15 Entry-Level Jobs In The Music Industry in 2024

Are you the one passionate about music and looking for the best career in the music industry? If yes, then there are lots of entry-level jobs you can pursue. Most jobs are best for those who show more interest in business, while some are perfect for creative people. The music industry is highly lucrative, and job opportunities are countless. Depending on your interest, you may work as a recording artist, producing or composing music, or live musician. So, if you are searching for the best career that enables you to surround yourself with music, don’t worry; we outline the 15 best entry-level jobs in the music industry. Please read it and gives us your review about your job interest in the music industry.

Whatever you decide, remember one thing that commits to your passion and do your best to perform a particular task. If you are crazy about music, choose from the list above and make your career successful. Be sure to put in your effort and never give up.

Whether you wish to pursue your career sound or video engineer, event manager, singer, or school teacher, you can apply for many amazing entry-level jobs. Here are the best 15 entry-level jobs in the music industry.

1. Recording Engineer (Salary: 150,000 USD / Year)

A recording engineer is one of the professional personnel in the music industry that can edit, record, and mix various sounds for music companies. They can record and edit music for artists. These engineers can manage the technical and artistic aspects of any music concert and program recording session. They work with song arrangers, musical composers, sound editors, and music producers to manage to record uniquely. Recording engineers work for concert production companies and earn huge amounts of compensation. If you have better recording session skills, then this profession in the music industry is the best option for you. Recording engineers must understand gain staging, mic placement, acoustics, microphone types, and studio gear used for recording. It is a very famous profession and suits the young generations the most.

2. Sound And Video Engineer (Salary: 120,000 USD / Year)

If you are looking for the highest-paying jobs in the musical industry, then sound & video engineering is one of them. It is the job that involves the mapping of voice and sound effects for video games. They set the mics and edited, mixed, and tracked songs.

Sound engineers play a unique role in the music industry. By controlling sound levels, outputs, microphones, sound, and video, engineers combined well-trained ears with acoustic knowledge and produced the best sound. They work in radio, computer games, sporting events, and film. They come with different educational experiences and backgrounds, they do not need formal education, but with extensive on-the-job experience, they get professional skills and experience. The salary offered to sound, and video engineers are $ 1,20,000 per year.

These engineers play a vital role in shaping the project’s sound and videos. The job performed by the video and sound engineers is score and recording composer that gives the best sound feelings during video playing.

3. High School Music Teacher (Salary: 83,000 USD / Year)

High school music teachers teach students in classes 6 to 12. The qualification needed for this profession is a bachelor’s degree in music education. These teachers usually work during school days and teach students about music techniques and skills. You must attend conferences and meetings, especially to become a high school music teacher, y. The teachers help students to learn musical skills and knowledge. Both private and public schools offer high school music teacher jobs. They also work in churches, religious places, and community organizations.

4. Photographer (Salary: 39,303 USD / Year)

Event photographers work in the field of the music industry. These professionals are specialized in producing high-quality photos of live performances in musical programs or concerts. Photographers offer services to take photos of band artists and members.

They can take images of the band for promotional materials, album covers, educational events, and interviews. Photographers work as freelancers, contractors, and media outlets also. Photographers are responsible for making reliable photos and selling them with high compensation. They can work on various freelancing platforms and offer services of photography.

5. Announcers & DJs (Salary: 58,907 USD / Year)

DJs are the people who bring joy to parties with the help of beats to entertain crowds. They work at nightclubs and entertain the audience by getting them dancing. One can hire them for raves, bars, pubs, and other events. They will add a unique personal touch to the event and enable the audience to enjoy it. People also get connected with other people to share their love. They work long hours, and their job usually requires traveling from one place to another.

On the other hand, announcers conduct interviews, provide sports or event commentary, and give weather reports. They also control audio equipment and select any music on the internet. DJs and announcers must have bachelor’s degrees in journalism, broadcasting, and communications.

6. Video, Sound, And Broadcast Technicians (Salary: 60,500 USD / Year)

Sound and video technicians are other lucrative careers with a much faster-projected growth rate. These people work with the audio and video equipment, ensuring the highest quality of concerts, recordings, and events. The average salary for sound and broadcast technicians is $ 60,500 per year. No formal education is needed to do the job of video, sound, and broadcast technicians. It required some professional training to do the job perfectly. These professionals can easily work indoors and don’t do any time of tough jobs. Although besides all of the above benefits, there are some drawbacks to becoming professional in this field, such as loud noises coming from musical equipment. The loud sounds cause severe hearing loss with time. Similarly, these professionals must know the potential electrical hazards while working with musical and electrical equipment.

7. Music Director/Producer (Salary: 79,000 USD / Year)

A music director is a key person in the success of a musical event. The music director is in charge of all aspects of the musical event.

They choose the songs, set up the choreography, and direct the orchestra. A music director needs extensive music theory, orchestration, and composition knowledge. They need to be able to read and write music, as well as have an understanding of voice technique and stagecraft. You will need experience and training in music theory, music composition, and audio engineering to work as a music director.

8. Musical Therapist (Salary: 47,940 USD / Year)

The use of music in therapy dates back to ancient times. The Greeks used it in the treatment of mental disorders, and they used it as a form of physical therapy. In recent years, research has shown that music can effectively treat anxiety and depression and improve the lives of people with dementia or Alzheimer’s. Music therapy has also been shown to help people with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke recovery, chronic pain management, and Parkinson’s disease. A music therapist works in private hospitals and nursing homes as a full-time employment job.

