Robby: Twenty-Something in Music

Not exactly. When I was small I was absolutely obsessed with dinosaurs and wanted to be a palaeontologist. I also worked in a vets when I was 15 for about two years, before I accepted that my crippling allergic reaction to most of our furry friends was not ideal. My parents bought me my first guitar at ten however, then my dad taught me a few chords and I just ran with it. I knew I loved music but was too young to be thinking about careers and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It wasn't until I was about fifteen that I started to consider music as something I could viably pursue.

It’s the variation for me – the fact that I’m rarely doing the same thing two days in a row. I can have quite a short attention span and get bored quite easily, so keeping it fresh is important for me.

As Head of Music and Voice I’m helping both massive household-name brands and small family businesses connect with their audience with the right music which represents them, as well as sourcing composers and voiceover artists. One day I’ll be in the office and the next I’ll be out on the road holding workshops with marketing creatives, just talking about music and branding. Great fun.

I also freelance on other music projects, so one day I might be writing a radio jingle for a local station advertiser, and the next I’ll be singing vocals for a number one selling DJ or artist. It’s varied alright!

Ironically enough, not music; but this is solely down to the fact that we didn't have a music teacher for the last two years of school, so we’d have a supply teacher who had no interest in music, or else we’d be left to our own devices. At school you really need guidelines and direction or nothing gets done, and that’s exactly what happened – it was an absolute free-for-all of erratic xylophones, Casio demo songs and relentless guitar feedback.

I did however really like Physics – it was probably the subject I paid most attention to in school, to the point where I actually tried to carry it on into college and chose a Physics AS level alongside my Music BTEC. But it wasn’t meant to be… you learn your strengths at this age, and being brainy wasn’t one of mine. But hey, if we were all brainy, things would be pretty boring.

I did yes, I moved to Brighton at 18 and did a BA honours in Professional Musicianship. I loved the experience of moving to a new city, it really helped me to come out of my shell, and I say that quite literally – I was painfully shy as a teenager and being thrust into a scary new city all alone was undoubtedly the best thing I’ve ever done. I also, as everyone always says about uni, met some great friends along the way who I still see now, god knows how many years later.

I was actually quite lucky in that my first job in the industry was well on the path to where I wanted to be; I landed a job writing some music for a marketing video, which led to another, and so on, as they say. I stumbled across the advert online, and applied not really thinking I’d get it. When they got in touch I think I quite literally screamed, embarrassingly. It’s a great feeling when someone appreciates something you put so much effort into making.

Stop being so quiet and weird; go get involved. And stop doing your hair like that, you look like a chump. On a serious note though, I think my mum gave me the best advice I had as a teenager, which was that the regret you feel for things you didn't do far outweighs the regret for the things you did. It’s an oldie but a great thought to bear in mind. And although I didn't really live by that as a teenager, I really appreciate it now.

Don’t be flaky, don’t be late. It makes you disposable. The amount of people who work around the music industry who fall into this paradigm is unbelievably frustrating. So I guess the second most important thing I've learnt is to be patient, and keep a cool head. I literally never get angry; I’m not sure if I’m capable. Not out loud anyway.

You need to have a thick skin, as no matter what area of the industry you aim for there will be a lot of rejection, and it more often than not won’t be sugar-coated.

You also need to be excited by what you do. I know that sounds obvious, but somehow unfortunately the nature of creative jobs these days is that you will work your first job for free. So you’ve got to love it - really love it - because chances are you’ll be making tea and doing spreadsheets for someone who does something you love for free. But the rewards at the other end are amazing; you’re doing what you love for a living. What more could you ask for?

Third is be punctual. That goes for any job, and anything you do in life really.

That all looks a bit negative, but I guess every job has its issues, and it’s how you deal with them that determines how much you truly appreciate what you’re doing.

Ukmusicjobs is my absolute go-to for work in the industry and has been for years. It’s how I got all my writing clients, one of which led to the Head of Music and Voice position that I have right now. You pay a small subscription, but in my eyes it’s totally worth it.

People also tend to rely quite heavily on social networking these days, and they feel like putting some songs onto YouTube and telling their mates on Facebook about it is enough to make it big. The internet is obviously a valuable tool but there is no comparison to meeting actual people. If you’re promoting something, be it a band, a product or yourself for a job role, go and share some air space with them. A high five in real life is a hell of a lot more memorable than a like on Facebook. Don’t get me wrong, do all your social media, it’s awesome. But promote yourself in the real world too and it’ll go a lot further.