I am a musician and sadly most of us are not the sharpest tools in the toolshed, so those resumes get tossed.

Of the clever ones that remain some cannot resist the urge to be "creative." Those resumes get tossed.

Of the clever ones that resist the urge to be creative on their resume, many are bad at self promotion, that's why they hire managers and promoters. Those resumes get tossed.

After all of that tossing, you are left with annoying marketing people, accountants and individuals with a vague understanding of contract law.  

All of whom have an interest in music that consists of listening to the radio on the way to work.

hey, you want to be a musician or an accountant ? choose the life that fits you, and do it 200% ....

The job posting was for an accountant?

fun with oxymorons

Microsoft Works

Military Intellgence

Jumbo Shrimp

Music Industry

But i think the point here is why are you applying for a job with a digital music company if you are a musician?

The two are not related and have entirely different skill sets. If you are trying to start a music career then you cant commit 100% to a tech employer

You are correct.  The owner of a grocery store chain does not need to know how to grow vegetables.

However, might it help to have a couple people on the payroll that know a little bit about how to grow a potato?

You guys are kidding right?  First, there's a big difference between being a musician and trying to start a music career.  I'm a lifelong musician, got a music degree and am constantly working on music because it's a deep passion of mine, but I also work at a digital music distributor (which is also a passion of mine).  I don't want to be a 'star' nor have my livelihood depend on my art but I am most certainly a musician to the bone (and certainly more of one than many blockbuster 'musicians' who dominate the industry).

No, you don't need to grow your own vegetables to work at a grocery store and you don't need to write your own music to work in the music industry.  But it sure as hell gives you a greater depth of appreciation for what you're actually doing in the industry, and more importantly it gives you common ground and a shared perspective with all the artists who you are working so hard for.  Knowing how important a release of mine is to me certainly makes me look at all of those anonymous UPCs flowing through my fingers on a daily basis quite a bit differently.

They are also not entirely different skillsets.  I produce electronic music which is incredibly tech-focused, much like my day job.  There are very strong parallels in abstract thinking, handling complex software and general creativity.  I'm not talking about strumming an acoustic guitar vs. being knee deep in code all day obviously, I just mean to say that the idea that the two are not related is way too broad of a statement.

Well said.

If there were more people who understood music working in the music industry, there might be a more vibrant music industry today.

I am a musician with a degree in music also.

There is no way I would seek a job in the "Music Industry" because it is filled with commeneters like Another Visitor who haven't the first idea about music history, performance or theory and they don't realize how knowing something about music is related to the music industry.

They do know statistics, data, charts, graphs and market research. All skills that are easily transferable to selling any product like cheese or bottled water.

Finally, the most succesful ones in the music industry also have a law degree and know how to smile and shake your hand while screwing you.

That being said, someone has to do it right? I mean how else could we the consumers of music possibly find, enjoy or purchase music?

So I hope dittomusic finds the ideal employee

It also said don't swear...h word is a swear word last time I checked.

Preach John..Preach..

I worked for an indy label in the marketing dept for nearly a decade.  I interviewed dozens of interns over the years that did the exact samething.  Showing up to an inteview with the stamp of the rock club you were at the night before in the same cloths does not make you "a perfect fit" for this business.  The internal workings of a record label are about as exciting as laudramat.  Sure the after work perks can be amazing, but never expect them and you will be pleasantly surprised when they come.  

Landing a job in an ever shrinking volatile business like the music industry is harder than ever.  You need to distinguish yourself from your competition and leave your interviewer thinking that there is no way this company can move forward without you.  

Last but not least if anyone in the music business ever, and I mean ever asks you do you illegally download music the answer is always NO!  Look at that person like you want to punch them in the face for even asking you that.  The truth is that stealing money while pisses off the big wigs the small wigs are the ones who lose there jobs when the money dries up!  Oh you thought they were going to keep paying you and take the hit themselves?  Rookie!  

>>>>

Oh you thought they were going to keep paying you and take the hit themselves?  Rookie! 

>>>>

hehe, i keep seeing that more and more with the new generation... not only in the music industry or shrinking businesses.... poor youth....

Isnt this just common sense with all CVs?

Plus, I hate the fact that you are publishing articles relating to Ditto when it just seems as though they are ripping people off! (just check out basic google results)

Hi Steven

Took you 12 hours to reply to this blog, you must be slipping.

Will you be replying this as yourself pretending you have just seen this or will you be carrying on with the fake name above?

L

People are still trying to claw their way into the music industry? Seriously, you'll find better wages, more reasonable hours and a better future if you became a mall cop or worked at the local grocery store or something.

"Sure the after work perks can be amazing"

Ya, you can get in free to see all of the shittiest bands you can imagine, every night of the week for the rest of your life. And you get to destroy your hearing in the process. Great.

