10 species of ‘professionals’ you’ll encounter in the music industry
Just like any workplace, being a ‘professional’ within the Hard Dance industry allows you to enter a whole new world, where you find your place, find your friends and do your job. However, just like any workplace, there’s drama, cliques, bitching and all sorts of other stuff.
Being one big amalgamation of numerous different personalities, cultures and social tendencies, the music industry also has its obvious stereotypes that are apparent universally. And today, we’re going to run you through ten classic species of ‘professionals’ you’ll encounter behind-the-scenes.
#1 – The kiss ass
First up, we have the classic ass-kissing professional. This specific individual is the type of person who’s always looking to get ahead, and will sweet-talk and kiss any ass he or she sees. Typically displaying this behaviour online, they are the type of person to comment on, or like EVERYTHING. Need I say more? Not really… This type of person makes themselves very noticeable.
#2 – The overly involved girlfriend
Ah, gotta love an overly involved girlfriend, right? Although an artist may already have a fully-capable team of artists, this girlfriend just has to get involved too. Want to schedule an interview with an artist? Or want more information about a DJ’s schedule for the summer? Forget asking his manager, go straight for the girlfriend.
#3 – The annoying over-sharer/spammer
“Omg, cool things are coming up,” “Omg listen to my mixtape” or “Omg look at the pointless news article I wrote, hehe” are just a couple of one-liners the classic over-sharer tends to use. Unloading their thoughts and sentiments to Facebook’s news feed more violently than an alcohol-induced spew, these irksome individuals have a need to feel important. Plot twist: 99% of their ‘friends’ have ‘un-followed’ them.
#4 – Friendly, but totally fried
Characterised by an innate sense of cooked-ness, these fun-loving people inject a ton of life into the industry. Sporting pupils that are constantly dilated and a rapidly moving jaw, these MDMA-loving peeps are occasionally dubbed as ‘unprofessional,’ however they much prefer the term ‘seasoned party-goer.’ Power to you!
#5 – 24/7 worker and multi-tasker
This species of professional keeps the coffee industry alive and kicking. Oh, and their definition of sleep is a two hour powernap with their iPhone. Totally addicted to the job, the 24/7 worker has many obligations within the scene and surprisingly enough, they manage to stay alive and deliver quality work.
#6 – The snobby, overly ‘professional’ person
“Hey, nice to meet you I’m—” Yeah, don’t bother, because this person doesn’t give a f*ck. Talent signing to a label? They’ve heard it before. Too drunk in the artist lounge? From your drunken eyes, you’ll certainly catch a glimpse of their judgemental stare.
#7 – The drunk journalists
Next up, we have the best species of them all – the drunk journalists! Characterised by holding a glass of wine (or another alcoholic beverage) at all times, these spicy individuals enjoy roaming around at festivals and embarking on other bizarre adventures. One commendable aspect of the drunk journalist is that they speak the truth.
#8 – The ‘socialite’
The socialite, or renowned groupie is a key element of the dance music industry. He, or she, knows all of the artists and all of the professionals, however scarcely contributes to the general scene in any significance. At first glance, this species may seem rather annoying, however eight times out of ten they generally turn out to be rather pleasant humans.
#9 – The friendly person
Instead of engaging in online banter, this friendly species prefers to quietly kick-back and observe from afar. At festivals, they have a permanent smile on their face as they greet and socialise with colleagues. Known as the token ‘nice guy’ in the scene, this person tends to always focus on the positive, even when the industry blows up with drama.
#10 – Person who knows EVERYONE but nobody knows what their actual job is
They’re always backstage, have a noticeable online persona and regularly communicate with the artists, however nobody knows what their actual job title is. When asked, they spin a rather complicated answer that barely makes sense…
Alright, that’s a wrap! We hope that you enjoyed reading our descriptions about the typical professionals you’ll encounter in the music industry.