What's A Good Way To Get Into The Music Industry (especially w/audio engineering and music production)?

I'm in college and I've realized that I will not be happy with my life unless I do music (specifically production). I guess I'd just like life advice.

keep it a hobby, its a field crowded with wannabes and short on financial opportunities

It is a crowded field, but anything is where there's a possibility of being extraordinary. You need a lot of perseverance, a little luck (which really means just being at the right place at the right time or being ready to pounce on any opportunity), and a LOT of hustle.

It's hard to give you life advice without knowing what you have or have not done, and what your specific goals are.

What are you doing in college? Taking music courses? How involved are you in the local music scene wherever you live? What are you doing to grow your following on Insta/SoundCloud/etc?

Look at as many possible applications for your production skills as possible; don't focus exclusively on pop music production (unless you've got total dedication and determination to succeed. There's an awful lot of luck involved there! You can be really, really good and still get 'nowhere' if you're not doing something which captures the zeitgeist, or isn't in the right place at the right time. Very often, artists achieve success through creating a 'buzz', a lot of which is out of your hands)...I'd look at doing audio for games, VR, and even installations or theatre/films...It might not be as glamourous, but it's all valuable experience.

and don't discount doing live sound a few nights a week at your local venues to pay the bills... when I did this for a living soemtimes those cash payments from the venues were my grocery money when studio bookings were lean!

Hello! I did not realize that the founder of Equipboard responded to my forum post! I am not currently taking music courses but I plan to in the near future. I am not really involved in the music scene where I go to school because it's mostly folk and country music out here but that is not my genre at all. I am currently working to create a brand, as far as social media goes, but I'm not sure how to do it as effectively as I would like. On SoundCloud I am trying to steadily release good music and promote it but I think I need to visually brand more. I am trying to do everything I can with the resources I have (which are few). Thank you for responding again and I hope that this clarification can help you give me more valuable information.

I think jim has great advice there. Live sound can make you some cash AND you'll probably learn a lot.

I will not be happy with my life unless I do music (specifically production)

That's a strong statement, and if you've done some soul searching and truly mean it, get ready to grind and work. It's going to be a very entrepreneurial journey where you will make your own luck along the way.

Music courses aren't a must, but it's more about getting yourself around like minded people you can absorb knowledge and inspiration from.

If the city you're in doesn't have the right music scene for you, I know it's hard to hear but think about moving somewhere where you can get super involved. Maybe that's something you can do right after you finish school? I totally get moving is hard and geographical constraints are a real thing, but there might be a whole other world waiting for you elsewhere.

I listened to your stuff - it's good! Are you producing and singing on all of it? If you are, KEEP GOING! Social media and branding is one thing, sure, but keep making and releasing stuff. Or film yourself doing some covers and throw it up on YouTube. Anything to put yourself out there and get noticed.

look, I was an engineer for YEARS. It requires so much hustle. You will be exhausted, you will be tempted to take uppers to keep at it, your health will definitely suffer. But it'll also be fun and you'll learn a lot as long as you follow the first rule of music which is to always try to be the worst guy (gal, person, muppet, etc) in the room at whatever you're doing so you will get better by absorbing the wisdom of more experienced people.

I still say do it part time and have a day job you don't mind. I've worked in ehalth care fo ages, and if I weren't a single dad I would be making music every night and weekend. My day job allows me to work on music I want to rather than stuff I have to. I can choose who I want to work with and do things that won't won't make me much because I draw a good enough salary to support my child and myself and occassionally fund a new gear purchase (I've gotten some really cool synths lately :-) The only thing I can say for doing music full time is that when its time to file taxes you can write gear purchases off as business expenses.... but you're usually self-employed these days so you're already taking a hit. Either that or you're making SO little you don't have to file which puts you below the poverty line.

They say that if you put your mind to it you can accomplish ANYTHING. And that's 100% true of musical skills in every area from recording to theory to songwriting.... but success in any business is less force of will and more timing, which is often just catching the zeitgeist and having all your other ducks in a row when you do. No one can teach you that. You can't do much more than have your shit together and hope you can coast on up the slippery slope of success when you catch the right wind to boost you along. It may not happen. As a dad and someone who didn't have a plan B and just got lucky to fall into a 2nd career when I couldn't do it fulltime anymore, I say.... make a plan B. Your parents are secretly thanking me for telling you this right now. You're not going to listen, but remember that someone who worked in the business and didn't do more than making a living for 10 years just told you this.

additionally everyone else gave you good advice.... also, if you're anywhere near Philadelphia look at Drexel University's music business program. I don't know how much they teach those kids, but most of them seem to get jobs in the industry after graduating which is more than I can say of most of the programs that have sprung up. They also teach you about the actual business end which is essential whereas other programs are more production which you can learn on the job. I was already done school when the program started but a few of my former guitar students and their friends have had nice little careers after graduating from Drexel.

be smart, work hard, best of luck... I'll check out your stuff this weekend

I have been thinking about moving, I just don't know where quite yet. When I find out I definitely plan on doing so. And yes! I am singing and producing all of it. I try to make time for it because I enjoy doing music quite a lot. I will take heed of your advice and everyone else's as well.

Thank you for your advice, I admire everyone's input. I would like to think that I have a plan B (a day job that I wouldn't mind doing) but most of the ones I come with are just as risky as trying to make it in the music business. I'll definitely look into their program and again thank you for your valuable input.

okay, not my type of music, the modern hip-hop R&B sound, but I'm old. Its very well written and arranged and the vocals are pretty wel performed. Everything is what its supposed to be in this genre.

You could work on your mixing. I can hear everything, but tis muddy and lacks punch. Not everything has all the frequency range it should and even though the music is sparse there are elements fighting for space and attention. Its not BAD, but if you're going to focus on one skill set, let it be mixing. It should be easy to get a handle on in-the-box using only software and the one live source, the vocal. Good mixes are a lifelong chore though. Look into compression. Time cosntants, parallel, peak versus RMS, insert use versus group processing. And really lsiten when you're equalizing something. Its generally wiser to take away than to add, go big and back off its too extreme... and if you're not sure, do nothing.

good work, stick with it, read as much as you can.... have you seen Pensado's place on youtube? He has a lot of great tips for mixing music like this ITB. Watch as many 'into the lair' segments as you can stomach (he's a bit annoying, but wise in the ways of hip hop)

edit:

and get a free subscription to tape-op! they don't cover your type of music as much as they should but there's rarely an article that's uninformative.... and they're starting to have more balanced coverage of urban music and electronic genres the last 2 years :-)