Dear Mr. Parsons,

 On line number 15)"Do learn about SEO/social media,etc.

It reads:"Whether you are going for a job as a label rep or care salesman..."

I think you meant "car salesman" 

Let me know if you organization is reviewing experienced candidates for any proof reader positions. I would be happy to submit my resume.

"your" Oops! Never mind!(insert laughter here)

this guy is a major d bag. major. i would never want to work for this guy.

I'm so glad I'm not the only person with that opinion!

Let me add a few of my own:

21)  Never paste your resume in the body of an email (especially when the job posting specifically says to attach a PDF or Word doc):  I delete all submissions that do not follow instructions.  I figured if the applicant can't pay attention to simple details, they will be no good in a digital world where every detail counts.

22)  Spelling Counts...A lot!:  In this day and age, not spell checking for obvious typos and not double checking for less obvious ones, is completely inexcusable.  (see point above about attention to detail)

23)  Don't say that you are detail-oriented.  Demonstrate it by having perfect spelling, clean formatting, and following the job posting's instructions to a tee.

24)  Don't write a cover email that is longer than your resume.  A cover email should only be enough to generate interest to open a resume.  Everything else can wait till the interview.  If your resume is not strong enough to get an interview and you feel that you need to write a long cover email, then redo your resume.

25)  Don't save your resume while you have the view percentage set to anything but 100%.  (see item 21 again)

I could probably go on.  But no need to overshadow Lee's excellent list of do's and don'ts. 

Thanks, Lee.

Lee

What a blowhard Brit.

Whats up with demanding that people twitter and blog?

Who has time for that self glorifying rubbish. More importantly, who wants to hire soemone who spends a lot of time blogging?

Yawn.

>>>

Who has time for that self glorifying rubbish. More importantly, who wants to hire soemone who spends a lot of time blogging?

>>>>

exactly !

except if you need a geek for the job.....

To the people who don’t understand why you should be blogging and using social media. You may notice that you are reading my blog on a digital music site. Welcome to 2012.

There are a lot of people / graduates who want to work in the music industry, but have no idea what they should be doing to get a job. Should we not help them?
If I showed you just how many people applied for this position with nothing more than “I love making music” and “I want to work for your label” (we aren’t a label) you would hopefully find it as scary as I did.

All of our staff, including myself were in bands at one point and that certainly helps, but it is in no way enough to get a job in a digital company in 2012. 

Steven's comments were great as were some of the others. I also had some really bright people contact us about the job. So, although some may want to lower this to name calling and trolling, your comments are very transparent to anyone with intelligence.

And that happens to be just who I am looking for. 

If you take the example of DMN, it is indeed relevant. Here is a blog managed by someone with passion and the blog is long lasting. It shows a dedication to music industry. Might be a good point. But does it qualify DMN staff for the position at stake? in terms of skills ? not sure at all.

I remember a class with CEO of UBI SOFT (game industry). They don't hire people who are interested in games :-)  Unless they coded the game. This was the CEO when UBI SOFT was successful (7/10 years ago). shocking, but true.

So the blog, advertise it, but it'd better be high quality and show strong skills in an area or another.... Otherwise, it can be counter-productive in terms of job search.

oh, it is lee himself. Hi Lee !

I hope you see the point. It is not enough to say "do a blog"... the blog must be of undoubtful superior quality.

Point taken. I understand what you are saying.

And there are so many types of blogs. I think some people have got this confused with writing a personal blog.

Creating content is something that companies now invest heavily in. The more someone knows about this at the interview stage, the better.

L

you are right i took the word "blog" as "personal blog"... I guess that, if it allows to see a certain approach, clever points of view, the energy in the candidate, it can be a good point.

and if it actually leads me to discover that the guy is a musician too, it would be a great point with me if the rest follows. Because i am a musician too, but i don't "work" directly in music biz   :-o

Exactly!
Lots of musicians use blogging about the industry as a way to help people discover their music.
So yup, agreed agin 

Well, I know where you're coming from, we've all experienced this when hiring people for "music industry" jobs.

Candidates often think it's about music, whereas it's just "a job".

Sure it can help to have a music background, to understand the business a bit, but it's not necessary at all.

In major record labels, most people have a regular "office worker" profile, nobody here cares about music.

You have accountants, lawyers, business and marketing people..."music" and "artists" are just "assets", a source of revenue for the company.

These guys could be selling potatoes, but for some reason they've landed here and sell music.

Good luck for hiring, maybe you should not tell candidates it's about music industry, that would eliminate dreamers and pseudo artists trying to get a day job.

I appreciate the honesty. It is a little smug however.

My favorite quote so far in this thread:

" ...nobody here cares about music."

That probably explains the vast quantity and low quality of the music that is marketed and sold to consumers.

