How to Land the Recording Studio Internship

Today I’ll give some tips on how to land an internship at a recording studio, along with why you may want to do so. I have spent over 1,000 hours myself at 2 different studios, one being Blackbird Studios in Nashville.

Why Bother With an Internship?

There are many reasons why an internship would be an attractive one being you will continue to learn by watching and possibly doing in a real studio session. This of course after you prove you are competent and trust worthy enough to be allowed in a session and adjust gear.

Once you establish trust and knowledge you may even be allowed to use studios when they are not in session to work on your music production and improve your abilities getting hands on with gear. How else are you going to learn a new piece of gear. This is how I learned how to work an API legacy Plus.

Another possible benefit depending on the studio is you if you do very well and get luck you may be offered a job to become an assistant engineer or receive a reduced rate to freelance out of the studio. After all by that time you already know the studio very well right? You may also gain a letter of recommendation from engineers or studio owners which can help you land your next gig.

How to Land The Internship?

This may sound simple, but this is how I was able to land my internship and get 9/15 studios offer me an internship.

1. Compile a list of studios you are interested in including gear at their studio contact numbers etc
2. Call the studio and ask if they are accepting interns
3. Check to see if the studio requires the internship to be for school credit
4. Be ready for a quick elevator pitch on why you want to intern and what they should hire you
5. Be persistent but not annoying
6. If they are not accepting interns at the time ask them when and if they will be hiring new interns.

Ok lets break each of these down.

Compile a List of Studios You Are Interested In Interning At

When I started out looking at possible internships in Nashville I knew my number one studio would be BlackBird. I ended up with a list of 15 studios in Nashville. I wrote details down like

• How many studios do they have
• Breif history of the studio
• Past Clients
• Who the owner(s), studio manager(s) and intern coordinators are
• Contact numbers and where the studio is located at.

While this may have been an over kill I wanted to feel prepared for anything that was thrown at me. I also wanted to have a backup plan in case my number 1 studio was not looking for interns or I simply did not get the internship. Bigger studios can have as many as 250 or more applicants for 10-20 positions at any given time.

Call The Studio and Ask If They Are Accepting Interns

This is pretty straight forward I called the numbers provided by their website. If I got an answer I simply asked ” if xyz studio is hiring for interns”. If they where I would ask who I would need to talk to. If they where not I would ask if and when they would be hiring. If they gave a time range I would make sure to write it down and follow-up.

Make Sure to Ask if College Credit is Required to Intern

I would also ask if they studio required college credit to intern there, this for some people can be a deal breaker. I say this because even someone like me that has put 1,000 hours in 2 studios interning with a letters of recommendation may not be able to intern at a studio if they require college credit as I am no longer in college.

Be Ready For a Quick Elevator Pitch

This is one thing that caught me off guard on my first two calls. I was able to talk to the hiring manager or intern coordinator. They asked about my background, schooling and then asked why I would be a good fit at their studio.

The biggest thing that got me in the door was that I said I had common sense, I paid attention to detail, and that I worked hard and quickly. When I was trying to land an internship in Nashville I was able to say all of this and that I had already spent 200 hours in a commercial studio in Minneapolis and that I was allowed to setup and tear down sessions.

What to Expect While Interning

Be Ready To do Anything That is Asked of You

Going to school I was already told this but if you are looking at interning be ready to do anything and everything. I cleaned toilets took garbage out and made coffee. I learned how to landscape and paint along with taking a 30 foot metal railing down.

If you are prepared to do anything that is asked and to do it well you will be in good shape. Also be prepared to be quite for long periods of time unless you are spoken to or need to ask about a task given to you. In general people do not talkative interns they are to be seen and not heard. Obviously this will vary depending on the studio you are at.

My college professor once said ” if you can’t do little things well why the heck would I allow you to patch or setup my session”. It is very true I looked at every task that was given to me as a mini test and slowly I progressed into patching along with setup and tear downs. At my first studio I got to a point where I would set up an entire session for the engineer.

Be Ready for Long Hours

Long hours will vary from studio to studio and session that is going on, For example at my first studio we for the most part were allowed to come and go as needed. But at the second studio my first weekend there I put in 36 hours in 2 days. Through out the remaining 6 months of the internship it was normal to put in 12-16 hour days.

Things I Did Not Expect

The Hiring Manager / Owner Did Not Listen to My Beauty Reel at Either Studio.

Honestly they could care less about what you have done. One of them was more impressed that I was delivering pizzas while I went to college, and I didn’t put that I was an engineer on my resume. He said “it shows that I am down to earth, and I know I still have a lot to learn.”

I Didn’t Realize Just How Hard it is to Land a Job At a Studio.

I put over a 1,000 hours in two studios and moved across the country. While I learned ALOT and am better for it I do not have a job at a recording studio yet. Currently I have a day job and freelance at night and on weekends.

I Did Not Expect The Intern Coordinator to Follow Me on Social Media.

This most likely will not be the case at a smaller studio but if you are at a big studio it may happen. The studio can not afford to have an idiot say that xyz person is in the studio which ends up creating a huge scene. I’ve had the privilege to talk with Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney and many other big producers/engineers. If I would have updated my Facebook status when they were there I would have been fired on the spot.

Hopefully you have found a few things helpful and good luck on landing that internship!