Careers in Live Music

The music industry is booming, particular when it comes to live concert events. The highest-grossing tours rake in hundreds of millions of dollars every year, making it a particularly lucrative field. Although the bands may get all the glory, the certainly don't do it alone. It takes a bevy of hard-working professionals to make a concert go off smoothly--everything from the carpenters who build the stage to the roadies who lug around the equipment. If you love concerts and have the talent and the drive, you could spend your days (or nights) in the heart of the action, creating the concert experience and getting paid to do it.

It doesn't matter what your musical taste is. The top-grossing concerts of 2009 cover a whole range of musical genres. They include heavy metal bands AC/DC and Metallica, hip-hop/R&B acts Lil Wayne and Beyonce, rock acts ranging from Bruce Springsteen to Nickelback, and even the operatic pop vocal group Il Divo. In addition to these giant stadium concerts, there are also countless smaller venues that allow for a more intimate musical experience. No matter what the size, no concert can go on without the professionals who make it happen. Here are a few of the most exciting careers in live music today.

1. Guitar Engineer. You know how finicky those rock stars can be. One minute they're rocking the crowd with their biggest hit on a Les Paul, the next minute, shredding up a guitar solo on a Fender. How do they transition so seamlessly from one instrument to another? And how is every guitar they play so perfectly in tune? Those are among the responsibilities of the guitar engineer, who sets up the guitars and amps used for the concerts, and exchanges instruments with the guitarist, handing off a perfectly calibrated guitar every time.

2. Concert Lighting Technician. Who makes the band shine--literally? It's the concert lighting technician, responsible for everything from throwing a spotlight on solo player to creating a dazzling light show for the audience to enjoy. If you have an eye for color and good technical sense, this could be the job for you.

3. Live Sound Engineer. The live sound engineer is responsible for making sure that every seat in the house is getting the best listening experience. The engineer sits at a mixing board to balance out the incoming music, making sure the drums aren't overwhelming the flute, for instance. (Sure, you can have drums and flutes together--just ask Jethro Tull.) The live sound engineer ensures that the band always sounds its best.