Are you trying to get a music internship at a record label, publisher, recording studio, or music industry company?

Whether you’re in Nashville, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, London, Austin, or another music industry hub, this guide is designed to help you prepare for your upcoming music internship.

By the end, you’ll know how to successfully land a spot in the music business while you're still in college or have recently graduated.

👋 LA Musician Newsletter

Types of Music Internships

The music industry is vast and diverse.

Some internships involve working directly with artists to help them develop their creative vision or negotiate a sync licensing contract.

There are also technical roles like software engineering, data science, analytics, and product management at many record labels and streaming companies like Spotify and Apple Music.

What kind of music internship or career interests you the most?

📈 Music Business Internships

These types of internships are related to helping artists, songwriters, and creatives thrive in the music business.

From touring to recording new songs for a television show, these roles are on the front-lines of the music business.

• Recording Studios: Interning at a recording studio is a common way to break into the music business. You can help with tasks like getting coffee, assisting in sessions, and ensuring things run smoothly while artists record their next hit.
• Artist Management: Management company internships will give you hands-on experience managing a musician or artist. You might book a recording session or fetch details for an influencer marketing campaign.
• Record Labels and Publishers: Labels are the backbone of the music business. They manage artist and songwriter catalogs, promote songs to the world, and spread the word about talented performers or artists.
• Licensing and Administration: Interning in licensing and administration will give you front-line experience dealing with contracts and royalty collection stages for artists trying to expand their catalog.
• Artist Services: This refers to third-party companies like public relations (PR) and marketing agencies tasked with amplifying an artist's vision and creative brand.
• A&R: Artist and Repertoire (A&R) managers make the final decision about which artists get signed to a label, which songs get pitched to performers, and which songs are a good fit for the overall catalog of the company. A&Rs are creative gatekeepers and require a great ear for upcoming trends and exciting music.
• Live Events: Touring is currently the biggest money-maker for many artists. The ticketing and live event business can be exciting, as it involves planning artist tours, booking new talent to a talent agency roster, and managing the day-to-day aspects of live tours and festivals.

💻 Technical Internships

In addition to the creative and business-oriented internships mentioned above, there are also many technical roles available in the music industry.

• Data Science: Data science interns work with large amounts of data to uncover insights and trends that can influence marketing campaigns, tour dates, and new market opportunities. Where are listeners enjoying a song? What does that mean for the label or artist’s goals?
• Software Engineering: As a software engineering intern, you would design, develop, and test software applications for the music industry. You could work on streaming platforms like Spotify or focus on security engineering for a label like Kobalt. Your work could shape the future of how people consume and interact with large music catalogs.
• Product Management: Why does Spotify function the way it does? What’s the best way to build a mobile ticketing app? These are questions product managers answer by talking to users, product designers, and software engineers to figure out the best experience to consume and experience music.
• UX/UI: Design interns work on creating fluid and enjoyable user interfaces for the world's most popular music apps. Companies such as Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Spotify are always on the lookout for smart and confident UX/UI designers to help them wireframe, prototype, and test new product features and design choices.
• Data Analytics: Data analytics interns work with data to help inform business decisions. They may analyze data related to music sales, streaming, or other areas of the music industry to help identify trends or opportunities for growth.

Finding a Music Industry Internship

The music industry is competitive. You’ve probably heard, “it’s about who you know.”

Landing an internship can be a crucial stepping stone to a successful career long-term in the industry.

With so many talented musicians and aspiring A&Rs vying for a limited number of positions, you’ll have to get clever about where you find out about internship opportunities.

🖥️ Music Internship Websites

If you live in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, or London, these are some great website to help find an internship in those cities:

• The Digilogue is a music career-focused website that provides job opportunities, events, and education resources for music industry hopefuls around the globe.
• Entertainment Careers is a job board that features a wide range of industry jobs, including music internships, and allows users to search by location or job type.
• Music Business Worldwide is a global music industry news and analysis website that has a job board featuring music industry jobs from entry-level to executive positions.
• Music Match is a UK-based job board and networking platform that connects job seekers with music industry employers in the UK and abroad.

Companies Hiring Interns

Check out these top companies hiring music business and technology interns in 2023.

Top Music Internship Programs

These are some of the most well-known internships in music.

Universal Music Group (UMG) Internships

Universal Music Group offers internships to students currently enrolled in two- or four-year colleges or universities in the US.

