ACM is dedicated to preparing the next generation of musicians, producers, songwriters, technicians and music business executives for careers in music and the creative industries. We caught up with Andy Allen, who graduated from ACM in 2011 with a BA (Hons) Music Production, and is now the Marketing Manager for Audient, to find out how ACM helped prepare him for a career in the music industry!
Tell us a bit about your background and why you wanted to work in this industry?
I grew up on the band scene and like a lot of musicians I became interested in music production as I just wanted to be able to record song ideas or demos without having to go to a studio. I picked up a Tascam hard disk recorder with no idea how to use it and just went from there. I quickly fell in love with the process of recording artists and developing simple ideas into full scale multi-track productions, from then on I knew I wanted to be involved in the industry somehow. Once I reached a point where I felt I would benefit from being taught I signed up to ACM.
What have you been involved with since leaving ACM?
On leaving ACM I was busy hunting around for jobs and still not entirely sure what I wanted to, which I think is common occurrence for graduates all up and down the country. All I know is I wanted to be working in the music/creative industry as soon as possible so I started looking for job. I started off radio plugging in London which gave me a baptism of fire in how quickly the industry moves and just how hard people work. After doing that for a few months I realised I definitely wanted to focus more on the pro audio side of the industry again and I approached Audient, who I knew from the console ACM have, and offered to intern for them. 4 years later I’m still there except I’m now the Marketing Manager for the entire company.
How did your course prepare you for life in the music business world?
Looking back on my time at ACM I came to realise that the incorporation of the business modules in my course gave me confidence to look for roles in the business side of the industry. The diverse syllabus enabled me to graduate feeling like I had added a lot more strings to my bow apart from improving my production skills!
What are your aspirations for the future?
To keep working in the industry as I rarely have a day when I dread going to work so if I can continue in that vain I will be happy. My main aspiration is to continue developing as I think you should never stop learning, keep making music and working with great artists and to keep working on products that make musicians and producers lives easier!
Do you have any advice for those looking to get into the industry?
Network, make your own opportunities, work hard, don’t be scared to try something new and be yourself.
If you’d like to be a student at ACM and set yourself up for a successful career in the music industry, please call our Admissions Team on 01483 500 841 or visit www.acm.ac.uk/open-days/ to book a place on an ACM Open Day today.
