How to get a job or role in the UK music industry

Labels and music companies may have separate departments, but early-career people are often judged by adaptability. You may start with basic research, spreadsheets, notes, metadata, guestlists, uploads, errands, calendar work or inbox admin. The task can be simple. The standard should not be. If you handle small work with accuracy, care and context, people start trusting you with more complex work. Adaptability does not mean having no direction. It means you understand your lane while still being useful across the operation.

If an employer asks, "Which artists are moving in this scene?", do not only send names. Send names, links, why they matter, recent activity, venue history, social signals and what question should be asked next. If someone asks for a contact list, clean it, categorise it, add context and flag what is missing. If someone asks for research, turn it into a usable decision document. Proven capability moves people faster because it reduces management time. The person above you stops wondering whether you can handle responsibility because you have already shown how you think.

Start with the work you are drawn to. If you like detail, rights registration, royalties, publishing administration, label operations and sync coordination may fit. If you like people and logistics, live, production, events and artist liaison may fit. If you like storytelling, digital marketing, radio, PR, community and content may fit. Then map companies around that function: labels, publishers, managers, venues, promoters, distributors, collecting societies, studios, festivals, agencies, charities, funders and artist-services platforms. This opens more routes than searching only for "A&R assistant" or "record label internship".

A useful portfolio can be small. It might include a release campaign you planned, a venue database, a royalty registration checklist, a short artist one-sheet, a social content calendar, a gig settlement template, a playlist research sheet or a write-up of how a campaign could improve. The point is to show the employer how you think. Music employers often hire people who can reduce chaos. A clean portfolio says: I can organise information, communicate clearly and finish things. For musicians, your own artist project can be evidence. Document what you did: release planning, metadata, budgeting, outreach, live booking, email marketing, merch, audience building and rights admin. Take action before the door opens. Build a small project, publish a useful resource, run a night, document a campaign, interview people, make a database, start a newsletter, create a release diary or help an artist execute something. Growth has to come from somewhere.

Familiarity helps, but it should come from contribution rather than performance. Become known for being sharp on a scene, good with release admin, useful at shows, excellent at follow-up, careful with rights, strong on visuals or calm under pressure. Do not tickbox your personality away. Be yourself, but be rooted in your mission and useful in the room. If one company does not align with how you work, that is not the end of the road. The aim is not to become a generic "music industry person". The aim is to become recognisable for a standard, a point of view and a type of execution.

Some of the most useful early roles are not glamorous on paper. Rights assistant, royalties assistant, label coordinator, campaign assistant, venue assistant, promoter rep, publishing administrator, sync assistant, studio assistant, production runner, audience development assistant and community coordinator can all build serious industry fluency. These roles teach how money, rights, deadlines and relationships move. That knowledge is valuable if you later become a manager, label operator, publisher, artist or founder.

Smaller music businesses may not always advertise formal roles. A good speculative approach is specific and useful: explain the function you can help with, show one relevant piece of proof, and suggest a short conversation. Avoid "I will do anything" emails. They create work for the reader. Try: I have built a simple release admin tracker and I am looking for rights/admin assistant work with independent labels or managers. Could I send a one-page example? Specific beats enthusiastic.

Experience matters, but unclear unpaid work can become exploitation. Be careful with roles that have real hours, real responsibility and no clear learning structure, pay or time limit. Before accepting any unpaid or low-paid opportunity, ask: what work will I do, who supervises me, what will I learn, how long does it last, are expenses covered, and could this legally be paid work? Keep records of agreed hours and duties. Good early opportunities should build skills, contacts and evidence. They should not quietly replace a paid role.