The Hardships of Getting a Job in the Music Industry

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Helping the next generation of talent to build a global fanbase

The Hardships of Getting a Job in the Music Industry

When an area of employment is as culturally, historically and economically important as the music industry, it’s hardly going to be a walk in the park to insert oneself into it. Despite the giant range of positions and opportunities, a mountain of deciding factors and conditions stand in the way of graduates and the enticing notion of working in music. Many corners of employment have their difficulties, whether it’s overwhelming competition from like-minded hopefuls or a seemingly unfair demand for experience but the music industry seems to set up these hurdles at steeper heights than most.

This is why companies like Jeeni can be an answered prayer for optimistic music graduates that are seeking experience in this confusing and challenging industry. Jeeni is always looking for fresh young talent to help its gears run smoothly and efficiently so that more support can be provided and offered to unrepresented artists, meaning that Jeeni holds out a helping hand to upcoming talents in the industry in more ways than one.

Music is still a growing industry with a 7% increase in employment from 2017 to 2018 (UK Music, Music By Numbers 2019 report) which sounds like a great thing and it is, however this is also a rise in competition due to an unprecedented increase in revenue from the music industry, according to Goldman Sachs, “In May 2020, Goldman Sachs estimated the entire music industry's revenue (live, recorded, and publishing) to increase from $62 billion in 2017 to $131 billion in 2030, representing a 6% CAGR. The 2030 estimate was an increase on its original prediction of $104 billion, made in October 2016.” (Toptal.com, ‘The State of The Music Industry in 2020’) Business is booming for the music world which means everyone is looking for the best and they aren’t willing to take a chance on anyone without near-impossible standards of experience. However, music graduates can begin their climb to greatness with companies like Jeeni

A testimonial from Jeeni’s Marketing Leader, music production graduate, Ella Venvell offers an insight in the uphill battle that finding a future in the music industry can prove to be, “I always knew finding a job within the music industry would be challenging but I didn’t know just how hard it was! Even though I have a musical background and have a degree in music production, that alone was not enough. As the music industry is quite niche, most companies ask for years of experience to prove your abilities and knowledge, however, nowhere is willing to give you the experience!”

Jeeni Marketing intern, Annesa Sukul decided to begin building up her music industry experience with Jeeni and has been a total asset to the entire company in research, maintaining artist relationships and so much more. She was taken on at Jeeni amidst her studies and given a chance to contribute her skills and hard work to the team, ‘As a music business student, it is quite difficult to get into the music industry if you don’t know where to look. Often times when someone doesn’t have experience, the first thing would be to look for a work placement or an internship. However, most of these tend to also ask for previous experience and would leave one feeling lost as to where to gain this experience.”

As an intern at Jeeni, Annesa still has a say in the type of tasks she carries out and is given roles that challenges her and puts her specified skills to the test. As well as simply giving interns experience on paper, we try to truly set them up for success in their future roles by giving them chances to propose new ideas and contribute to the company in a hands-on and proactive way, which is all useful inclusions to CVs and portfolios. Annesa also has access to a supportive team to help her with her time at Jeeni in any way she needs.

As Jeeni still finds itself in an early stage of its journey, we’re in a position where we can provide much-needed experience for people like Ella and Annesa to prepare them for their future careers in music and put them to good use in furthering the reach and effectiveness of Jeeni’s mission.

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08
Sep

Martha Eve – Artist Focus

An up and coming artist like Martha is a rare gem. A young woman of 22, making waves in the acoustic scene, Martha Eve already has extensive experience in performing at festivals, including 2000 trees and Victorious Festival. Eve was a hit on the Jeeni sponsored People’s Lounge stage this year, part of the World Music Village sector of Victorious. The Arms Around The Child charity is responsible for the Village, their mission is to show love and care to children who have been diagnosed with HIV and aids. Martha’s newest outing ‘Cold’ is soulful and pure, her voice reminiscent of Scottish talent Nina Nesbitt’s earlier work. However she remains distinctly her own artist; with a heartbreaking chorus, ‘You feel cold to me, like an icy breeze, more bitter by the minute, soon you’ll be finished with me’, ‘Cold’ is a much more mature release than previous songs ‘Silly Mind’ and ‘Honeymoon Phase’. Eve states that ‘Cold’ is her most relatable song and that it is her ‘most honest and sad song’ to date. Born in South East London, Martha grew up in the countryside of nearby Kent, and can usually be found playing live shows in and around Brighton, honing her craft and winning over new fans all the time, with her calm yet sultry vocals that are not dissimilar to Jack Johnson. Martha is what’s becoming known as a ‘lockdown artist’, a creative person who has made the most of the recent pandemic by exploring their craft, and coming out the other end with a host of new ideas. In Martha’s case, although she couldn’t perform as she wanted, she wrote songs instead and is now ready to get releasing her wealth of creativity. Martha says she wrote ‘Cold’ about a lockdown romance, and didn’t expect it to become her first single, but at Jeeni, we’re sure our members will love her soulful and breathy vocals on the ballad. Listen to it HERE. Martha is releasing new music all the time, so make sure you keep an eye on Jeeni.com for an upcoming Jeeni exclusive interview with Martha Eve, where she will tell us all about her latest releases and future gigs. Here at Jeeni, we are so excited to welcome undiscovered artists just like Martha. Our platform breaks down the barrier between fan and artist to create a unique relationship and allows easy interaction. How does Jeeni support artists like Martha Eve? JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience. · We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make. · We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way. · We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect. · Join us at Jeeni.com

