4 answers
Ava
Student
Scranton, Pennsylvania
6
Questions
Asked
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How do I go about making connections with industry professionals?
I am a high school senior and I'm interested in pursuing a career in the music industry. Thanks! #music #music-industry #musiccareers #music-business
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4 answers
Govind Kohli
Strategy & Operations
4
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Govind’s Answer
That's great that you're already thinking about building your professional network! If you want to make connections there's a few different ways that you can try doing that:
1. You can find relevant professionals through networking tools such as LinkedIn. On LinkedIn, you can search for professionals by the company they work at and the type of job they do. Once you find some professionals you want to connect with, you can send them a message introducing yourself and asking to learn more about their type of work. It's important to introduce yourself, show your interest in their profession, and you can ask for an informational phone call to learn more about their company.
2. If your high school has a careers center, sometimes they will have connections and resources to help you learn more about a specific profession and potentially get connected to professionals as well.
3. Try joining virtual events such as career fairs that will allow you to learn more about the industry and meet some professionals. These can be organized by specific organizations, companies or groups. Doing a google search for career fairs or industry hiring events for the music industry may be able to help for this.
1. You can find relevant professionals through networking tools such as LinkedIn. On LinkedIn, you can search for professionals by the company they work at and the type of job they do. Once you find some professionals you want to connect with, you can send them a message introducing yourself and asking to learn more about their type of work. It's important to introduce yourself, show your interest in their profession, and you can ask for an informational phone call to learn more about their company.
2. If your high school has a careers center, sometimes they will have connections and resources to help you learn more about a specific profession and potentially get connected to professionals as well.
3. Try joining virtual events such as career fairs that will allow you to learn more about the industry and meet some professionals. These can be organized by specific organizations, companies or groups. Doing a google search for career fairs or industry hiring events for the music industry may be able to help for this.
Kiirsten Suomu
Sales Representative at Universal Orlando Resort
96
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
Kiirsten’s Answer
Hi Ava!
First let me start off by saying that the music industry is an awesome industry to go for-- music makes movies come to life and also brings people together just to name a few things :). Have you thought about talking to any of the music teachers at your school (Band, Orchestra, Chorus, etc)? Music teachers are a great resource to ask because they have lots of various connections and could also shed some light on how to further delve into the industry. Also, have you thought about volunteering at your local radio station if possible? That would be one way to experience a taste of a portion of the music industry .
Rock on!
First let me start off by saying that the music industry is an awesome industry to go for-- music makes movies come to life and also brings people together just to name a few things :). Have you thought about talking to any of the music teachers at your school (Band, Orchestra, Chorus, etc)? Music teachers are a great resource to ask because they have lots of various connections and could also shed some light on how to further delve into the industry. Also, have you thought about volunteering at your local radio station if possible? That would be one way to experience a taste of a portion of the music industry .
Rock on!
Victor Pinto
Tech Recruiter
23
Answers
Irving, Texas
Updated
Victor’s Answer
One option is to find forums online dedicated to that specific industry, join those forums and participate in the discussion. Add value to the discussion. Another option is to create a profile in LinkedIn, join groups from there, and again participate in the discussion, then send invites to members. They will be more likely to accept you since you are active in the discussion. Also, share information and articles in the forums so that they see you as a knowledgeable person.
Veronica Ewing
UX Researcher
4
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Veronica’s Answer
In addition to the advice provided, I would also recommend looking into what sort of organizations, associations, or guilds that exist in the music industry that you could sign up for or become a member of.
One example that may be of interest is the American Association of Independent Music (https://a2im.org/). These types of organizations are made for industry professionals to connect, network, and learn more from each other's experiences out in the field. Similar to high school clubs, they will hold events throughout the year that are focused around topics relevant to the industry that people can attend (sometimes for free, sometimes for a small cost). Most organizations like this will have tiers of membership, including options for students that are at a reduced (or zero) cost. If they are a nationwide organization, it is also likely that they will have a local chapter in your state that runs localized meet ups and events.
When you attend events held by these types of organizations, most people are there to connect with and chat with others, so it's a great opportunity to start making those connections and ask for advice on what next steps you should take to pursue this career path.
One example that may be of interest is the American Association of Independent Music (https://a2im.org/). These types of organizations are made for industry professionals to connect, network, and learn more from each other's experiences out in the field. Similar to high school clubs, they will hold events throughout the year that are focused around topics relevant to the industry that people can attend (sometimes for free, sometimes for a small cost). Most organizations like this will have tiers of membership, including options for students that are at a reduced (or zero) cost. If they are a nationwide organization, it is also likely that they will have a local chapter in your state that runs localized meet ups and events.
When you attend events held by these types of organizations, most people are there to connect with and chat with others, so it's a great opportunity to start making those connections and ask for advice on what next steps you should take to pursue this career path.