The internships at UMG are meant to identify and develop the next generation of music industry leaders through immersive, hands-on, and behind-the-scenes experiences across a wide range of participating labels and business units.

Throughout the internship programs, interns are provided with professional development and networking opportunities while recognizing their value to UMG and its sub-labels and publishers.

• 1824: 1824 is Universal Music Group's team focused on connecting artists and brands directly to fans through storytelling and experiences. They offer content creation, ideation, PR, A&R, creator partnerships, experiences, and digital marketing internships.
• Co-op Program: Universal Music Group partners with specific colleges and universities that offer co-ops lasting from 6 to 9 months for students interested in gaining practical experience in their field of study prior to graduation. Currently, co-ops are available in data science, data engineering, and business intelligence.
• Bonus Tracks: Bonus Tracks is a free, after-school program for high school students interested in learning about and creating career pathways into the music industry. Through a guided curriculum, group projects, speaker sessions, panel discussions, and office/studio tours, students explore how a modern record label operates to support artists and creatives in sharing their music with the world. Active chapters are available in Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York.

Warner Music Group (WMG) Internships

Warner Music Group’s Emerging Talent Associate Program (ETA) provides paid internships for students seeking real-world experience in music.

The ETA Program matches students to specific departments across WMG and supports their development through programming and events.

The ETA Program is offered during the Spring, Summer, and Fall Semesters.

Program Requirements

The Emerging Talent Associate Program is open to students currently enrolled in a degree program within the United States. Accepted students will work in one of WMG's offices in Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, or New York.

For consideration, candidates must:

• Be enrolled in a College or University in the United States of America
• Be at least a Sophomore currently pursuing an Undergraduate or Graduate Degree
• Have access to housing and transportation within the designated city
• Commit to a 20-25 hour work week (up to 29 hours per week during the summer semester)
• Be passionate and/or knowledgeable about the music industry

WMG’s Labels, Publishers, and Businesses

The ETA Program places interns in businesses like 300 Elektra Entertainment, ADA, Atlantic Records, IMGN, Center of Excellence (Nashville), Nonesuch Records, Rhino Entertainment, UPROXX, Visual Media Licensing, Warner Chappell Music, Warner Chappell Production Music, Warner Music Group (Corporate Functions), Warner Music Latina, Warner Music Nashville, Warner Records, WMX, and WMX Media.

How to Apply to WMG

1. Reflect on your past experiences and use them to create a strong application.
2. Apply for internships opportunities that align with your skills and goals in publishing, administration, A&R, or technical roles.
3. Interview with a Hiring Manager for a chance to land a WMG internship.

Application Periods for WMG Internships

• Spring Semester: September – November
• Summer Semester: March – May
• Fall Semester: June – August

Sony Music Internships

The Sony Music Internship Program provides opportunities for students seeking real-world experience in the music industry.

The paid internships are available in departments including marketing, finance, and A&R.

The program enables students to interface with industry experts and sharpen their professional skills in an environment that celebrates creativity, diversity, and experiential learning.

Program Requirements

The program is open to students currently enrolled in a matriculated program at an accredited institution.

Applicants must be at least in sophomore class standing or above.

Proof of eligibility and acceptance of terms are required during the application and mandatory background check process.

The program is offered in New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Miami.

Music Industry Internships in Nashville, TN

✖️South by Sea

South By Sea, an independent record label in Nashville, has a 3-month music internship available. The intern will help with recording studios, A&R, Spotify, publishing, and other music-related tasks and research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the process from recording to release.

The internship requires 15-20 hours per week and is open to anyone, although undergraduate students must earn credits. The internship will be customized based on the intern's career objectives. To apply, a resume and cover letter are required.

🪶 Blackbird Studio

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Blackbird Studio has a prestigious reputation, with around 10 recording studios and a legendary client list.

The studio offers a fast-paced and hands-on internship, providing interns with communication skills and recording experience.

To participate in the program, interns must receive college credit in exchange for their tenure at the studio. Many students from Belmont seek internships at this famed studio.

During your time at Blackbird, you will learn how to streamline a studio workflow to create successful records, and develop a deep-rooted passion for audio and professional studios in these great rooms.

Music Industry Internship Interview Questions

Q1: Who are your favorite artists?

This question tests your general knowledge of the music industry.

If you're interviewing at a label like Universal Music, you likely have a good sense of the music business as a whole already.

Do you know which artists are currently making waves? What do you know about their music and their impact on the industry?

