These days, it may seem triple j unearthed is all you need to launch yourself into the music industry, though it couldn’t be more complicated. Beyond managing your own band there is a myriad of other roles in the industry to get involved in, particularly for those less musically talented. The music business course at Oxygen College is a chance for you to learn the ropes of the industry whether you’re wanting to start your own successful band, look after someone else’s or simply work in a career surrounded by music. We had a chat with Tim Hulsman, who will be delivering you the insider tips and industry knowledge during the course.
Hey Tim, please introduce yourself on behalf of the college and let us know about your position there.
I’m Tim Hulsman, I work part-time at Oxygen College as one of three teachers in the Diploma of Music Business. I’m also a hard working musician, event manager and father. I’m fortunate to be teaching in an area I’m so passionate about, as well as organising “real industry” excursions and guiding the running of several events throughout the year with the events team created in my class.
For those unaware, can you please explain a bit about the college and what it offers for Geelong?
Oxygen College is a hive of activity and education within the broad heading of the creative arts. It delivers high quality courses in music performance, music business, electronic music, sound production, photography, videography and painting and drawing. The facilities are world class.
You are currently taking in students for the Diploma in Music Business, tell us about the general elements of the course?
We introduce learners to a clear map of the music industry and show them the many different pathways they could choose to develop a sustainable career within it. Skills are built along the way in all areas of entertainment management, marketing and business, as we foster each individual to find their direction and build a plan to bridge out into the world. It’s very comprehensive.
Working in the music industry is a unique career path, who would you suggest this course is suited too?
Those who are passionate about making music their life, including artists who want to push their career to the next level. The list of possible outcomes is expansive. The music industry turns over $60 billion annually, so it’s a huge industry to become involved in.
What sorts of things are covered in the diploma?
We cover everything from writing a bio through to creating a rock solid business plan, managing yourself or other artists, releasing albums, touring, publicity, marketing, getting a publishing deal, protecting your copyright and how to keep up to date with the ever changing world of social media and digital marketing technology. Much more than that is brought to the table by me and the other two teachers, Zak and Nina. We all have huge amounts of experience in the music industry to share with our learners, and we enjoy going off on tangents with the class to explore the questions they have and ensure that the learning is fully assimilated.
Tell us about the real industry experience that one can gain doing the course. We have heard the internships are great!
There are a few special internship opportunities offered over the course of the year, and they are changing all the time. Last year two students did internships with top music publicist, Annie Johnsson, and she employed one of them after graduation. We also run “Industry Bootcamps”, where we go out into the actual industry for a day each term to meet inspirational people, see their facilities and get a taste for what it’s really like to have a career in the music industry. Guest speakers also come to the college and talk to the students, answer their questions and tell loads of great stories about life in their chosen field. On top of all that, we organise our own events in real venues with proper band line ups and the real risk of failure or thrill of success. We start small and build up over the year to bigger and more complex events. Students are also given the opportunity to manage real bands and tour with them if they choose to.
When the students leave the course, with their Diploma in hand what sorts of work will they be ready for?
Graduates could potentially enter the industry as:
·A Self Managed Artist
·An Artist/Band Manager
·A Booking Agent
·Tour Manager
·Venue Manager
·Event Producer/Manager (or be a valuable member of any events team for festivals etc)
·Studio Manager
·Publicist
·Label Manager
·Music Journalist
We have heard of a few success stories about the course and employment, do you think employment opportunities are good for those who complete the course?
Employment opportunities are good for those who approach the course (and life) with a positive, can-do attitude and with the passion and drive required to survive in a very tough industry. This industry is not for the faint hearted…but it’s incredibly rewarding when you get it right.
If someone is sitting there now, drinking a coffee looking for a career change, is into music management/entertainment industry and maybe didn’t get into their first course choice with the recent uni intake, what would you say to them in order to make them come down for a meeting at the college?
Spend the next 10 months empowering yourself with us and save yourself years of mistakes. Drop in to the college and we’ll give you a tour. There are a few spots left for this year, so here is a rare opportunity waiting for you to jump on. Right now.
Can you give us all the general info, dates and anything else we need to know?
Term 1 starts on Feb 15, so there is a small window of time left to get in there.
If you’d like to make the steps towards starting your career in the music industry, get in contact with Oxygen College by calling 1300 195 303 or visiting http://www.oxygencollege.com.au/.
