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Abstract
Today I will be discussing 3 potential music careers. I will uncover information about
multiple industry careers, top music industry professionals like Zach Quillen, Jeremy
Vuernick and Susan Rodgers. I will go into detail about how they become so successful
and touch on three requirements of the position that they currently hold. Finally, I will
discuss the skills and traits that will prove useful to someone who is new to the field.
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Zach Quillen is the day-to-day artist manager of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. The
group has had success with their hit songs like “Thrift Shop”, and their debut album hit
The Heist, has done very well. The group also won 4 Grammys and has continued to be
successful independent artists. Zach Quillen started out working as a booking agent for
The Agency Group (Hagan 2014). After 10 years working with artists like Mac Miller
and Wiz Khalifa, he moved on to manage artists independently. Quillen has been very
active handing his artists’ careers including touring, licensing, music production etc. He’s
known to be very strategic in his decision-making and to have a very strong work ethic.
Artist managers are responsible for the day-to-day dealings with their artists’
business affairs. Artist managers Specific tasks are as followed but not limited: They
represent the artist in their behalf and negotiate contracts and fees, publicity, tour, and
promotion, and helping them on career decisions such as which record producer to
collaborate with etc. (McDonald 2019). Most artist managers advance by building a
strong reputation by building up experience however, for someone starting out that could
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prove difficult. If they were just starting out, a business degree and any background in
sales would be very helpful. A key factor is knowing the current music trends, good
judgment, and being able to develop and maintain business relationships. If they can do
that then they should be able to sign and keep potential clients.
Jeremy Vuernick has signed many dance artists such as Porter Robinson,
Marhmello, Illenium, and many more. He has recently been promoted to executive VP of
A&R for Capitol Records. He has an extensive career in A&R and he also signed Fisher’s
single “Losing It” which went on to be nominated at the Grammy’s for Best Dance
Recording. According to CMG COO Michelle Jubelirer and president Ashley Newton,
“Jeremy brings ambitious vision, enormous energy and a healthy competitiveness to his
important position in the company. He possesses an innate ability to help guide artists
towards success while enabling them to stay true to their own creative goals.” (Staff
2019). Vuernick seems to bring success not only to himself but also for his artists and
label as well. He also has mastered the ability to know what good marketable music is
and developed a good reputation in the music community.
A&R managers are responsible scouting and developing new talent for the label.
They also oversee the recording process and help in promotion for the artist. If an
individual is just starting out, they will need to have a strong work ethic, be able to
properly communicate professionally because they will be required to be the gatekeepers
for the label. They will also start out scouting talent and looking for the next huge act to
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sign to the label (McDonald 2019). Additionally, they will need to develop the ability to
see potential artists before they blow up and learn how to deal with the record label and
potential artist. If they can develop this skill then they will be extremely valuable to the
record label.
Susan Rodgers is one of the top female sound engineers in the music industry.
She has worked for Prince and cultivated his sound. She’s collaborated on many of his
hits like “Purple Rain”, “Around The World in a Day”, and “The Black Album”
(Beaumont-Thomas 2017). She was known to not sleep at all and would dive right into
the studio to work. A sound engineer operates recording and sound equipment to mix,
synchronize, or reproduce music. The position included collaborating with artists and
producers, regulating volume level and sound quality, as well as providing oversight
during live performances.
A sound engineer can provide customer demand by having excellent problem
solving and critical thinking skills. This could help when a piece of equipment breaks
then they will be able to identify the problem and fix it. Another skill would be
monitoring. This will come into play when they will need to focus on quality control and
volume levels. Sound engineers must continue to learn and perfect their production skills.
If they can prove their vast knowledge then they can prove their worth to potential
customers by showing that they are very knowledgeable in their field.
After much research I’ve learned that there arte many fields in the music industry and
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it takes more than building experience to work your way to the top. An individual must
have good work ethic, be reliable, and hardworking. You have to be ready to sell yourself
and have a good ear for what makes a good song and what true talent is. Opportunities
aren’t going to just wait on a silver platter; you must go after it and be the best that you
can be in order to truly succeed.
References
Beaumont-Thomas, B. (2017, November 9). Prince's sound engineer, Susan Rogers: 'He
needed to be the alpha male to get things done'. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/nov/09/princes-sound-engineer-susan-rogers-
he-needed-to-be-the-alpha-male-to-get-things-done
Hagan, G. (2014, March 10). The Most Successful Managers in the Music Industry.
Retrieved from https://www.therichest.com/expensive-lifestyle/the-most-successful-
managers-in-the-music-industry/
McDonald, H. (2019, July 17). The Role of an Artist and Repertoire Representative.
Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-is-aandr-artist-and-repertoire-
2460349
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McDonald, H. (2019, February 10). What It Takes to Be a Band/Artist Manager.
Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/artist-manager-2460881
Staff, V. (2019, January 15). Capitol Music Group Promotes Jeremy Vuernick to
Executive VP of A&R. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/capitol-music-
group-promotes-jeremy-vuernick-to-executive-vp-of-ar-1203109037/
