Interning at an independent hip-hop record label has given me an understanding of the nuts and bolts of a music company. I had the opportunity to view its infrastructure and there was so much going on at a very fast pace. On a typical day I was working on a newsletter to email out to 400 people, emailing singles to a couple hundred blogs, writing press releases and acquiring new fans through the internet.

In the first few weeks I was introduced to numerous social media platforms that I had not heard of before, such as Mailchimp, Brandchirp and ArtistData, which seem to be essential for getting the word out. There was also a tremendous amount of interaction with people inside and outside of the label, which gave me the opportunity to meet new people in different fields. I met producers, graphic designers, computer programmers, singers, and so many more. So what does one do when presented with so much?

You take advantage of it.

A few things I made sure to do were to ask questions and give ideas. I believe that there is no such thing as a dumb question or a dumb idea. Small ideas can grow and become a huge success. Questioning the unknown will only make one more confident. Another good thing about asking questions and giving ideas is that it shows your boss that you are interested. It shows that you are passionate and dedicated to the whole work environment. There is no need to be afraid of talking out loud. If there is something you don’t know how to do, just ask. If an idea pops into your head just say it because people will appreciate your enthusiasm and it could possibly spark other ideas. Everybody respects everybody, and no one is above it all.



Bio

Manuel Urgiles just completed his last semester at Berklee majoring in Music Business and interned at AR Classic Records, an independent hip-hop record label based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

If you are interested in emailing Manuel, you can reach him at ManuelUrgilesATgmailDOTcom.

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