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Music Industry Jobs

Focuses on:

  • Location Issues
  • Pay Rates
  • Career Paths
  • Opportunities

General Overview: Most of the photographers that shoot for music industries will either be given specific clients or will pick their own to follow around. This can range from either a solo artist to a full-on band or even an orchestra. The photographer’s sole purpose is to document and showcase what the music artist or artist get up to in their career along with providing them and the industry documentation/ a memory that they can look back upon in years to come. As a music photographer working commercially you may be sent to recording sessions, fan meet-ups and even shows. Mainly, your work will be used for a lot of advertising campaigns surrounding your client and sometimes your images can change the whole perspective or outlook of your set individual or group. However, being a part of an agency, a lot of your work will be subject to approval so you may not have a broad creative freedom to your work than you may have wanted before entering the role. On the other hand, being a part of an agency can open the door to meeting celebrities and artists along with making connections with other photographers, for whom you may collaborate on future work. But should you enjoy music, and it is your passion then this fast-paced lifestyle might be something you enjoy. 

Locations: Now there is no definitive answer to a set location in which you will be working on/ at however, depending on the client you work for you may have to only travel your local area or country, but bigger artists or bands may need you to follow them all over the world. When you decide on being a music photographer it involves a lot of travelling to and from various concerts and recording studios photographing the performances and studio sessions depending on what the client wants captured. You would mainly be kept under strict conditions as to what you can and can’t photograph once again hindering your creative ideas. On the other hand, you will be given the chance to attend major events along with quite private intricacies of these people’s lives that the ordinary person can only imagine. But overall, most of your time will be spent travelling back and forth from the locations and late nights. 

Pay Rates: Working as a commercial photographer in the music industry annual salaries can vary depending on your experience, skill set and ultimately the company that has hired you to work for them. Annual salaries have ranged from upwards of $105,500 to as low as $12,000. The industry has very fluctuating salaries which at the moment range between $26,500 and $51,500 and on average the top earners are making upwards of $73,500. At the end of the day, it all comes down to what skills and techniques you can bring to a company that would ultimately want them to pay a premium to have you under and working for their company name/ brand. But if you weren’t working commercially, you can charge whatever price that you think you are worth. 

Career Paths/ Opportunities: By working in the music industry, it will give you the opportunity not only to work with artists and groups but also mingling with a lot of other celebrities, many high individuals within the industry along with other photographers that may be new or well established that you can make connections with. Working commercially allows you the opportunity to go and work with these sort of people as your clients will want you to be around the best of the best which benefits you massively.

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