associate director

administrative assistant

director of finance

manager

director

Sony Music Entertainment

Again, let me reiterate: I was not a permanent employee. If you are full time you will be paid well with benefits. If contracting, you will be paid a meager hourly wage.

I was an IT support analyst, working in the Imaging and Degaussing room at Sony.

LOVED my coworkers and the relaxed work environment of the place. Facilities fully stocked with refrigerators, microwaves, toaster ovens and 4-panel TV screens combining to display the latest Sony artists' music videos, which can be quite exciting especially as you'll often get a sneak peak of unreleased videos they're testing on the employees, or--in the case of "Animal," by Ellie Goulding--an alternate version than the official release.

HOWEVER, should you be contracted for a temporary position at Sony, just know you will be working for peanuts. In fact, it wasn't until a week into my notice that I discovered that the interns were paid a higher hourly rate than myself.

So if you have the opportunity to intern or work full time at Sony Music Entertainment, I highly recommend it. If you're  presented with a contracting option, only take it if you're like me and need the experience; and even so, only work for a few months until that experience boosts you to a more promising position.

I'm not bitter about this job. Working the contact (and suffering the commute from outside Manhattan) was a GRIND. But this position is the reason my career is in a thriving arc in its trajectory now.

And for that, I'm thankful. :)

The internship at Sony was a unique experience. I assumed that the internship would be a little more hands on and got to experience the duties of what music executives do. Even though this was not the case, I have learned tremendously while interning here. I was given projects that were to be done on powerpoint. These projects consisted of marketing a consumer product and pairing it with a Sony music artist to help promote these artists. I put together song compilations. I participated in a video shoot that exposed me in the operations of putting together a video shoot. I was able to work with other interns and collaborate with them on these projects. I was a business major and was able to apply what I learned in school in the work environment. My mentor was extremely helpful and allowed me to exercise my abilities in brainstorming creative ideas and empowered me to make decisions.that would help these projects succeed. Overall, what I enjoyed most was working with the laid-back interns who came from different parts of the world and learning about their cultures and having the opportunity to work and share ideas with them. Also, I was given the task to do a small video commercial pitching a consumer product while implementing a particular music artist song in the background. Although, due to time constraints, it did not go through. In summation, I loved how I can freely express my mind to come up with creative ideas and sharing them with people who have the same interests as you.

Looking at Sony from the outside, the place seems like a great place to work: Casual dress code, ok benefits, ok hours, free swag. But beneath the gloss, you see how unhappy people are there. Both offices in New York and New Jersey have an open space work environment, meaning you work in a large room at a desk with little storage space, surrounded by other people all day long, so you have no privacy. They promote this as a "creative environment" but it's just a way of saving money by shoving as many people on a floor as possible and being able to keep an eye on everyone. The people who do have offices tend to be self-important air heads. The big chiefs are treated like GOD while everyone is as disposable as tissue paper. Not everyone is like this of course, but it appears to be rule rather than the exception. A typical day at work consists of attempting to do your job and making sure everyone knows how great you are. What I learned is that if you are not liked, you will not last, no matter how good your work is. Management, for the most part, is clueless and suffer from "Ground Hog Day" syndrome, meaning they seem to try to reinvent the wheel over and over every day. The hardest part of the job was trying to figure out if I was in good with the boss so I knew my job was secure. To my surprise, even after I went above and beyond my duties, I was let go. This is a good place to start out your career, but unless you look like a movie star (and act like one), you won't last long. While I was there, many departments turned over.

•	Responsible for creating, implementing and overseeing all marketing and promotional activities at all record retail accounts in the Northwest region of the United States.
 
•	Responsible for hiring, training and maintaining a regional staff 12 of marketing representatives, six independent college representatives and four branch office administrative assistants.

•	Responsible for maintaining regional budget for all promotional and marketing activities throughout the Northwestern region as set forth by label and distribution companies.

•	Responsible for all product presentations to local and regional retail managers, set-up of artist in-store appearances as well as directing on-site sales and artist meet & greet events at musical performances and concerts.

•	Responsible for maintaining regional budget for sales, marketing and media advertising for entire Northwestern region of the United States.
 
•	Duties included product presentations, new release solicitation, maintaining stock levels on all product lines through marketing, promotional and media advertising support.
 
•	Responsible for implementing and conducting marketing campaigns through local promotional activities based on radio airplay, overall sales and community demographics.