Find artists who are compelling musically and in a business sense.

Q2: Tell me about your prior experience in the music industry.

Breaking into the music industry can be tough. However, if you have prior experience working at an independent record label, publisher, or other corporate music industry role, you can get a leg up when getting a summer internship.

Think about your own past music industry experiences. This can range from managing a local band to playing guitar on tour.

Since the music industry is relatively small, any direct experience you have interacting with artists, fans, and data will give you unique insights into the music business.

Q3: What do you want to learn from this internship?

Internships offer a great opportunity to gain practical experience in the music industry. Regardless of the role, you can learn about the daily activities involved in running a record label or publishing company.

Express your passion for learning about various roles within the industry. Identify places where you could see yourself long-term, both within the company and in other roles.

Showing eagerness to learn from music industry veterans can set you apart. Learning from other managers and music executives can give you insight into their work processes and what makes them successful.

Q4: Where do you live?

Living in the same town as your internship can be very important, especially for music internships that require in-person networking. These internships may be located in major music markets such as Los Angeles, Austin, Nashville, New York, or London.

Internships related to artist management and live shows may also require attending artist concerts, so proximity is important.

If you do not already live in one of these major music markets, are you willing to relocate for work?

Keep in mind that working in the music industry in a big city like Los Angeles poses its own unique challenges. Check out this article for more information.

Q5: Why do you want to work at this company?

Internship interviews often include questions like “Why do you want to work at Universal Music Group?” or “Why do you want to work at Warner Music?”

You need to have a compelling reason for wanting to work at a particular label, publishing company, management house, social media firm, or other role.

Consider what you hope to gain from the experience.

• Do you want hands-on experience with artists?
• Do you want to learn about the inner workings of the entertainment industry and how songs go viral?

Think about how music has impacted your life and come up with a story bank.

What do you love about music and the music industry? Do you share the company’s vision? Which artists on their roster exemplify what you appreciate about the label?

Use examples from their catalog, placements on TV, or other real-world reasons why this company is a good fit for your music industry aspirations.

Q6: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Consider your career trajectory over the next five, ten, or fifteen years. Do you see yourself managing artists while on tour or would you prefer a lower-key office job routing tours?

While plans can change, interviewers want to hear about your career goals. Ideally, your answer should align with the company's vision.

Music industry interns are first in line for new job opportunities. If your goal is to transition from an A&R intern to a streaming data analysis role, consider working your way up through the label or publisher to make that happen.

Q7: Tell me about how you manage deadlines.

The music industry operates at a fast pace. Being able to handle urgent deadlines and projects is crucial for any role.

At times, artists require real-time streaming data to determine their tour dates, while other times, managers may need you to verify the track list for an upcoming album. Labels, publishers, sync companies, and other brands also depend on quick turnaround times.

You can draw from your experiences in college or personal projects to discuss how you managed deadlines and expectations with musicians, other stakeholders, and team members working on the project together.

Questions to Ask During Interviews

At the end of most music business internship interviews, you'll have a chance to ask questions too!

Make the most of this time by asking questions that you think will help you succeed in the role.

Also, try to build a personal connection with the interviewer.

Here are some sample questions to get you started:

• Can you tell me about the onboarding process?
• Can you describe the company's culture?
• What are the main day-to-day responsibilities involved in this internship?
• What are some essential qualities for successful interns?
• What do you like best about working here?
• What does the career path for someone in this role look like?

📈 Music Internship FAQs

Do you have to be in college to do an internship at a record label?

Most record label internships require college credit in exchange for unpaid work. If you're not in college, you probably won't be eligible for most internships.

Providing school credit is a way for studios to offer learning opportunities in exchange for assistance around the studio. Internship pay is usually low or non-existent, but some companies are working to change that.

To participate in an internship, you'll need your own reliable transportation to get to and from the studio. If you're in a city like New York or London, you can use public transit if you don't have a car.

Do you need a degree to get into the music industry?

Getting a degree is not always a requirement for entering the music industry.

However, obtaining a degree or working towards one can be a significant advantage.

Companies often offer internships to undergraduate students in exchange for college credit. Providing school credit can also create an easier pathway to a full-time job after graduation, as it fast-tracks your way to gaining valuable experience.

If you are aiming to become a data scientist or software engineer, building up a portfolio of work can substitute for a degree and prove your knowledge.

Regardless of your degree status, get your hands dirty with personal projects related to music whenever you can.