Well what I meant was that most people working for labels/majors do like music, but no more than anybody else does in general.

I'm not referring to A&R staffs who need to love music and be passionate about what they do, in order to find new talents...etc.

But all others do not need to have a musician background or to even really care about "music" or "art" to do their day job.

The problem with new candidates is that they always think they'll be working close to the rock stars, go to gigs...etc, which is far from the reality of what the vast majority of these "music industry" jobs are.

As a musician and as part of an indie label we had dealings with Lee and Ditto in it's early days.. he was completely incompetent and utterly useless (and could also be quite rude). It took us about 3 years to get the money he owed us. It always saddens me when people like this rise to positions of importance.

If that statement is true then why don't you leave a real name?

I didn't know that interviewing for staff heralded a position of importance but I appreciate the compliments.

L

Because now we've finally got the money that was owed I don't really want to be dragged into a public arguement with you or your company. Hopefully we'll never have to deal with you again!

And you're welcome.

Sure.

Sounds completely true.

Lee

PASSION,PASSION,PASSION,

How bad do you want something? Can you smell it, eat it,live for it other wise why are you applying for a job? Don't tell somebody something they already know tell them something they didn't think of ,take a chance you may be wrong but who cares not many people would put there life and career on the line if they've done there home work.

I'm 62 out of work listen to this man says, "What Color is Your Parachute" a self help job book from the 70's find it,read it. In the 70's I remember a man standing out in front of CBS Records (Black Rock" with a home made billboard handing out resumes to the big shots walking in out of limo's they all stopped he got hired, why ? passion, balls and you hire someone who's willing to put it all on the line.

Do your home work it's a business the glory days are behind us,it's hard to sell music today if all you want is a job.

PASSION,PASSION,PASSION,

How bad do you want something? Can you smell it, eat it,live for it other wise why are you applying for a job? Don't tell somebody something they already know tell them something they didn't think of ,take a chance you may be wrong but who cares not many people would put there life and career on the line if they've done there home work.

I'm 62 out of work listen to this man says, "What Color is Your Parachute" a self help job book from the 70's find it,read it. In the 70's I remember a man standing out in front of CBS Records (Black Rock" with a home made billboard handing out resumes to the big shots walking in out of limo's they all stopped he got hired, why ? passion, balls and you hire someone who's willing to put it all on the line.

Do your home work it's a business the glory days are behind us,it's hard to sell music today if all you want is a job.

I disagree vehemently with #2, right down to our software engineers and everybody else on our staff.  We want everybody to love music, musicians, and the music business.  Passion builds startups.  We have passed up perfectly good candidates for jobs because they just didn't seem enthusiastic enough about music.

If you're every submitting to Earbits, please DO tell us how much you love music and, even better, that you're a killer musician.

-Joey

DO check your punctuation.

Lee,

I am a college graduate, musician, and frustrated job seeker, based in the New York City area.  I came across your blog on Twitter and, after reading both your post and the comments it inspired, I feel compelled to respond.

Allow me to begin by saying that I completely agree with many of your points. Some of your red flags (namely numbers 4, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18) are shocking displays of a lack of common sense. And beyond the obvious, we as serious job seekers would be doing ourselves an incredible disservice if we didn’t take time to recognize the value in numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, and 20. However, had this position at your company been based in a New York City office, chances are I would have applied, and I’m afraid my resume would have met the same fate as many that you speak of, simply because of talking point number 2.

I could never pretend to know what your company needs better than you do. Chances are you may be more attracted to a musician’s experience if the position you’re looking to fill requires a different skill set. But to make a sweeping generalization, as I feel you have, suggesting that a musician’s experience and perspective offers no value to a music business, is an insult to anyone that has ever taken his/her art seriously. I don’t write this out of anger (like many who have responded to your blog), but only with the hope that I may affect your opinion and give musicians like myself a chance.

"I have wanted to work in music since first picking up a guitar," and "music is my passion," are lines directly out of my own experience. I was eight years old when I began studying music, thirteen when I picked up my primary instrument (the guitar), and fifteen when I started my first band. My love for music has been at the heart of many important decisions in my life and, as a result, it has taken me to some extraordinary places. However, these same experiences have not come without their fair share of harsh truths, humbling realities, and sobering lessons learned.

In the eighteen months following my graduation from college, where I studied communications and entrepreneurship (read: NOT music), I leveraged my limited network to independently write, record, produce, and release a radio-ready record, conceptualize and film a high-quality music-video, book and promote four separate tours that totaled approximately 100 performances across the country, oversee the group’s finances, operate the band’s online store, and relate with fans on a personal level via social media and live appearances. Despite your recommendation to the contrary, I proudly include all of this in my resume/cover letter. Fault me if you will for dressing-up my experience to seem appealing; chances are I’ve missed out on my shot at a job or two for it. But what is the difference between this and someone who spins their experience folding t-shirts at the GAP to score a desired job in sales? How about someone who claims their position as social-chair of their fraternity/sorority qualifies them to be a professional team leader?   

