How to Get Experience in the Music Industry (When You Don’t Have Any Yet)

Because opportunity doesn’t always wait for a job title.

Every week, someone messages me with the same question:

“How do I get experience in the music industry when no one will hire me because I don’t have experience yet?”

It’s the classic chicken-and-egg problem of creative careers.

You’re talented, ambitious, and willing to work - but the gate never seems to open.

The truth is, most people start in music long before they’re paid for it. The job title comes later. The experience starts now.

Because the music industry doesn’t just hire skills - it hires perspective, initiative, and proof that you understand the culture. You can build all three before your first job.

Here’s how.

Waiting to Be Hired Is a Trap

So many talented people hold themselves back by waiting for permission.

They spend months perfecting a CV, sending cold emails, hoping someone takes a chance.

But the industry moves too fast for waiting. If you’re not already doing something that connects you to music, however small, you’re invisible.

The most successful people I know didn’t wait to be hired. They started building a story worth hiring. They created things, joined scenes, organised shows, helped friends, volunteered, experimented. They made themselves part of the ecosystem.

Experience isn’t only what someone gives you; it’s what you build for yourself.

You Don’t Need a Job to Start Working in Music

The fastest way to get industry experience is to start acting like you already work in it.

That doesn’t mean pretending. It means applying the mindset of someone who’s already inside. You think about audiences, relationships, quality, impact.

You show initiative, curiosity, and follow-through.

Your first “project” might not have a contract or salary - but it can still shape your profile and open doors.

Think of it as building your portfolio. Every action you take in your local or online scene counts. Every gig you help run, every playlist you curate, every piece of content you share or review, every conversation you start - it all adds up.

You’re learning how music moves through culture, how audiences respond, and how projects come to life. That’s experience.

Real Ways to Get Music Industry Experience Before Your First Job

Below are real, practical routes you can take - the same ones I suggest to students and mentees who want to break into music.

1. Start where you are

Look around your community. There’s always a scene forming somewhere - maybe it’s small gigs, open mics, producers meeting online, or DJs starting nights in bars.

Go. Participate. Offer to help.

You might be able to:

• Help run door or ticketing at events.

• Coordinate artists and soundcheck times.

• Film content or manage social media for a small promoter.

• Design posters or write short write-ups after the show.

Those early collaborations teach you more about communication, logistics, and pressure than any course can.

And when you can say, “I helped coordinate live nights for local artists,” that’s real experience.

2. Build your own small project

If there’s no opportunity nearby, create one.

It could be:

• A local event or showcase for unsigned artists.

• A small online platform that spotlights new talent.

• A themed playlist that curates emerging acts and helps them reach new listeners.

• A podcast or short-form video series where you interview or feature local musicians.

The goal isn’t to go viral - it’s to learn.

Running even a tiny event will teach you how to budget, promote, communicate, and problem-solve. Interviewing artists sharpens your understanding of how the industry works. Building a playlist or channel develops your curatorial voice.

Those projects prove you can move from idea to execution - and that’s what employers want to see.

This is exactly the kind of real-world learning we focus on inside Xpandr’s programmes - projects you can actually use on your CV because you’ve built campaigns, collaborations, or communities that exist in the world. It’s not “studied music business.” It’s “ran a micro-campaign with measurable results.” That’s the difference.

3. Use your social channels as a portfolio

Social media isn’t just for personal updates - it’s your first marketing tool.

If you want to work in music, use your platforms to show your involvement:

• Post about artists you love and explain why they stand out.

• Share commentary on releases or campaigns that impress you.

• Document gigs, sessions, or projects you’re part of.

Be part of the conversation.

When you show you understand the culture, opportunities start finding you.

If you want to go further, start a recurring feature on your profile - “Artist of the Week,” “Track I Can’t Stop Playing,” “Local Spotlight.”

It signals taste, awareness, and initiative - three things recruiters instantly notice.

Many of our Xpandr students use this approach to build public work samples: social projects, fan strategy mock-ups, or artist case studies. When that sits on a CV, it isn’t theory - it’s practical marketing, audience understanding, and campaign design.

