Music Venue Owners and Managers

If you aren't actively involved in band or chorus, get involved while in school. To manage or own a club, you should be familiar with music and what makes music "good." To gain experience in business administration and management, volunteer to help coordinate school plays, band or choral performances, or any other production. Any and all experience helps, beginning with organizing and managing band equipment, for example, to working as a stage manager for school plays.

Part-time or summer jobs as stagehands, ushers, or other positions are available at theaters, outdoor music festivals, and other venues. Many music shows are held in bars and other facilities catering to the over-21 crowd, so be prepared to look elsewhere for opportunities.

College students interested in music facility management can often locate valuable internships through contacts they have developed from part-time jobs, but their college career services offices can also help to line up internships.

Professional organizations within the field also sponsor opportunities to learn on-the-job. The International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM) offers internships to qualified students. Typically, participating facilities that serve as sites for IAVM internships are responsible for the selection of their interns. While some of these facilities aren't specifically geared toward music shows, much of the management skills and responsibilities are shared and will provide you with a wonderful opportunity to learn firsthand. The IAVM also provides a job shadowing program.