Does anyone know how the market is for audio production? It seems like there are alot of schools out there doing it...is the market flooded?

or

What other jobs are there in the music biz, other than songwriting/performing?

I'm doing some research for a non musician friend who wants to be in the biz somehow.

trying to brainstorm here!

theSpark said:

Library music - GUARANTEED! U consistently get royalties if they're used and there is no limited shelf life in comparison to say a pop singer!
Library music is used in movies, advertising, jingles, U name it!

'dre

DreZone said:

Oh man, that's a good point Dre. I never think about that stuff. Lately I've been thinking about making my music nut in children's songs... parents are idiots when it comes to buying up kids music.

I've got some titles I'm working on right now:
"Daddy loves your brother more because you were adopted"
"Don't miss the bowl when you're learning to pee"
"If you don't eat your dinner, a baby angel dies"

I think I'll be doing alright.
[Edited 1/11/05 6:05am]

otan said:

(Cherrio in nose!)

Seriously,

there seems to be a demand for background music for video games. I'm not really into that stuf, but I've seen some of the new games that have full blown rock/rap/funk/metal/younameit songs on there as you go around shooting up people while skateboarding through the city being chased by zombies.

I myself am targeting more tward corporate presentations and trainging DVD's that involve background music and voice over narriation. I want to branch that off into offering a service for older people into like an "A&E Biography" type thing where I would sit an elderly person down and video tape their stories and then edit it down to around an half or full hour with music and pictures or stock video that illustrates what they are talking about.

Example: if someone were in a war, I would use photos (provided they had some) that captured that era in the background that compliments their story. This way they have something to leave their children, and their children's children, and you know...

I think there would be a demand for that sort of thing but I'm not exactly sure how to sell it yet. So far I've done one of my grandmother, my best friend growing up and I'm going to start one on my father.

You may wish to check out www.taxi.com. If I were to write their motto....."Taxi- better than waiting @ the rehearsal space for your drummer". but I digress , there seem to be multiple opportunities via taxi.

theSpark said:

Honestly, audio production is OVERLY saturated. Me and my friends were talking about this two nights ago. Finding a stable, decent paying job in audio is all a chance of luck and who you know. I'm not going to name drop, but I have had the chance to work with some of the best of artists and producers and it is not the most of glamorous jobs. Mind you I was doing mostly major label work and the fakeness of these money hungry people is so disheartening, that I started to loose my sense of self too. I am having a change of heart as far as what I do now, but then again I have always been a musician primarily. Most, if not all the people I went to school with have pretty much agreed and feel the same way.

Too many of us out there, everyone has their own home studio, big name studios have no work coming in, the list goes on & on & on.

Bottom line: give it try. I'd recommend starting from scratch and maybe trying to set foot in the studio as an intern BEFORE going to school. You will hear everyone's stories and get a feel for it. Schools can be so expensive and don't even touch on what you can learn on the job. Each studio has its own personality and is rigged differently.

I personally can't wait to venture into something else for a while. Working in production can be draining and takes up all your time. During live sound I'd be on the road, setting up/unload trucks @ 6am, working through the day, running the show, then being up until 3am breaking everything down/loading truck back up to head to the next city all with barely having time to eat. This is what I had my heart set on doing but it killed me to have no home to come to every night.

Studio work is not as physically demanding or stressful, but it can be draining and rewarding at the same time. The hours are long and there is a lot more grunt work involved if you ask me.

Take everything into consideration and in the end do what your heart desires. You will learn SO much in the process and you might turn out love it. If not you might regret not testing it out.

otan said:[quote]DreZone said:[quote]
Lately I've been thinking about making my music nut in children's songs... parents are idiots when it comes to buying up kids music.

Always been a huge market for kiddie tunes O. Years ago, early 80's a team and I worked on a 6-cassette collection called 'CARTUNES' - targetted of course to the 2-9 year olds. We struck a deal with TEXACO and consumers would collect them with each fill up. It went like gangbusters. And ya know what...what goes around comes around...do it again.

YaYa...I've been to a couple of birthday parties and anniversaries lately, whereby all friends of the honored people, submitted photographs of their times thru the years with the person(s) and someone did the video collage tribute with a great soundtrack. Amazing. You have fits of laughter on one hand and a damp kleenex in the other. Very powerful. Must be a market for this.