A typical day of work involves reading materials that have been submitted to me such as screenplays, television pilots, short stories, manuscripts and novels (fiction and non-fiction), and providing written and oral feedback. 

Days also include: telephone calls with clients and industry professionals such as agents, producers, studio, network and cable company executives with regard to packaging film and TV projects, matching the material to the appropriate talent and media outlet.

I'm managing assistants and interns and working with industry colleagues, including producers, agents, movie and television executives to attach actors and directors to material.

The most challenging part of my job is constantly figuring out ways to make projects stand out in a highly competitive marketplace. Constant networking and longstanding relationships in the entertainment industry keep me abreast of current trends, buying needs and emerging talent.

The most enjoyable part of my job is the discovery of new talent, helping writers make great strides in elevating their work, and connecting projects to actors, directors and production entities.

A typical day at work intials checking our ticketing system Salesforce for inquiries and requests that have come in. I handled email inquiries as well as new hire and offboarding(someone who has left the company) requests. I handled various application requests as well. They range from SAP, Hyperion, Citrix, CDS, Hummingbird etc. I learned to be more analytical and patient. As well as adpating to change quickly. There was never a dull moment at work. I enjoyed working with my cowokers because we worked as a team when there was any issues going on and had a good time doing it. My management was just as help. They were always there to answer questions as will as gudie me in troubleshooting and problem solving issues on my own with the skills I have. The hardest part of my job was the fact that there was no room for growth. The tasks pilled up and were learned, however, I was still at the same positon I started in. On the flipside, the most enjoyable part of work was knowing that once the day started, there was always something new to learn and work through. I enjoy my coworkers and team mindset that was displayed daily.

be prepared to be micromanaged obsessively, have little communication with your coworkers, and have continuous misunderstandings of what is expected and what needs to get done.  First, you're expected to work at two locations, which is fine, but one is the label and the other is a subsidiary that don't talk to each other. Second, you're constantly micromanaged to the extreme even to one point where I had a coworker walk by my desk seemingly just to look at the work I was doing on my computer just to sit at her desk in front of me and email me that I wasn't doing the right work and I needed to be doing something else, forgetting the fact I was doing what she asked me to do. Last, all departments are disjointed and communication is nonexistent so be prepared to be asked for info you don't have, provide info on things you're unaware of, and get blamed for things you should be doing or have that you had no idea were even a thing in the first place. 
Could be a good entry level position but not with the team that is there.

Would start the day making sure the president had a fresh bottle of water and make sure his computer was turned on. From there each day varied, I would catalogue his music library, send various reports, pick up anything needed to order for artists, interact with various labels. I learned to be respectful and grateful to everyone I worked with. In turn I was treated with a high amount of respect and would receive top priority any time I needed something for the president. Management was helpful, providing insight and assistance whenever I needed it. Workplace culture was diverse and fun as there were many different types of music going throughout the office. Hardest part of the job was the commute combined with long work hours. Hard to spend time with family/friends. Most enjoyable part of the job was the priority seating at concerts, free music, exclusive access to shows, and paid for lunch/dinner every day.

No two days are ever the same. Given all of the layoffs and corporate consolidation that has become the current state of the music industry, your hands touch a variety of issues on a day to day basis. 10 years ago, what used to employ a team of 5 people has now been cut down to a single person. The upside is that you get a lot of hands on experience. The downside is that you work your tail off - usually handling tasks that someone one or two pay grades/titles above you would have handled in prior years. (For example, I was handling Director level issues with an Administrative Assistant title and pay.)

One of the only things that makes this place bearable is the team of people I work with in my specific department.

I loved this job, working from home and talking about music all day. A typical day including making sales calls to out of town accounts, sending promo cds to accounts and visiting local retail accounts. I mostly met with store managers to secure orders, and create marketing plans and promotions due to their specific needs. Creating trust with clients is essential with sales, and my hands-on, face-to-face approach worked well. My co-workers were knowledgeable and eager to help, there was a strong sense of community among us that I throughly enjoyed. It can be difficult reaching sales goals in an industry that is struggling, but I enjoyed the challenge and learning from so many passionate people who have worked in music for so long. The stories I was told were incredible for a music buff like myself

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Associate director 10 salaries reported	$89,400 per year
Administrative assistant 1 salary reported	$40,000 per year
Director of finance 2 salaries reported	$110,000 per year
Manager 4 salaries reported	$81,250 per year
Director 4 salaries reported	$103,500 per year

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