Want a Job in the Music Industry?

Amy Sciarretto tells us how to make the dream a reality.

If you answered ‘yes’ to the title of this article, there’s something you should know from the get-go: Becoming a part of the music industry isn’t just a job, it’s a lifestyle. It means immersing yourself in your work on nights and weekends, it means diving headfirst into uncertainty and it could even mean the members of Slipknot hijacking Happy Meal toys from your car.

Amy Sciarretto knows this better than anyone. As a veteran of the industry, she’s interviewed everyone from Lars Ulrich to Pearl Jam and has worked everywhere from Sirius Satellite Radio to Hit Parader. These days, she’s the Director of Publicity at Roadrunner Records, where she promotes bands like Opeth, Killswitch Engage and DevilDriver, just to name a few. Amy recently teamed up with Rick Florino to write Do the Devil’s Work for Him (McCarren Publishing), a comprehensive guide to making it in the music industry. Below, Amy addresses some of our burning questions about the book and beyond.

Can you tell us how you got to where you are right now?
I started out really, really, early. I started writing in high school and I’d write for free for local magazines, because I was like, ‘Ooh, free CDs and free concert tickets?!’ I sent other magazines my stuff, and they paid me five dollars a review. It was a goldmine at that point because I was in high school. By the time I got into college, I had a byline with a reputation behind it. Then I was writing for bigger magazines, glossies, monthlies and it spiraled into international press.

When I got out of college, I got the job at CMJ and I would always take on freelance jobs. You know, working at Sirius, Revolver, I was always doing stuff. That’s how I got offered the job a Roadrunner. Initially I turned it down, and then two years I came back and took the job.

Have you always known you wanted to work in the music industry?
I always did, yes. I was always involved in promoting local shows or working at my college radio station. I always knew that’s what I wanted to do. When I realized I could do it and get paid for it I was like, ‘Wow, that’s unbelievable!’

Let’s say I want to get involved in the music industry but I have no idea where to start. What’s the first thing I should do?
I think it depends on where you are in life. If you’re a teenager, start really early. When you get to college, get an internship, work at the radio station or at your college newspaper. Get in touch with your local music magazines and try to write for them. Submit articles, submit photos, anything. Act really professional, act like you’re 30 even if you’re 20. Remember, it’s a cool job but you have to maintain some modicum of professionalism. Some people think it’s a license to do whatever you want and it isn’t. It’s a business.

What are the big mistakes that you see interns make a lot?
The biggest mistake an intern can make is making your boss look stupid, or making your boss look bad simply by virtue of your behavior. If you’re acting stupid, don’t make an ass of your boss. I had one intern who was insistent about getting backstage at Ozzfest after I told him he couldn’t. He ended up going anyway and made a real fool of himself. You just can’t do that.

In your book, you address how it’s important to be likeable. Do you have any advice for going about that, when it can be difficult to do so if you’re nervous and working around people you idolize?
Just be really willing to help. Do everything everyone asks you to do and do it with a smile, keeping in mind that there’s something you can learn. If you do something for a boss, you can come back and do something more important. Do the menial tasks.

Like getting a sandwich?
Yep. People don’t realize that it isn’t glamorous and the only way you’re gonna get there is if you do everything people ask you to do.

Are there any other misconceptions you’ve heard about the business?
I think people assume that being an intern means you’re gonna be hanging with bands backstage the entire time. Sometimes you will and sometimes you won’t. I had one intern who would take it upon himself to e-mail a VP. You just can’t do that, they don’t know you. I had a few interns that would e-mail the VP of marketing, giving them suggestions and things. You need to run that through me first! If you want to show me what you’ve got, show me what you’ve got. But you’ve gotta do it with my permission.

Is it frustrating for you to hear people glamorizing the industry when you know that it takes so much work to stay there?
It’s is a lot of fun, it’s a lifestyle; I think people don’t realize it’s a lifestyle and you have to know that going into it. There’s a lot of grunt work. I still do grunt work and I’ve been doing this for 11 years.

When did you realize that it was a lifestyle?
When I started, ‘cause I would always take on more. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I have to take full load of 15 credits and I’m gonna go intern for three more credits after work every day.’ You know what I mean? And on the weekends, I spent time writing reviews. So I learned that very early on.

What advice would you have for a young person who loves metal, but isn’t sure what kind of job they’d like to pursue in the music industry?
I think you’ve gotta know what you want to do and start out figuring it out. If you want something specific, like being a publicist, then work in a publicity department. If you know you want to write, get an internship at a magazine. If you want to be involved with artist management, then get involved with a management company. It’s just about knowing what you want to do. Get as much experience in other fields as you can to make yourself more well-rounded.

If you’re high school, like many myYearbook members are, what can you do right now to prepare for a career in the music industry?
If you know that you want to work at a record label, start investigating, do some Google research, and find out as much as you can about your favorite record labels. And read our book! If you want to write, read magazines. If you want to write for a magazine, see what they write about. Inform yourself now. Figure out what college you want to go to and find out if they have a good music business program and a good internship program.

What’s your advice for getting published online?
I would say really hone your craft if you want to get published online. Write really well, submit something and follow up. Submit a clip. Don’t send an e-mail saying, ‘Hey, I want to write for you.’ Send an e-mail saying, ‘Hey I want to write for you,’ and submit a clip. Show ‘em what you’ve got. Make that impression immediately. Start your own website, write a few reviews. Make a name for yourself.