An internship may be available at a recording studio.
The music industry is notoriously difficult to break into. Recording studios are extremely competitive and there are far more people wanting to work in the field than there are openings. Recording studio internships are one of the easiest ways for potential employees to gain work experience. Internships are available in virtually every area of the music industry, including managing recording crews, researching legal issues, and creating advertising campaigns.
Far more people want to work in the music industry than internships are available.
In part due to their competitive nature, recording studio internships are often unpaid. Interns are typically compensated with college credits and work experience. To participate, some studies require their interns to provide documentation that they are currently enrolled undergraduate students who can receive credit toward an internship. Interns are generally asked to contribute a minimum of 15-20 hours per week.
Studio interns should learn about the different types of microphones.
The best known recording studio stages are those that deal directly with the recording and editing process. Some of these interns manage the team to ensure the best possible recordings are made. Other interns work directly with artists to tune equipment to their specifications. Editing interns take raw recorded music and deal with issues like mixing tracks and removing mistakes. These types of recording studio internships are quite popular and have the most competitive application processes.
Recording studio internships are generally unpaid.
An example of a lesser known recording studio stage is marketing. Marketing interns work in market research, advertising, and merchandising. They design t-shirts and posters, talk to radio stations, and ask for opinions on music. Candidates seeking a marketing internship will need a strong background in a marketing-related field, such as communications, applied sociology, or graphic design.
Sales is another field that offers many recording studio internships. These interns help make connections with record stores and other retailers to ensure recorded music gets into the hands of customers. Duties may include talking to record store managers, taking orders, and processing sales requests. Sales interns must be outgoing, energetic, and have an encyclopedic knowledge of music. This can also be a good path for tech-savvy interns, because digital sales are a significant part of many studios’ income.
Some studios also offer internships less directly related to music, such as human resources and public relations. Recording studios are still a business and they need people to do common jobs that exist in other businesses as well. These internships can provide work experience and may provide more options for career advancement than more popular alternatives.