◆ Music Production

What a music marketer
really does.

20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.

20evidenced tasks
13,080in the US (2025)
$73,130median pay / year
7systems it runs on
See the 20 tasks ↓Open in the atlasThe full career map →
This is what one task looks like here
Record speech, music, and other sounds
Record the spoken liners, lead vocal takes, room ambience and foley fo…2 sources agree

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The work, task by task

20 tasks
Hands on the work16
Assemble and operate sound equipment+
Assemble the PA for Friday's rooftop mini-set: install two mains, two monitors, snake the stage pockets, patch the console and run a level check at audience positions while clipped into the harness for the rigging lift.
escojd2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Make routine repairs on equipment+
Fix the singer's wireless pack today: replace the battery door, reseat the antenna, clean the connector with isopropyl and test range to twenty meters before returning it to Maya for the rehearsal.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Keep logs of recordings.+
Maintain the recording logbook for the EP: note date, session start and end, track names, takes used, mic and preamp settings, and any cadence or tempo notes then send the consolidated log to Aisha after each session.
jdonet2 agree
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Regulate volume level and sound quality during recording sessions, using control consoles.+
Set and monitor consistent volume targets on the control console for today’s tracking session with The Hollow Hearts, calibrate headphone mixes for vocalist Anna, log any clipping incidents, and confirm safety checks on stage risers before recording starts.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Tear down equipment after event completion.+
Strip stage and fold cases after the midnight set at The Foundry, inventory speaker and mic stands, tag any damaged cables, store monitors in the flight cases and text production lead Marcus when the truck is sealed.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Create musical instrument digital interface programs for music projects, commercials, or film postproduction.+
Program the MIDI patches and control mappings for the commercial cue reel, assign articulations for the string library, test velocity curves on the keyboard, and export program banks to the session folder for the composer.
onet
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Convert video and audio records to digital formats+
Capture the archive tapes, clean and digitise each reel to high-resolution files, normalize levels to broadcast loudness, label files with dates and show IDs, and back up two copies to the external drives before upload.
jd
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Synchronize sounds and dialogue with action+
Align dialogue takes and sound effects to picture for the promo cut, nudge SFX by frames to match motion, ride level automation on critical hits, and hand a sync-locked stem set to the editor by 3pm.
jd
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
Keep it safe2
Keep the record1
Grow the practice1

What the work runs on

named inside the evidenced tasks
8 tasksApple macOShandles multitrack capture, file management and transfer for recording sessions
6 tasksMicrosoft Officecreate and share the final inventory and damage report with production and transport teams
2 tasksMicrosoft Excelorganises session metadata in a table that filters, sorts and exports for collaboratorsOpen its task library →
1 taskGitto version control and track changes to channel settings and session notes across shows
1 taskFacebookto monitor social platforms and capture trending content and audience responses
1 taskLinuxuse for running hardware diagnostics, storing service logs and interfacing with testing utilities for audio gear
1 taskAutodesk AutoCADcreate precise venue floorplans and rigging diagrams with scale measurements for speaker placement
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The same task, four heights

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ExecuteDo today's task, with fewer mistakesyou are here → ImproveMake it easy for the next person to acceptin the atlas → DecideWork out the right move when it is unclearin the atlas → BecomeLearn the pattern so it stops coming backin the atlas →

Can AI actually do this job?

the honest answer

It can

where it genuinely helps
  • Explain the theory behind the work
  • Draft, tidy and structure your writing
  • Rehearse a hard conversation before you have it
  • Build a study plan that fits your gaps

It cannot

where it stops, completely
  • Be in the room where a music marketer actually works
  • Carry the responsibility when the call is wrong — that weight stays yours
  • Notice what no one wrote down: the hesitation, the thing left unsaid
  • Live with the outcome

What the work pays

two countries, two different measures

United States

this exact occupation · BLS 2025
  • $73,130 a year — the middle: half earn more, half earn less
  • The lowest tenth earn near $37,570; the top tenth near $137,370
  • 13,080 people employed in this occupation

Where the evidence lives

open any of it yourself
O*NETThe US Department of Labor's own record of this job6 of these tasks ESCOThe European skills and occupations register12 of these tasks Job descriptionsReal postings, in the wild6 of these tasks US Bureau of Labor StatisticsPay and employment, by occupation2025 figures UK NOS SKSS12Set up and check sound equipmentnational standard UK NOS SKSS06Make sound recordingsnational standard

Close to this work

12 nearby
Music ProductionSession Musician27 evidenced tasks Music ProductionStudio Manager26 evidenced tasks Music ProductionMusic Editor25 evidenced tasks Music ProductionDj24 evidenced tasks Music ProductionAcoustic Engineer24 evidenced tasks Music ProductionMusic Programmer22 evidenced tasks Music ProductionOrchestra Conductor21 evidenced tasks Music ProductionArtist Manager21 evidenced tasks

Questions people actually ask

You’ll split time between studio and admin. Mornings might be checking Apple macOS or Linux stations, opening sessions in Pro Tools or Logic, and testing microphones and the audio mixing console for a noon recording.

Afternoons often mean assembling and operating sound equipment at a gig, fitting up sound on stage, keeping logs of recordings, and tearing down gear after the event. Evenings can be outreach: posting promos on Facebook, tracking campaign numbers in Microsoft Excel, and planning next steps for professional development.

Expect Apple macOS machines running DAWs like Logic or Pro Tools, and sometimes Linux for server or conversion tasks. Use Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office for budgets, schedules, and keeping logs of recordings.

You’ll also use Git if you version control MIDI or project files, Autodesk AutoCAD occasionally for technical design of a sound system (stage layout and speaker placement), and Facebook for promotions and audience engagement.

Use AI for quick draft ideas: generate MIDI patterns, rough mastering settings, or metadata tags, but always check output by ear and inspect MIDI, because AI can add artifacts or timing errors. Keep original tracks and label versions in Git so you can revert changes.

Don’t let AI replace safety checks: test for clipping, confirm synchronization of sound and dialogue, and follow safety procedures when working at heights or handling power. Treat AI like a helper, not the final engineer.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for 2025, 13,080 people are employed in this occupation. The median pay is $73,130 per year. The lowest tenth earn about $37,570, and the top tenth make about $137,370 per year.

These numbers are broad; your pay will vary with location, whether you work freelance or for a label, and how much technical sound engineering you do versus marketing and promotion.

A music marketer focused on sound does marketing plus technical audio work. You’ll assemble and operate sound equipment, regulate volume during sessions, convert audio/video to digital formats, and design sound systems — tasks a publicist usually doesn’t do.

A publicist mainly handles press, social posts, and outreach on platforms like Facebook. If you want hands-on mixing consoles, stage fit-up, and technical repairs, this role is the technical hybrid, not pure PR.

Both matter, but the deciding skill is reliability with technical systems. Employers expect you to assemble, maintain, and operate equipment, keep accurate logs, and follow safety and ergonomic procedures on every job.

If you can run an audio mixing console, convert recordings to digital formats, and technically design a sound system, you can get work. Then build marketing skills—using Microsoft Excel for reports and Facebook for promotion—to turn those jobs into repeat clients.