I think most people are surprised to hear that growing up I never thought about working in music. Despite growing up with a cool dad who would take me to any show I wanted and an older brother who influenced my musical taste, it never occurred to me that music could be my “job.” I always knew I would pursue a career in business, but never would have guessed that it would be in the music business. So how did I even get started? A dear friend of mine pointed out a MBA program concentrating in music industry and I still remember to this day she said, “This is right up your ally why don’t you try it,” and that’s all it took. I knew I was not a talented singer or musician so I took a chance at following my passion of business and music.
I joined the program and before I knew it I was the president of the student-run record label where I helped student and faculty musicians get their albums out. The next step was to turn this into a real job, so I decided to apply for an internship in NYC. I was fortunate enough to get hired by Island Def Jam as a summer intern and that turned into a full time job after graduating. It then turned into my career as a digital marketer. I spent nearly eight years working with the best artists in the industry, learning how to develop an unknown artist to working with the biggest superstars.
Currently, I work at Vevo, the #1 Music destination. My job is very unique and do I dare say, fun? I get to work with all kinds of artists, at all levels of their careers, which is in itself fascinating. I feel very fortunate that I have found a job that’s taken my love for music and paired it with my passion for creativity and allows me to be an innovator in the digital music sphere.
My advice to anyone looking to work in the music industry is to be persistent and follow your passion. Even though music seems like a glamorous job, everyone will tell you that they had to pay their dues in one way or another. Even if it means doing an internship or working an event that you’d rather attend, if you work hard someone will notice. The most successful people in this industry are those who work the hardest, and are confident enough in themselves that when they hear “no,” they just get even more motivated to do better.
For more information or to get in touch with Jazmine, check out her website here.
Filed under: Guest Blogs, Your Stories Tagged: guest blog, music industry, national women's history month, vevo, women in music
