Music Business Industry Experience

Students on ICMP's Music Business and Entrepreneurship programme have been able to gain invaluable music industry experience as part of an exciting new module. 

The Music Industry Experience module is a unique opportunity for students to work in a professional capacity while receiving academic accreditation. 

A number of students have gained vital industry experience with leading organisations and companies as part of the module including London venue, Village Underground, and Pirate, a business offering state of the art studio and rehearsal space to emerging music talent. 

Commenting on the module, Ken Foreman, ICMP's Head of Business and Marketing courses and Programme Leader of our BA (Hons) Music Business and Entrepreneurship, said:

This module provides students with a fantastic opportunity to work in the industry while accruing the final year credits they need to achieve their degree."

"We believe this is a vital part of this programme and we want to support students to make the most of these industry roles. This course is at its best when what is learned in the classroom is applied in the workplace and we’ve been delighted with the impressive achievements of our students."

I am delighted to see students going on to secure permanent full-time positions after taking module."

Get to know some of the successful students who have worked in the industry as part of their studies. 

Brenda Reis | Village Underground

Could you talk a little about the company you work for and your role?

Village Underground is a music venue situated in the heart of Shoreditch and was founded in 2006. Over the years the venue has gained recognition as an influential cultural institution, hosting legendary acts, and events from live gigs to club nights and everything in between. 

I work as a Duty Event Manager, the role includes being present during events to oversee all aspects of their execution in the absence of the General Manager. This includes coordinating with the event staff, troubleshooting any issues that may arise, and ensuring that the event runs smoothly and according to the standards of both clients and the venue. 

What was the process like around finding the opportunity?

Since I moved to London back in 2015, I have attended many club nights at Village Underground. They put on some incredible nights that made me fall more and more in love with music and I always had a soft spot for the venue. 

Last summer, I was scrolling through some job vacancies and I came across this position and I said: "Why not? Let’s try". Within a couple of days, I received an email asking if I was available for an interview. At the end of the interview I was asked to come during the weekend for a trial shift and the rest is history. 

How have your studies at ICMP helped prep you for this role/enabled you to make the most of this opportunity? 

Absolutely, modules such as Live Event Management and Strategic Management have given me huge insight to help me nail my role at Village Underground. Combined only these two modules have helped with strategic thinking and decision-making, and a good understanding of event planning and execution.

Most importantly, I've gained an understanding of the music industry ecosystem and how to identify various trends, and challenges and how to anticipate changes and adapt to emerging trends."

How does this role feed into your future career ambitions?

Working at Village Underground for the past year has brought a lot of inspiration for my future. I was able to expand industry knowledge and skill development, endless and important networking opportunities, and lastly, by working in such a well-known music venue I have built a good industry credibility so I was able to find freelance work in various different venues. During this year I was a freelancer and worked as Artist Liaison, Stage Manager and Event Manager at FOLD London, E1 London, Corsica Studios and festivals across the UK. 

I’m seeking to expand my experience in the music industry on an international level. Next month, I'll be travelling to Croatia to work at a festival. This opportunity will allow me to learn about the international music scene, enhance my event management skills, and expand my knowledge of festival operations. I'm excited about this chance to grow professionally in the sector.

Yara Margarita Bravo | Tractable

Could you talk a little about the company you work for and your role?  

Tractable is a unicorn company for AI, they are specialising in damage detection for car assessment. My role in the company is Lead Project Leader in the operations department so my main role is to help manage different projects that aim to train the AI and organise everything within the operations team so that these projects are successfully completed.  

What was the process like around finding the opportunity?  

I got the chance to start working on the company before I started studying so I was looking for jobs and got the opportunity to be hired in this amazing company. I was looking to work within the music industry sector but was really intrigued by this company as I like IT a lot and had the chance to be training in the beginning of the journey.  

How does this role feed into your future career ambitions? 

This role has helped me a lot to be able to project manage people and projects on a daily basis. I have progressed a lot in the time being in the company and this has helped me build confidence in myself."

I have also learned a lot on how to manage people which in the future will help me to progress into more senior roles. I am looking to change jobs soon for music related jobs so it has definitely prepare me a lot to aim to look for a more qualified job.

Chinaire Austin | Pirate  

Could you talk about the company you worked for?

Pirate is a global 24-hour rehearsal space for creatives, it consists of live rehearsal, DJ, podcast, dance and recording Studios. My role was Site Manager at the Tottenham site, the organisation's largest site, it is made up of 48 studios within the single estate. 

What is your role? 

My role was very diverse, I wore many hats within my time working for Pirate. My primary role was to look after the site and to ensure that the studios stay open and revenue can be driven, this included fixing equipment, health and safety checks, rasing estate jobs, whether it was opening up CDJs and  changing PCB Boards, re-skinning drums, fixing lifts, creating and nurturing relationships with local stakeholders and those of the musical community it was all within my remit. I also aided with A&R with some of the 2023 Pirate residency applications. 

What was the process like around finding the opportunity?

Process was very easy, I updated my CV which Oli Tatler from the ICMP Careers and Industry Hub looked over for me. I then applied on Indeed, got selected for an interview and went through the process. I started around two weeks after my interview. 

How did you find the job? 

This opportunity I sourced myself and didn't come through the module. However as I had secured a job, I had the option to take an Industry Experience Module within my final semester. This helped me to have hands-on experience running and managing a music studio as well as studying. It worked hand in hand, although don't get me wrong, it was a lot of hard work but discipline and support from tutors and my programme leader made it possible.

It's evident that working helped as I managed to finish the degree with a first-class honour. Pirate also enabled me to broaden my skill set with working on the frontline and running and managing a music studio but also the biggest site within the company."

I want to give props and shout out  to Loretta Andrews and Safe Music Management also, I managed to be placed on an internship with  her management company through ICMP and AIM  within my second year. 

Since its ended she has continued to provide me with mentoring and given me opportunity to gain further experience, all of these factors have added to my skill set, knowledge and have enabled me to develop my music business professionalism.