4. Volunteer or collaborate

So many of the best early experiences are unpaid but invaluable. I wrote about bands for Disorder Magazine 25 years ago - for free... within a year I was employed as a staff writer.

You might help an emerging artist with their marketing, shoot behind-the-scenes videos, or volunteer at a festival.

When you offer your time to support a project, do it intentionally. Treat it like a short-term placement - clear expectations, agreed timeframe, something tangible to add to your portfolio.

You’re not just helping. You’re building relationships, learning systems, and collecting evidence of what you can do.

Through mentorship and community, alongside all of our Xpandr courses, we see this pay off constantly - students meet peers, collaborate, form small teams, and leave not only with skills but with credits. A campaign they contributed to. An artist they supported. A small success they can measure. That’s experience employers remember.

5. Join or build micro-communities

Most industry opportunities don’t come from applications - they come from relationships.

Join Discord groups, creative collectives, or community spaces where artists and managers connect. Offer help. Ask questions. Be curious.

Or build your own. Even a small WhatsApp group of local artists swapping opportunities can evolve into something meaningful.

In time, that network becomes your early career infrastructure - people who think of you when something opens up.

Xpandr’s own cohort communities work this way too - when people join programmes like Breaking In or Manager Pro, they don’t just learn from the curriculum. They connect with others building in real time. The collaborations, feedback, and introductions that happen in those spaces often lead to actual jobs.

That’s the power of community - it turns learning into opportunity.

6. Document everything

Every experience you gain needs to live somewhere - even if it’s informal.

Keep a simple record of what you’ve done: event roles, collaborations, playlists, mentoring sessions, live streams. When you start applying for jobs or internships, this becomes your evidence.

You’ll be surprised how professional it looks when you list it with intention:

“Assisted in programming and logistics for three local live shows (2024).”

“Curated monthly Spotify playlist featuring emerging UK artists, 1,500+ followers.”

“Volunteered with independent label on digital campaign rollout.”

That’s experience - and it reads like it.

Stop Aiming for Perfect, Aim for Progress

A lot of people never start because they overthink the “right way.”

They want their first project to look impressive.

But what matters most early on is movement.

You’ll figure things out as you go.

The people who break through aren’t always the most qualified - they’re the ones who took initiative when no one was watching.

Each small project, each local show, each collaboration builds your confidence and credibility. And eventually, someone looks at your work and says, “You’ve already been doing this. Let’s make it official.”

The Industry Is Looking for Self-Starters

The modern music industry doesn’t reward waiting. It rewards motion.

More than ever, labels, publishers, agencies, and start-ups want people who already understand how things move. That doesn’t mean they expect you to know everything. It means they value curiosity and initiative above anything else.

When you can show that you’ve already been involved, that you didn’t need to be told to start, you instantly become more credible.

And in a space where everyone is passionate, credibility is what makes you stand out.

The experiences you create through Xpandr courses - community collaboration, mentorship, campaign-building, real-time problem-solving - are designed to give you exactly that. So when you list them on your CV, you’re not writing “Completed a course.”

You’re writing:

“Worked within a live community to build and execute a multi-platform release plan.”

“Developed fan engagement strategies and content systems for artists.”

“Collaborated with industry mentors to refine branding and positioning.”

That’s not education. That’s experience.

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You don’t need permission to start your career.

You need curiosity, a little courage, and a willingness to create your own opportunities.

If you’re serious about breaking into the industry, stop waiting for the “right” job posting and start building your story.

Run the night. Curate the playlist. Start the series. Join the scene.

Because when you can show that you already live and breathe this world, you stop being an applicant. You become someone who belongs in the room.

If you’re building your early career, this is exactly what we explore across the Xpandr courses. Each one connects learning to practice through mentorship, collaboration, and real-world project work - so what you put on your CV isn’t theory.

It’s proof.

Because experience isn’t something you’re given.

It’s something you grow.