Interning at United For Opportunity

Interning in New York City for a record label and management group this summer has been such a valuable experience so far. After studying Music Business Management at Berklee for a while, it’s great to be able to take the curriculum and finally use it in real-life situations. This summer I’m an intern at the record label and artist management group United For Opportunity / Invasion Group.

During my time so far, I’ve sat in on the meetings, worked on social media for the artists, posted tour dates across multiple platforms, and checked out artist that have reached out to possibly be signed. With each task, I get a glimpse into the process of managing and marketing artists, especially the work done in the indie genre using all of the technology available.

On my first day in the internship, I got the chance to sit in on an Apple Music seminar dedicated to helping indie labels understand the ways that they can promote their artists through streaming services. Because the music won’t always go on the pop charts, there’s a focus on the playlists and radios available on services like Apple Music that allow listeners to explore new music. It was so eye-opening to hear about this process, because I could see how surprisingly helpful it is to work with indie artists in the streaming era. While that is a hot button topic in the music industry these days, it’s important to see the ways that these services are actually helping new artists to get “discovered” and widen their audience.

Some of the work that I do in the office involves the online marketing and management of the artists – I connect with their social media followers, post tour dates, and make sure that each artist’s presence on the internet is up-to-date and fluid. It’s nice to be able to see the influence that these artists have on their fans, and how many people get excited to see them in concert or hear about new music. When using all of the different apps available for promoting tours and reaching out to fans, I’m getting a real hands-on experience for artist management and marketing done today. Even when doing research on venues or organizations that support a cause important to the artist, I am appreciating how much is possible for an artist today. We can talk about it in the classroom endlessly, but nothing has been like experiencing it this summer. I love getting to listen to new music every day and watch the growth of an artist, even if it’s only for a few months.

Working for a summer in the industry that I’ve been studying for a while now is really inspiring me, and reminding me why the classes and the projects matter. Berklee is preparing me to work with artists and listen to music and help talented people create things every day, and this internship is validating my passion for this business as a career.