11
Jun

One of the world’s top record executives has joined Team Jeeni

Heard of Roger Watson? You’ve certainly heard his work. Grammy Award record producer with 500 million record sales to his name (and the velvet voice of the Viagra ads!) Now Roger is lending his experience and knowledge to help a new generation of undiscovered music talent in the Jeeni project. Jeeni is a streamed music service based in Portsmouth, and the company is endorsed by Richard Branson’s Virgin Crowdboost programme. Listeners get to vote on who joins the next generation of stadium stars, and the young hopefuls are guided by experienced professionals. And they don’t come more experienced than Roger Watson. He was stage manager to The Beatles, and he went on to produce best-selling albums for superstars like Blondie and Tina Turner, as A&R Director of Chrysalis Records and Managing Director of Arista Records. Welcome aboard! Roger Watson (right) with Jeeni founder Mel Croucher

06
Jun

My Lockdown A-Z Happiness Manifesto – Why imagination, creativity and gratitude can be a cure for all.

By Sammie Venn Jeeni's Official Writer, Columnist and Blogger. Here at Jeeni.com we celebrate and support all musicians and performers, and poetry has its own dedicated channel for artists and performers to showcase their work and earn 100% of their sales, ticketing, merchandise and donations. Jeeni returned to Crowdcube to raise more funds for helping new talent and has already raised £93K, our target is £100K and we have 27 days to go, so we are likely to overfund, which is just amazing. Thanks again to all our wonderful investors. If you want to see our pitch click HERE. Today we showcase Sammie Venn as a very talented and creative writer. I have always been fascinated by the power of the human imagination: the capability of the brain and its capacity to unlock a unique world for every person on the planet. Our thoughts are as unique as fingerprints, so powering up the hippocampus to unravel the labyrinth of our minds can be even more challenging when we are physically isolated from those we love and care for. Lockdown has given us all time to think, sometimes overthink, and evaluate key priorities. These thoughts are often fear-based and at other times they are fuelled by excitement and possibility. At the beginning of COVID-19 I had a long list of ‘lockdown goals’ that I wanted to achieve. I thought I would be able to use the time efficiently to compartmentalise my life, throw some order at the chaos and come through the other side a more polished version of myself. Of course nothing ever goes according to plan. Therefore it felt like the right time to seize the day and further the knowledge and understanding of the human mind, body and soul. The relevance of which resonates even more after being catapulted into a matrix that can only described as something akin to Aldous Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’. Hermann Hesse, German-born Swiss poet, painter, novelist and writer wrote: “I have been and still am a seeker, but I have ceased to question stars and books. I have begun to listen to the teaching my blood whispers to me.” His works explore how an individual searches for authenticity, spirituality and self-knowledge. Unsurprisingly, he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1946 and has been a real influence when it comes to deciphering principles relating to what education means to me. Kindness, hand in hand with knowledge, is key in my happiness manifesto. September has always been my favourite time of year, a throwback to academia. However online courses in every arena conceivable have become the new normal. We have been unable to sit in classrooms or studios with our fellow peers, so zoom has become the portal for the education of the masses, including our children. The upside is that teaching has become readily accessible and certainly not restricted to certain times of the year. We can learn in the comfort of our own homes, in our pyjamas, with a cup of tea, glass of wine or even sat in the garden. However education is not just about studying for an end goal, its about embracing all that surrounds us, what our culture has to offer and the lessons that we can learn from that. Music teaches us how to express our emotions, whether that is through song writing, performing, dancing or just singing in the shower. We can develop our understanding of life’s twists and turns on a completely different level. The world of music teaches us not just about love, lust, happiness and passion but also about the bonds we have with our fellow human beings. It also lectures us on history, politics and sociology. Music is a platform that enhances our understanding of the world in a magical way, we remember song lyrics, we remember nursery rhymes, we remember the chants and hymns of our ancestors. We learn to come back to ourselves through the power of sound. My education in lockdown encompassed all these salient points. I reconnected on all levels with my hearts centre and created a lockdown happiness manifesto, which by and large I have managed to stick to. My A-Z goes something like this: Click HERE to visit or return to jeeni.com

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