Job Roles

My task is to research two job roles in the music industry and write about why I am interested in these roles, the responsibilities the role comes with and the necessary progression one might have to take in order to be employed in this role.

The first job role I am writing about is Guitar Technician. I am interested in 

this role because I am curious about the people who work behind the guitarist performing at a concert and what they have to do to keep the show running smoothly. There are many responsibilities for a guitar technician to handle before, during, and after shows. A lot of these responsibilities include the repair and maintenance of guitars. These include tuning guitars repairing things like broken strings and loose jacks on the guitar and cleaning. Not only does this job role handle the guitars but also the pedals and amplifiers, so maintaining/repairing these is an essential role. This role also does some sound work for the guitarist such as dialing in tone on the amplifiers, monitoring sound during live performances, and sound checks. The last responsibility of a guitar technician is during the performance itself. The technician must switch out guitars if for example a string breaks or a different type of guitar is needed. Switching pedals also falls under this responsibility. The most effective way to get employed in this role is by networking, building contacts, and getting a job through word of mouth. However, before this, a guitar technician must have complete knowledge of how guitars, pedals, and amplifiers work so something like a guitar-building course which is offered at multiple music establishments is ideal.

The second role I am writing about is band manager. I am interested in this role because as a musician I want more knowledge about not only the musical side of performance but also the business side of it. A band manager's role differs heavily from that of a guitar technician. Mainly because a band manager handles more business-related affairs, there are quite a few responsibilities that fall under this category, some of these include: negotiating with people or organizations on behalf of the band/artist these could be venues, record labels, studios, merch providers, etc.  Another sub-category of responsibility a band manager has is optimising the band’s/artist’s performance. This can be done by analyzing the band's/artist’s performance during performances, practices, recordings, music videos, photo shoots, etc, and finding ways to improve what they do, how they could for example gather more publicity or play more shows, improve revenue, etc. A band manager through this should also set goals for the band/artist to achieve based on this analysis. The skills necessary for this job role include knowledge of the music industry, time management, negotiating, marketing and branding, and logistics. The most effective way to find work in this job role would be to first be educated in this field by studying at one of many courses offered either online or in person, based on this knowledge networking and word of mouth will be your best friends when trying to find work in this role.

In conclusion I believe that this task has helped me greatly understand better the necessary progression and type of work one can expect if they are interested in this field. It has also helped me gain an understanding for how bands are managed as a whole and the work behind that.

Bibliography-

Guitar Technician:

Behind The Scenes | Slash's guitar tech, Ace | Guns N' Roses

https://stcg.ac.uk/merton-college/musical-instrument-making-and-repair/guitar-making-and-repair-all-levels

https://www.guitartechcourses.com/how-to-become-a-guitar-technician/#:~:text=As%20a%20guitar%20technician%20your,is%20correctly%20stored%20and%20maintained.

https://www.reviewzoo.co.uk/interviews-2/guitar-tech%2C-willem-van-roekel#:~:text=What%20does%20your%20average%20day%20look%20like%20as%20a%20Guitar%20Tech%3F&text=Load%20In%3A%20Loading%20gear%20onto,and%20ready%20for%20roll%20call.

https://uk.prsguitars.com/blog/post/behind_the_scenes_life_as_a_guitar_tech

https://www.premierguitar.com/diy/guitar-bass-mods/guitar-tech-tips

Band Manager:

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A BAND MANAGER

https://www.city.ac.uk/prospective-students/courses/short-courses/music-business-management

https://www.hiringpeople.co.uk/job-descriptions/band-manager-job-description/#:~:text=Band%20managers%20assist%20bands%20in,contracts%20on%20behalf%20of%20bands.

https://www.icmp.ac.uk/blog/how-find-a-music-manager

https://www.themouthpiece.com/threads/professional-band-managers.3407/

https://www.dennissmithentertainment.com/blog-updates/what-exactly-does-a-band-manager-do-managing-bands-for-success#:~:text=Logistics%20and%20Coordination%3A%20Managers%20handle,to%20focus%20on%20their%20performances.