A career in live music production involves a vast network of professionals handling logistics, technical execution, administration, and venue management. This specialized field requires individuals to manage everything from sound systems and lighting rigs to tour finances and ticket sales. Understanding the structure of this ecosystem and the specific roles within it is the first step toward launching a professional career in live entertainment.
Understanding the Concert Industry Ecosystem
The live music landscape is structured around three primary entities that hire the majority of concert staff. Promoters serve as the financial backbone, organizing and marketing the shows and often contracting all other services. Major global promoters, such as Live Nation and AEG Presents, operate on a massive scale, handling tours that span multiple continents.
Venues are the physical locations where music is performed, ranging from small local clubs to large stadiums. Each venue employs a house staff for daily operations, including administrative, hospitality, and technical personnel. Production companies operate as specialized contractors, supplying necessary equipment—sound systems, lighting rigs, and staging—and the skilled technicians to operate them. These companies work directly for the promoter or the touring act, ensuring the technical elements of a show are executed flawlessly.
Key Career Paths in Concert Production
Technical Production Roles
Technical roles focus on the physical execution of the performance and require specialized expertise with audio and visual equipment.
- Front of House (FOH) Engineers mix the sound for the audience, ensuring the mix translates effectively in the venue’s acoustics.
- Monitor Engineers manage the sound mix that performers hear on stage, requiring precision and quick response to artists’ needs.
- Lighting Directors design and program the visual elements, synchronizing stage lighting and effects to the music.
- Riggers are skilled technicians responsible for safely suspending all production elements, including lights and speakers, from the venue’s structural beams.
Tour Management and Road Crew
These roles focus on the logistics and support necessary to move a show from one city to the next.
- The Tour Manager serves as the primary liaison, handling all financial, travel, and accommodation logistics for the artist and crew.
- A Production Manager oversees the entire technical operation, coordinating lighting, audio, and stage departments for efficient setup and teardown.
- Instrument Technicians, or “Techs,” maintain and prepare specific instruments for performers before and during the show.
- VIP Coordinators manage premium fan experiences and meet-and-greets throughout the tour.
Venue Operations and Administration
Venue-based positions focus on the business and customer-facing sides of the live event, ensuring the facility runs smoothly.
- The Box Office Manager oversees ticket sales, will-call operations, and financial reconciliation for each event.
- Marketing staff manage promotional activities, advertising campaigns, and media relations to drive ticket sales.
- Security Management is responsible for crowd control, artist protection, and overall patron safety.
- Hospitality roles involve managing the artist and crew experience backstage, including catering and ensuring contractual rider requirements are met.
Entry-Level and Local Support Positions
Many individuals begin their careers in local support roles, often hired by the venue or a local contractor to supplement the touring crew.
- Runners are responsible for local errands, transportation, and assisting the tour manager with necessary purchases.
- Spot Operators control the follow-spots, tracking artists on stage with beams of light.
- Local Stagehands, frequently hired through local union chapters, assist with the physical labor of loading, unloading, and setting up the stage.
- Working in a local Box Office or selling Merchandise are common starting points, providing customer service experience and exposure to event operations.
Developing Necessary Skills and Training
A successful career in concert production requires a blend of formal technical knowledge and interpersonal soft skills. Specialized training often involves technical certifications recognized across the industry. Obtaining an OSHA 10-Hour or 30-Hour card, particularly those focused on General Entertainment Safety, demonstrates an understanding of workplace safety for crew members.
For technical roles, pursuing a degree or certificate from a trade school in audio engineering, lighting design, or theatrical production provides experience with industry-standard equipment and software. Practical knowledge of digital mixing consoles, rigging principles, and stage automation systems is valued by employers. Soft skills are also important, including communication, as crews coordinate complex tasks across multiple departments. Problem-solving abilities, physical stamina for long days, and disciplined time management help a candidate succeed in this field.
Strategies for Gaining Entry-Level Experience
Securing a first job relies more on accumulating practical experience and building a professional reputation than on formal applications alone. Volunteering at local music festivals or community theaters offers a direct way to gain production experience and demonstrate reliability.
Internships with local production companies or mid-sized venues provide a structured environment to learn the daily workflow and meet industry contacts. Starting small at a local club, perhaps working the door or assisting the house sound engineer, is a traditional path that offers exposure to live events. Consistent work ethic is rewarded with greater responsibility and eventual opportunities for advancement. Building a portfolio of experience through these local gigs is a direct investment in future career progression.
Navigating the Realities of the Concert Work Lifestyle
The live music industry demands an irregular and intense schedule. Work hours are often long and unpredictable, involving late nights and early mornings for load-in and load-out. Touring roles require extensive time away from home, as crews spend weeks or months traveling cross-country or internationally.
Live production requires quick, accurate decisions to solve unexpected technical or logistical problems before a show begins. Pay for freelance or touring staff can be variable, depending on the artist’s success, the venue size, and the frequency of work. Since there are often periods of unemployment between gigs, financial planning is an important aspect of the job.
Targeted Job Search Resources and Networking
Finding positions in this relationship-driven field requires searching specialized platforms and engaging with professional organizations. Industry-specific job boards, such as Entertainment Careers, Music Jobs, and ProductionBeast, frequently list openings from promoters, venues, and production houses. Major promoters like Live Nation and AEG also maintain career portals for direct applications.
For technical and stagehand roles, joining the local chapter of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) is a step toward securing work, as this union often supplies skilled labor for large venues and touring shows. Networking remains the most effective method for securing work, as many positions are filled through word-of-mouth recommendations. Attending industry conferences and local trade shows helps build the relationships that often lead to a first job or a long-term touring position.