Look through The Beat magazine and contact a few of
    		the management agencies that advertise in there, or;
    
    	o	Get the addresses of a bunch of the major music labels
    		and send letters to their personnel departments.
    
    All of the above suggestions would just be to talk to a few people
    who are in different aspects of the music business, get a few contacts,
    gain information as to what's involved, etc.  Armed with this knowledge
    and the contacts you have made, you *might* be able to get some
    kind of entry-level position.  But, as mentioned earlier in this
    topic, the money won't be great.
    
    joe.

    Thanks for all the responses, I appreciate it. I guess it all boils
    down to, no matter what career choice you decide to take, you have
    to start off with nothing and work your way up. I've been a secretary
    for about 5 years...BOOO-ring!! Well, alot of it has been fun, but
    I want something I can enjoy. Something I can *want* to work the
    long hours. I *hate* watching the clock, that's basically what I'm
    doing now. <yawn, stretch>
    
    I was looking at modelling schools for a while, don't quite know
    why I stopped that, just stopped pursuing it. I would like to go
    through with this fairly soon. The only thing is, it sounds like
    I would have to go into Boston alot, and I hate Boston. [I'm sure
    that'll get alot of comments] I don't like the city. It's intimidating.
    I think that'll have alot with my decision too. If I have to go
    into Boston, I'm afraid I won't do it. 
    
    I don't know, I know I don't want to be a "component engineering"
    secretary for the rest of my life, and I'm already [almost ;')]
    21, before I know it I'll be 28 or 30 and my life will be "set in
    stone", cuz knowing me, I'll keep putting it off.
    
    Give me a job, in music, comfortable pay, not constantly in the
    city and I'll be happy.
    
    -=renee>
    
    GH:
    Politics? Gimme a break! I'm a rebel! I don't even vote...!;')

This ia a copy of the letter I sent to Renee through VAXMail. It may
contain info of interest to others, so I thought I'd post it.

**************************************************************************
Hi Renee,

  I can answer some of the questions you have, but a lot of it comes down
to how bad you want it. Because you have to be ready to make a lot of
sacrifices. (I ended up losing my fiance, much to my loss because she 
couldn't handle the lifestyle I led of being out all the time, being very
busy, etc...but that's another story.)

  The position you talk about is called A&R, which stands for Artist and
Repetoire (I have no idea why). These are the people who listen to tapes,
go see bands live, and sign them to a label (in fact, a friend of mine
just signed a band [Bang] I suggested to CBS Records). This is even 
tougher to get than a record promotions job. Usually it is filled by
the best of the record promoters in the country. A major label like
CBS Records has between 5-10 of these guys for the whole country. And there
are only 6 major labels, so that doesn't give you much to hope for on that
end.

  But if you want some suggestions, and are foolish enough to listen to 
me, here they are: Get ready to do things for free, and make yourself
available to people who can help you out in the future. Most of the luck
and success in the business is because of who you know. Some more detailed
suggestions:

  o Start on the local level. Don't hope for too much too soon. Maybe
    do some publicity or try and get club booking for a band you know.
    Offer to do it for free. It's worth it for the experience.

  o Answer phones at a radio station, or offer to work in a recording
    studio for nothing. You'll learn a lot just by being in these places,
    and also get to know some good people.

  o Take a night job in a record store. This is not a great place to build
    from, but it does look OK on a resume that at least you had *some* sort
    of paying job in the music field. But this could be a waste of time,
    too. (Then again, all of this could be a waste of time. You just never
    know.)

  o Call the local record companies and offer to work for free in their
    office. Usually they are only open weekdays, so you may not be able
    to do that. But you could maybe offer to do inventories for them.
    (Which means you go into the record store and count the albums, etc.)
    Or become a secretary for the one of the labels. Many times they will
    offer entry-level jobs to their secretaries. And in the meantime,
    you get free albums and tickets!

There are more suggestions that I can't think of right now (such as 
volunteering to help out an area club that has live bands, in exchange
for the experience), but you get the idea. And be prepared to get used.
The key is to use them in return. In other words, do the sh*t jobs in
exchange for the knowledge you gain.

I'll try later to come up with more suggestions, anwsers, comments, etc.
In the meantime, feel free to continue to ask questions.

a.