Hello ❤️ so it’s been like 6 months since I last blogged so thought it was time to blog again. I’ve been meaning to, just needed to find time since so much has happened in the past few months, so here we go.
Last time I blogged was when I was still taking class at Juilliard. Again I took a voice class at the Juilliard Evening Division which was so fun. The class was from January to April, and ended with a final recital that we were able to invite guests to. The recital was with 3 combined classes and each person sang 2 pieces. I sang 2 Italian art songs called “Amarilli Mia Bella” and “Se Tu Mami” which were my favorite pieces that I sang for the class. Overall my experience at Juilliard was amazing and I loved it so much. I felt like it was good for my soul, and I had missed music for so many years. Crazy to find myself coming back to it, but deep down I always knew that music was where I belonged.
Which leads me to my next big piece of news, which is that my music class was what inspired me to finally quit my job and pursue a career in the music industry.
So I had always wanted to quit my job, I knew I wasn’t going to stay in TV media sales forever. Yes, my last job brought me to New York and gave me the opportunity to become promoted to an account executive after being an assistant in LA, but it wasn’t what I was passionate about. So right after my class ended I started applying to music companies.
It was hard as applying for a new job always takes time. From April to June I was applying like crazy, while I was at work I was always applying lol. I even paid for a resume writing service to fix up my resume and cover letter even more to make sure they were in top shape. (Side note: paying for a writing service didn’t help too much. It gave me a good resume format, and did help with my cover letter, so maybe use it for that, but overall I suggest just fixing your resume on your own.)
But even with a good resume and cover letter it still took a while to find something. It was probably b/c I was just applying to the top music companies including Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group. These are the top 3 music companies, and all record labels fall under one of these 3. I was determined to work for a big company b/c I had just came from a big company, but even with that it was still hard. It’s true when they say to get into the music industry you have to know someone. I did network with a few people from these companies which was cool. I found employees on LinkedIn that I had mutual connections with, and then asked my connections to give me an intro, which they did. But even having those connections to submit my resume, they still had to submit to their HR, and then HR would reach out if they thought I was a good fit, but I never got an interview. I didn’t have any music industry experience, but I wanted to find a way.
I was getting so discouraged, but I just kept applying. Until finally one day I saw this position on LinkedIn for “Music Licensing Manager” at Epidemic Sound. I had never heard of the company, but I went on their site and it looked like a legit music company. The site also showed that they had been featured on Billboard, New York Times, and Music Business Worldwide, and so I decided to apply.
Then a week later I got an email from them asking for an interview! So I went to their office and interviewed with them that week, and I loved it. When I walked in there was a stage with instruments set up which I thought was so cool! They also had music playing in the office. During my interview they actually had to go out and ask the workers to turn the music down lol. But the interview went really well. They told me about the company and how they sold music, and I told them about my music and sales background. Then the week after they asked me for a second interview.
The second interview went well with the Head of the North American offices, which actually ended up being a phone interview b/c he was in Sweden at the time. Then the week after that I went back to CA for my brothers wedding, and then when I came back to NY I had my third interview, and then the day after they offered me the job.
So that’s how I ended up at my job now 🙂. Sorry for the lengthy story, and I’ll blog again with more details about my new company, but overall I’m so happy. I’ve always wanted to work in music. I had also wanted to major in music in college, but ended up pursing a business degree first. But I told myself that one day I would come back to it, and finally here I am.
Also I love this company, and it’s actually on the verge of becoming really big. We have the same investors as Spotify, and they foresee us becoming the same thing, so it’s really exciting to be a part of this company during this time.
Well going to end this now, but will blog again soon.
-Carolyn 💜
Carolyn Grace 