43% of college graduates are underemployed in their first jobs after graduation, and 70% of internships lead to full-time job offers. Interning in the music industry is interning in a highly competitive and diverse field. In order to make the most of your music industry internship, you need these essential tools to succeed.
1. All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald S. Passman
This book, written by retired music business attorney Donald Passman, has been out since 1991 and updated many times. This book discusses all the moving parts of the industry and is great for people who aren’t sure what they want to do yet. This is a staple for interns in the music industry, it gives knowledge of all parts and is great for entering into an intern. Divided into 9 parts: First Steps, Your Team of Advisors, Record Deals, Songwriting and Music Publishing, Group Issues, Touring, Merchandising, Classical Music, and Motion Picture Music this book is helpful for any internship you might get in the music industry!
2. A Notebook
Internships are not only an opportunity to learn about what the music industry is like, but also an opportunity to widen your skill set. Make sure you have a notebook, word document somewhere to keep track of what you do during your time at your internship. It’s also important to keep track of your tasks so you can add them to your resume later!
3. A professional email account
Some internships require you to be sent a lot of information, and some intern supervisors will ask for your email address in the application. It’s important to have a professional email, just your first and last name, in order to maintain a professional relationship and stay organized during your time at your internship. This email address should only be used for business and professional tasks during your lifetime, and should never be given out to shopping or spam sites. Never give your intern supervisor an email address like ilovehorses1428@gmail.com, and never put it in an application.
4. Planner
When entering any internship you should be able to stay organized and on top of the projects that are given to you. An hourly planner dedicated to your internship can help you plan out your day and divide up when you will work on certain projects!
5. Trello
Trello is a great way to stay organized! You can use Trello as a planner or just to list and complete different tasks that you have been assigned. Trello also has a collaboration ability so that your intern supervisor could keep track of your progress during the day, or so you can collaborate with other interns on projects!
6. A laptop
Apple Macbook Pro, although an expensive choice, is a great laptop for interning in the music industry! Many students use Apple laptops for school and internships. One of the greatest things about the newest Apple laptops is the M1 chip, which reportedly has improved battery life and performance.
Dell XPS 13 OLED is a great alternative to the Apple Macbook Pro. Still an expensive choice, normally priced around $900, this laptop is great for internships where you will be required to have music software! People like this laptop because of its screen design and power.
The HP Envy 13 is a great laptop for students because of it’s long battery life, bright display screen, and speediness! Along with this it is great for students who need a laptop under $800.
7. High-Quality headphones
High-quality headphones will be useful for internships in music publishing or music journalism! Sometimes you will be required to listen to music and write reviews of it, high-quality headphones will ensure that you hear the music to its best quality!
8. Logic Pro or GarageBand
In some internships where you might be creating content for companies. Logic Pro or GarageBand are great for editing audio or creating easy and original music for content.
9. iMovie or Video editing software.
Some Companies hire digital content interns that are required to create and edit online videos and content. iMovie is an easy and free video editing application for macs that would be good for beginner editors and other video software like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro for advanced editors.
Hopefully, with the background knowledge that you now have of these tools, you can pick and choose which ones are best for your music industry internship. It’s important to have tools that will impress your internship supervisor and be useful to you in the future. These tools will ensure that you make the most of your time. Looking to apply for a music internship? Check out our tips for landing an internship here.
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