Music

This vibrant and evolving sector offers exciting opportunities for students from a wide range of degree backgrounds - whether you're performing, composing, producing, or supporting artists behind the scenes.

The music industry is a diverse and constantly evolving sector. Career paths span performance, composition, production, education, and the business side of music. Many professionals combine multiple roles, creating portfolio careers that blend teaching, gigging, producing, or managing. There’s no single route in your path will depend on your interests, experience, and networks.

Find Out About Working in Music

Key resources

Explore roles and career paths

Music offers a wide range of creative, technical, and business-focused roles. These include:

Creative and Performance – musicians, vocalists, composers, songwriters, lyricists
Production and Tech – sound engineers, producers, studio managers, live sound technicians
Session Musicians – freelance performers hired for live shows or recordings
Music Supervision/Licensing – selecting and clearing music for media like film, TV and games
Business and Promotion – artist management, PR, agents, A&R, music marketing

There are also opportunities in music publishing, copyright, and royalties, particularly if you're interested in the business side of the industry.

How AI is Shaping the Future of Music

Artificial intelligence is increasingly influencing how music is created, produced, and shared. AI is now being used in:

Composition and songwriting
Audio mastering and sound design
Personalised music curation
Creating virtual artists

Musicians who are aware of AI tools and their ethical implications — particularly around ownership and creativity — will be better placed to innovate and stand out.

Help Musicians – career and wellbeing support
Youth Music – supports young creatives
PRS Foundation – funding for emerging artists
Ivors Academy – supports composers and songwriters
British Association for Music Therapy - including details of Masters courses, funding and training
The BRIT Trust – grants for young musicians
Sound and Music – opportunities in experimental/new music
UK Music - works with charities, organisations and the Government to point you in the direction of good advice.

Find Jobs

Where you look depends on your area of interest. Here are a few useful platforms:

Performance and Gigs

Association of British Orchestras (ABO)
Musical Chairs (classical performance and teaching)

Production and Composition

Business and Marketing

Creativepool
Arts Council England – Jobs Board

Teaching and Education

Be proactive: Reach out to artists, venues, or organisations directly for informal opportunities. LinkedIn, artist websites, and MU's Freelance Directory can help you identify contacts.

CD Unity: How to Get a Job in the Music Industry - Great tips on experience, skills, and networking.
Doors Open - A not-for-profit electronic music opportunities platform
Making Music - If you’re a professional musician looking for personal development or work, there are plenty of ways you can get involved with leisure-time music groups.

Freelancing

Many music professionals are freelance or self-employed. They may earn a living through teaching, performing, composing, gigging, or content creation.
Platforms like Bandcamp, Patreon, YouTube and Twitch can support income and audience building, but success also depends on consistent output, planning, and visibility.

🛈 Be cautious with unpaid roles — seek opportunities that offer learning, exposure, or genuine value. Consider joining the Musicians’ Union (MU) for support, training, and advice.

Visa guidance (for international students)

If you are studying in the UK on a Student Visa (formerly Tier 4), you are not permitted to undertake freelance or self-employed work. This includes roles where you are not employed by a company, such as offering services directly to clients.

Always check your visa conditions carefully and contact the University’s International Student Support team if you're unsure about what types of work are allowed.

What can I do at York?

York has a vibrant music scene and many opportunities to get involved on and off campus:

On Campus

Join the Music Society - the centre of music making both on campus and in the city
Ensembles - York is home to a wide range of ensembles of all shapes and sizes, styles and traditions. Any member of the University is welcome to get involved
Vocal and Choral Music
Lyons Live
Campus Culture and Entertainment
College Music Scheme - access music spaces through the
Get involved with University Radio York (URY) and York Concerts
Participate in student projects in film, theatre or podcasting

In the Local Community

Aesthetica Film Festival and the Festival of Ideas
Casual jobs at venues like York Barbican, Crescent Community Venue, Grand Opera House, and York Theatre Royal
Jorvik Radio or YO1 Radio for experience in curation and presenting
National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) – an intimate music venue and home to early music festivals
York Guildhall Orchestra – a leading northern symphony orchestra

Attend workshops, masterclasses, or talks offered by the Music department, Careers and Placements, or external partners.

Creative Facilities at York

York’s purpose-built £35m arts and media complex on Campus East offers industry-standard facilities and equipment designed to support professional production. These facilities are exclusively available for use by ACT students. Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall is our impressive centrepiece, and is complemented by our Arthur Sykes Rymer Auditorium, one of the finest listening spaces for reproduced sound in the United Kingdom. We have a range of rehearsal spaces, teaching rooms, practice spaces and studios.

Our six music studio spaces mirror industry standards. They feature a variety of analogue and digital systems, and multiple surround sound configurations for modern and traditional production workflows. Several have links to our performance spaces, too.

Find out more about these facilities on the School of Arts and Creative Technologies website.

More resources

Connect with York graduates

Join York for Life to connect with our global network of alumni. Start building your own network - find people from your course, look at different careers, ask questions and request a mentor.

Use LinkedIn to make connections, follow organisations of interest, and find out what York graduates are doing. Find out more about Using LinkedIn and Networking on our website.

Podcasts

Podcasts can be a great way to explore creative careers.

I Never Thought It Would Happen (Help Musicians) – Hosted by Chris Difford, this podcast features frank discussions with artists about the highs and lows of life in music
Young Musicians for Social Justice – A UK-based podcast (led by University of Leeds students) exploring music’s role in social justice and inclusion