Music is one of the most creative and artistic expressions in our culture. A lot of people develop their preferences based on genre or general vibe. You may wonder how these songs categorize themselves in such a way. This is what music curators do. They listen to music and use what they’ve learned to perform numerous tasks. If you need assistance in finding vacancies music curator work, you can do so with the help of job sites like Jooble. They can find preferences on which companies to work with and even freelance opportunities. Here is a full explanation of how to get a job as a music curator.
To put it simply, a music curator’s main job is listening to music. You will be paid to listen to specific music requests and then categorize them. This means separating them all by what genre you believe they fit in. Are they pop-rock, jazz, or R&B? Do they last for longer than 3 minutes or are they classed as theme songs? Are they sung by a band, or is it a solo artist? These are the questions that you will provide answers to when it comes to selling this music to specific audiences. It can also help them in categories for streaming services.
A music curator will go through hundreds of applications per day. This matches up with the massive number of new songs that are created those days too. The moment a song is released, a music curator will be assigned immediately so that it can be quickly labelled and sold off. If more specifications are added to the song, it can make selling the song much easier. The more songs you can get through, the higher your income will be.
There are three major types of curators. These are:
Streaming curators are those that categorize music for streaming services. Examples include the likes of Spotify and Apple Music. A lot of streaming services require genres and categories to help people find their favorite music. This makes it easier for people to create personalized playlists. It helps encourage people to subscribe, knowing they have their best categories readily available to be searched. It can help a lot of new musicians to find more listeners since streaming services are used a lot by mainstream audiences.
Radio curators create categories for radio shows. The main reason why radio stations need these categories is to help make it easier to create playlists. Some radio stations may organize special events that play songs dedicated to a certain genre. For example, they could have a 90’s night where they play the best hits of this epoch. The more genres a radio can select from, the more varied its music can be for its listeners.
Commercial curators will help sell a database of songs to a particular client. This will be entirely dependent on the client and what they intend to use this database for. For example, they may use a selection of female-vocalist songs for a shop centered around women’s clothing. A lot of these will truly test the skills of a curator. You will have to know your stuff to be able to put together something for a client quickly. These may even be niche songs you will have to look for to meet the needs in the best possible manner.
The first thing you will need to build yourself up to this career is a passion for music. You are going to become a walking encyclopaedia of musical knowledge. You will need to have listened to thousands of songs, all from different styles and times. You can begin by listening to the lead artists of your favorite music. Expand your horizon by trying out a new song you may have never heard of. Find new genres by exploring the world of online bands or real-life venues. The better you understand music, the quicker your thought process works in finding particular songs. Try listening to songs you may hate too. You may not like the music, but you may have a client who absolutely loves it. You need to be prepared for all types of clients.
In terms of qualifications or portfolios, try to build up an actual database of songs. You can create your own folder of music, letting you access songs from the moment you are asked for them. The bigger this database is, the quicker your job will be. To better understand people, you can always study music at a university level. You can learn music creation or music psychology as a major at college. Earning yourself an official qualification can vastly improve your chances when applying for work.
There are multiple paths you can go into when looking for work as a music curator. Firstly, there is freelance. You can be hired independently by clients to curate music and sell them the research you have done. Others are actual companies where you can apply for a position to work in. These jobs are easier to find on job sites such as Jooble. Some special sites hire music curators exclusively. They can organize your clientele for you and provide you with weekly assignments. It’s a great way to earn an official salary. Figures can range from £20,000 to £40,000 per year.
