This is a guest post by Lauren Berger aka “The Intern Queen.”
In the music world – great labels can be few and far between – Universal Music Group remains on top. UMG (Universal Music Group) consists of: Interscope Records, A&M Records, Geffen Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, MCA Nashville, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Universal Records, Universal Records South, Verve Music Group, Decca Label Group, Universal Music Latino, Machete Music and Universal Music Enterprises. Internships at UMG are offered for Fall, Spring, and Summer Semesters and are only for students currently enrolled in a college/university. The subsidiaries of UMG offering internships include Interscope Geffen A&M and Island Def Jam Music Group. The Los Angeles and New York offices are still looking for fall interns for the Fall 2008 semester.
What do Gwen Stefani, Pussycat Dolls, Chris Cornell, Clique Girlz, Robin Thicke, TV on the Radio, and New Kids on the Block all have in common? They’d all sound great on a new iPod Touch that you won from One Day, One Internship. They’re also all represented by the Interscope/Universal Music Group Label – and yes, a Fall internship with this company IS a possibility. Interns at Universal Music Group are needed in a variety of departments like A&R, Marketing, Publicity, Creative Services, Human Resources, etc. For a complete listing of all the departments currently needing an intern visit http://www.quarterlife.com/internship/details/232. This internship provides students with an insider’s look at how a music label runs. Students learn how these special artists’s material is made accessible to audiences around the world. Universal Music Group is the LARGEST Music Label in the World – that’s right – the World. Talk about an impressive listing to have on your resume !
To apply for an internship with Universal Music Group and/or any of their subsidiaries, please visit http://www.quarterlife.com/internship/details/232 and email your resume to me at internqueen@quarterlife.com. The subject line will automatically read “Universal Music Group”. If you interested in a specific department – please specify that with a little note to me on the top of the email before you copy/paste your resume. UMG will notify you directly via email and/or phone if they want to proceed with a phone or in-person interview. UMG interviews all of their candidates before offering any internship positions. You must live or be able to commute to the Los Angeles or New York area for this opportunity. UMG does not accept highschool interns – so you must be currently enrolled in a college/university to be considered.
Commitment and availability are key for an internship at a busy company like this one. Before you do a phone or in-person interview take a good look at your schedule for the semester. Have a good block of time set out for at least 2-3 days per week that you could be available to intern. You want to make your availability as clear as possible to manage your internship coordinators expectations. If you make them feel like you can work every day and then you look at your schedule and realize you can’t – you could definitely be wasting their time. Also, with large companies they need to be able to rely heavily on their interns. Make sure that you think about the time commitment before sending in your resume. In this case, Universal Music Group asks that students contribute 10-20 hours per week. If that isn’t possible for you – then do not apply. The worst thing you can do is commit to an internship and then have to leave because you didn’t realize the hours that you would need to put in.
Before going in for an interview take a look at the many different websites under the Universal Music Group umbrella. You should also select a few “favorite artists” that you can bring up in your meetings. Also see if any of them had recent albums or press that you could ask or speak about in your interview. This shows an interest or passion in their company.
Lauren Berger is known as “The Intern Queen” after completing 15 internships during her 4 years of college. Lauren has interned at companies like FOX, NBC, MTV, BWR, etc. Lauren Berger launched www.quarterlife.com/intern in August of 2008. The site lists over 300 Internships in the Entertainment/Web/Marketing/Sports/PR worlds. You can reach her at internqueen@quarterlife.com
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Tags: California, design, human resources, Internships, marketing, music, New York, unpaid
Hello! My name is Maya J. Williams, and I’m a sophomore at Spelman College. I am extremely interested in interning with Universal Music Group!! I am so happy that you (Lauren) created this website, because it serves as a guide to how to become a better and more potential candidate as an intern. I hope I get to speak with you personally and to also get more tips on how to receive a position as an intern with Universal Music Group for the Summer of 2009.
By Doing an internship will it help me get the job I want in the music industy?…please email me Kassman2006@yahoo.com
Hello, thank you for posting this site (lauren)this really helped me get a better understanding about what I want to do with my career.I absoulty love music and I am so enthused to learn more about the music industry. I want to be an intern at a record lable so I can gain more knowledge aswell as getting hands on experience please email me if you know of any oppurtunites that are open Summer 2009. This is what I have my heart set out to do, Universal consists of great record lables and I will do what ever it takes to move foward. thank you for your time and information
hello, my name sylla oumar and i’m a french student and i’m very interested in interning with Universal Music Group but i don’t know how can i do to apply.
Thank you so much for all this information! I really want to intern at Universal based in Los Angeles because I want to learn so much more about music production and I live in the area. When they say they want interns to be enrolled in college or university, is community college fine?
I’m willing to do whatever it takes for me to get this internship now and I’d love to learn more about it! please email me back! i have so many questions about it
I am looking for an internship at a label. I know Universal only takes interns that are in school. I am done with college and looking is there any other way.
Thanks for posting this info! I am a rising junior in college very interested in an Interscope internship. I was wondering how early Universal accepts applications for the following summer (2010), and how soon they notify recipients of their status. Also what else is involved in the application process? Is it just a cover letter/resume or are there essays or recommendations required as well? Thanks so much!
Hi Ms. Berger,
Thanks so much for posting this site. Great help.
I, too, am extremely interested for an internship in the summer of 2010. Please let me know if you have tips on the best way to pursue this goal.
Thanks,
-Zach
I just recently went on an interview about a month ago for an internship with Universal Music Group for the Fall. I am a college student, I have had a few internships and I have been offered a few from Major labels as well. I will be interning in the Fall in LA, I recieved the position. For any interested people, the best advice I can say is keep faith & always apply & try to have other internships on your resume for experience before you go for the big one. Make sure you always apply,ive applied over 100 times to different labels and have went on about 7 interviews.
Thanks
I am very much interested in interning Universal sometime in 2010. I was wanting to know if there was any way you could help me with the process? Thank you.
Hey! I stumbled on this website while researching all the different record companies and their websites. I am very interested in interning at UMG in the fall of 2010 and I am nervous about the whole thing. My school is VERY particular with the way internships are set up and insist on being the point person with the internship site. Since you have had several internships, what is the best way to get the internships I want when my school only offers ones they have contacts in. Should I tell them about this website? and how you can get me an interview? Please respond at your earliest convenience, thanks!
Worried senior,
Carrolee M.