9. Songwriter (Salary: 59,000 USD / Year)

Songwriters are responsible for the lyrics and melodies of a song. They are often called the “authors” of a song. They are one of the most prominent people in the music industry because they are responsible for creating lyrics and melodies that singers will sing. A songwriter can be an artist, but not all artists are also songwriters. Some artists produce their music without writing any lyrics or melodies themselves. Songwriting can be lucrative, especially if you are successful and your songs are popular. The average salary of a songwriter is $59,000 per year in America, but that figure can go up depending on how many hits you have had in your career and how much money you have earned from them.

10. Music Agents (Salary: 37,851 USD / Year)

Music agents represent musicians or groups acting as managers, booking agents, and promoters. Most agents have expertise in various areas, including business management, marketing, finances, artist management, and talent relations. Their role is mainly to promote their artist(s) and book performances to generate profit for the artist or themselves. The main duties include booking appearances for artists on TV, radio, or concerts, negotiating contracts between artists and producers/labels, leading to higher payouts, and organizing recording sessions. A music agent is a person who represents musicians and performers to the general public, buyers of live entertainment, and workers in the music industry. A music agent may get paid by receiving a percentage of the earnings from their client for each performance or by charging a fee for their services. A music agent has many responsibilities. They can negotiate contracts, get their clients booked in performances, produce their albums, and more.

11. Public Relations Specialists (Salary: 49,200 USD / Year)

Public relations specialists are responsible for getting their clients good publicity. They work closely with journalists to make sure that the media covers the client’s story in a positive light. Public relations specialists require a bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, or public policy. A master’s degree may be required for those positions that deal with corporate communications and public affairs management. After completing this course, you will know what a public relations specialist does and better understand the education required to do their job well.

12. Game Audio Designers (Salary: 70,500 USD / Year)

Music is the backbone of video games. It is used to portray emotions and moods, add a sense of urgency or atmosphere, or create a sense of fun and enjoyment. As game audio designers create music for these purposes, they must also be conscious of how well the music will work in the game environment. Games are interactive medium that relies heavily on sound effects, dialogue, and music. Game audio designers have to work closely with the other development team members, such as programmers and artists, to design sound that enhances gameplay without becoming too intrusive for players. The introduction could be a general description of what game audio designers do – designing music for video games that helps with moods, emotion, and atmosphere or adding urgency/atmosphere.

13. Agent And Business Managers (Salary: 116,410 USD / Year)

Agency managers oversee day-to-day operations such as client communication, staff development, and project management. These professionals use various skills to provide clients with the best services.

Business managers are professionals in charge of marketing and sales. These people occupy various positions in different industries and are focused on improving the overall financial performance of their company. Both agents and business managers work towards handling the day-to-day affairs of players. They manage players’ schedules and ensure they make it to practices, games, appearances, and events on time. Agents also help players with their finances by advising them on investments such as real estate holdings or stocks.

14. Camera Operators And Film & Video Editors (Salary: 60,360 USD / Year)

These professionals use dedicated editing software to combine many footages from different angles, select the best one and then add beautiful visual effects. Camera operators are responsible for creating images for the audience to see on the home television or big screen. They work with many videos and cameras to capture high-quality film. Editors and operators sit on the job and operator complex equipment for a long time.

 They work in both offices and studios. Most of the operators start their careers as trainees and assistants. They must have a bachelor’s degree to start this professional career.

15. Singers/Musicians (Salary: 49,700 USD / Year)

Musicians must hone their skills and develop valuable talents via best practices and development. There is no need for formal educational credentials to get this job. Most successful singers take music lessons, regularly perform and practice to achieve their craft. They also attend various master classes and workshops to enhance their skills. Singers and musicians need to build healthy relationships and network with industry professionals. If you are serious about this profession and want to become a professional singer, start developing the best music skills and talent. Regularly take classes and lessons and perform daily to create a brand that captures the attention of your target audience. Most of the musicians are self-employed. So, they need to manage their time perfectly and manage their work also.

Benefits Of Music Careers

The music industry provides lots of career opportunities. If you are passionate about music and wish to get better job opportunities, you will get many benefits in the future. The field is a little bit challenging, and creative one also leads you toward a sense of personal and professional satisfaction. Here in this section, we will discuss some benefits of a music career.

1. Creative Payment

If you engage in a music career, then it will allow you to expose your creativity. It is the field that enables you to meet with other people in the same industry and provides a better way to learn and earn creative payoff.

2. Good Living Environment

The music industry offers a vast opportunity to pursue a job. It offers various ways to make huge money. If you become successful in this field, it will enable you to learn good payment opportunities.

3. Job Variety

This industry offers you a variety of jobs. Recording engineers and recording specialists are your best option if you are interested in recording videos. You can choose from available occupations like working in music education, composition, and composing songs, depending on your interest.

4. Traveling

If you are a musician/singer, you will have a better chance to travel the world. This feature enables you to see fantastic places all around the world. Traveling enables you to meet with different people all across the globe.

Things To Consider

Before starting your career in the music industry, you must consider a game plan in your mind. Consider costs associated with work like studio space, production costs, sound techs, etc., and similar factors, such as promotional and travel expenses, before starting your career in this industry.

Conclusion

After know-how about careers in the music industry, it’s time to progress toward the next step. So, let us know which career opportunity fits your skills and interest. The music business needs a proper understanding of data analytics, finance, and microeconomics. You should also check which industry job is well-suited to your skill set. Whatever you decide, remember one thing that commits to your passion and do your best to perform a particular task. If you are crazy about music, choose from the list above and make your career successful. Be sure to put in your effort and never give up.

Do you want to share your valuable suggestion with us? If yes, kindly use our comment section and offer as many valuable suggestions as possible. In the end, I suggest you choose a profession that is well-suited to your skills and interests and never makes any delay in completing your content.