You don’t have to play to work in the music industry

The music and entertainment industries have always seemed extremely glamorous to college-age… The music and entertainment industries have always seemed extremely glamorous to college-age students. Often the music industry is tied with great incomes, lots of fame or just the ability to drive around in shiny convertibles with sunglasses and a cellular phone making deals on the go.

Unfortunately, many people simply assume that the music industry is solely for musicians. Of course, people realize that the music industry relies on some technology and quite a bit of management, but many do not always realize just how lucrative the music industry is for technically minded, though musically inept, individuals.

It is a common quandary: So, what is someone like me, specifically, to do? I want to enter the entertainment industry, but I happen to be unable to play an instrument of any merit; drumming on my desk to Kansas’ “Carry on My Wayward Son” doesn’t really count. I am also rather outgoing, but would still find it excessively difficult to live a life of constant, unrelenting communication with type-A personalities and might therefore find it difficult to be a promoter or an agent.

If this sounds like you, worry not. The Pitt News wishes to quell the fears of students whose one wish it is to be surrounded by music – despite a lack of musical talent – and ultimately get paid for it.

From a discussion with Dr. Ronald Hoelzeman, director of the computer engineering department here at Pitt, it is clear that the music and entertainment industries are ripe with opportunities for tech-savvy people.

The music industry relies on technology experts to make their products as crystal clear and as listenable as possible. Most, if not all, the albums being produced by the major record companies are filtered to remove impurities innate in recording voice and instrumentals. Before the computer became as prolific as it is today, Hoelzeman explained, analog circuitry was used to filter music.

Modern music and sound recordings can be filtered through a computer, allowing the music recorder better flexibility and more control. Music, as a result, can be clearer and purer than ever before. Of course, this type of technology requires enthusiasts and experts to invent, tweak and improve. Technology enthusiasts, those skilled with computer programming and electronics, will find a wealth of positions available in the realm of publishing.

Electronics enthusiasts will forever find a place in the entertainment industry as technicians in recording studios or as DJs, mixing music to get just the right combinations of sound and provide a smooth, continuous and entertaining compilation. As the stand-alone electronics of the recording industry are slowly being replaced by the computer age, jobs within the recording industry are becoming more and more specialized. Hoelzeman stated simply, “The people who know how to do that are the computer and electrical engineers.”

Hoelzeman also explained the continuing importance of music delivering devices. Although computers have, until recently, been considered relatively “general purpose,” as Hoelzeman put it, inventions like the Apple iPod have continued to change the face of computers and computing technology. Record and entertainment companies will continue to desire new and innovative ways to deliver music and sound to customers.

Many customers desire, as Hoelzeman described, “intelligence as well as a stream of information,” and thus record companies will continue to “combine feedback [with] the entertainment.” Creative computer-savvy individuals will be needed to invent new devices, new media and new forms of communication and data dispersion.

Explaining the direction of technology in the entertainment and music industries, Hoelzeman elaborated on the upcoming and continued role of innovative college students. He explained that the music industry will always require employees who “know enough of what’s happening behind [the technology] and then put their creativity to it.” Any one of Pitt’s computer science or computer engineering students could be that individual.

This is all well and good, you might be saying, but what if you are technically minded but simply do not want to be an engineer? Freshman engineering isn’t exactly a cakewalk. Absolutely no problem. Hoelzeman brought up the Apple example once again to illustrate his assertion that “very few engineers understand the business side of [the entertainment industry].”

Steve Jobs did, after all, anger quite a few people recently when he dropped the price of the iPhone. Conversely, it could also be assumed that very few purely business people understand the engineering aspects of the technologies and products they promote. Students of today and employees of tomorrow will need to bridge the gap. With the proper knowledge of interest, savvy students could enter the business arena and be able to understand what their engineers are telling them.

Never fret that you don’t play an instrument. No need! Be surrounded by music by becoming the guy who publishes, purifies or manages the technology behind the music. How do you get involved at Pitt? Career Services can always help those who feel a tad lost. If you are a freshman, take some physics classes or talk to a counselor. Explore your opportunities and find out exactly what fits you.