But I’m not only a musician. I’ve participated in a number of professional internships over the years, two with record labels and, most recently, one with a fairly well known music television production company. Trust me, I speak of these experiences with just as much pride. And I will agree with you -- my time there has shown me that careers in the business are probably better suited to fans of music rather than musicians themselves; after all, the ego-obsessed musician would rather work hard at realizing his/her own dreams than at realizing the same dreams for someone else. But if the passion that one has for music stems from a true love for the intricacies, politics, and culture of the industry (read: not just an obsession with fame), then how does practical experience and interests rooted in the art itself not suggest that this candidate may have what it takes to excel in the position?

To touch on your issue with someone saying ‘I need a 9-5 while I pursue my music career,’ of course, that should never be a sentence found in a resume, cover letter, or job interview. However, I take no issue with someone trying to work a decent job while they pursue a career in music. I myself search for a full-time job to supplement my pursuit of a music career because I know what those commitments entail. Behind the Music, the sob-stories of “reality TV” talent contestants, and over-dramatized accounts of musicians’ pre-fame hardships have led many to believe that struggling in a dead-end job is a rite of passage for successful musicians. This is simply not true and, with a college degree, I simply refuse to be that cliché. As it stands, I’m currently developing a band and we’ve been fortunate to see profits (however small) and growing audiences every month since I joined. We average one or two rehearsals per week and three or four gigs per month, so as to not over-saturate the markets that we frequent. But the level of commitment there is no different than someone taking yoga classes or belonging to a recreational basketball league in their spare time. To fault a candidate for employment because of this, to me, is nonsensical.

Again, I only write this with the hope that you may reconsider your stance on musicians looking to work in the industry too. If you get the sense that a candidate is just looking to abuse your company and it’s network for the benefit of his/her own music career, then don't hesitate to hit delete. But I feel that there is no reason why musicians like myself should be ashamed to tout the experiences we’ve had and the skills we’ve built through music if we feel that they would benefit your organization. Liam Neeson impressions not so much, but perhaps keeping an open mind to all of this will help you find that ideal candidate.

Best of luck in your search.

Hi Anonymous.

I appreciate you writing in such detail and of course its great to get some feedback.

I did mention above that every member of our staff, both in the US and UK has been at bands in one point. That's quite a feat!
I myself was in one for 5 years and i believe that is what has helped us as a company connect with so many artists. We understand the frustrations, aspirations and mind-set that musicians have.

My post wasn't to dismay musicians from applying. I really want to tell them to "play down" the fact that they are a musician or risk scaring the potential employer. What about touring? rehearsals? Or they spend years training you and you get signed and leave the company?

As an employer i think its fair that i get 100%.
To be honest i want 200%. I spent years building this company without help and i want to pass on what i have learnt in music business to someone who can take those skills and really shine.

So let me ask you. What comes first? My job opportunity or your music career? If its Ditto Music, great!
If it is your music career then you would do best to put 100% into that, and get a normal dayjob, or at least someone less demanding than myself ;) 

Mention that you play music. Don't overstate it. Make sure you have the same skill sets as the rest of the applicants and you will be fine.

L 

DO spell check your website. There are a lot of punctuation and grammar mistakes throughout dittomusic.com. 

Speaking as someone that gets piles of resumes for music business internships, I find most of Lee's rules are ones that many, many applicants neglect. Yes, spelling really counts. 

Every stack of resumes has 1) the "I love music, hire me" people, 2) the people who blindly submit resumes without any thought as to what they're applying to do and how it fits with their experience, and 3) the people I hire who can do the work and show an understanding of the work and the company.

It takes time to make a detailed case in every cover letter, but the people in group #3 who take the time are few and far between.

And one comment: musicians wanting to work in the industry can be great because they understand the importance of the work they do...but it's not enough. People have to be able to demonstrate that they can do the work. 

I'm a songwriter in Los Angeles and a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Composers(ASCAP). I write r@b, hiphop, jazz, and country lyrics. I'm pitchin' two songs on youtube and facebook. I have many other songs also. Anyone, band or singers, interested in makin' some hits, email me. I also have an education in communications and business. That means I can do other things besides music, that music can use too. I can be very versatile. I can spell, use good grammar, and communicate with people, which seems to me is very NEEDED in the music industry right now!!

Thats a pretty good case for how not to apply for a job.

I had the pleasure of working on an internship for Lee in the UK , they have a great company and great commitment to their customers,i suggest to anyone if you get the chance to work with these guys grab it with both hands