There’s always the big argument over whether the music industry is dying or not; no matter which way you look at it, album sales are declining. Even when you combine the number of physical album sales to the number of digital album sales (i.e. paid downloads), it is still clear that people are buying less music. Some people speculate that the peer-to-peer illegal downloading services are to blame. Some think that the technology is developing so rapidly that consumers who aren’t as tech-savvy are having a difficult time accepting new devices and music formats as the way of the future. Personally, I believe that the music industry is a lot like the stock market – it has its ups and downs, but when you look at the big picture, you see a slow growth over time. The industry is undergoing some major changes right now as it switches from being a primarily physical industry to being a primarily digital industry. We are in an undeniable slump for the time being, but we are still continuing with the overall trend of growth. I believe that music is something that people will always want and need, and once people start adapting to the digital marketplace, the industry will be seeing business as usual
Q: You are now interning with Def Jam/Island. What is a typical day like at your job?
Typical days don’t really exist around here, especially for an intern. Interns are generally expected to perform basic administrative duties, such as answering phones, copying, filing, and expense account maintenance. Other tasks given to you will depend on what department you’re in. I’m working in video production so I often make duplicates of videos in various formats, digitize video footage, organize equipment, un-tangle various cables – anything that needs to be done!
Things happen here pretty quickly without much notice. For example, my internship supervisor got called out to assist on a video shoot in another country with only 2-3 days notice. What you may think will be a slow day always has the possibility of turning into a very busy one
Q: What are your future career goals? Is there any particular style of music or artists with whom you want to work - and how important is it for you to work with music you love
As far as my future goals are concerned, I’m trying to keep my options open. The ideal position for me would be working with live music and touring. A live show is the one place where artists can personally interact with their fans. Going to concerts and “experiencing” the music I loved are among my favorite memories of growing up in my teens.
Working with music that I love is definitely something that is important to me, but I know that it won’t necessarily happen right away. If you have the opportunity to get your foot in the door and learn more about the industry from the inside, it’s always important to do that. Just because you get a job working at a rock club doesn’t mean that you will have to work with rock for your entire career. For as many people as there are in this business, it’s a very tightly knit community – everyone knows each other. The chances of taking a job that might not seem like a perfect fit - and meeting someone who knows someone who knows someone who’s roommate’s boss is doing exactly what you’d like to be doing and just so happens to be looking for an assistant – are not as bad as you may think. If you’re outgoing, professional and dedicated to networking, you’ll definitely go places.
