For many people working for companies like Ableton, Native Instruments, Bandcamp is a dream job—being part of a team that helps musicians make their art while still making a decent salary. 

 In this article, I will explore a few opportunities for wannabes to build a career in the music tech space. We will dive into the roles you can start with, what each role entails, and the skills you’ll need to land a job at leading companies. Please note that this article does not contain an exhaustive list of roles you can find on the market as there is not enough space in one article. Also, most companies have their unique product development practices where roles and responsibilities are adapted to those processes so they can vary greatly from between organisations. 

Before we jump to those roles let us talk briefly about how the industry is structured. It has undergone significant transformation over the last 30 years with the arrival of digital tools. While traditional roles like musicians, producers, and sound engineers still dominate the field, technology now plays a significant role in every aspect of music – from composing through production to distribution and marketing. The industry has also seen a democratization of music creation, where independent artists have more power than ever before to create and distribute their music directly to their fans. 

Pic 1 -Superbooth 2024 in Berlin (own pictures)

Key segments of the modern music tech and audio industry include: 

• Music Creation and Production: Software like Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools has become the core of every studio – both professional and home. Additionally, hardware and software synthesizers, virtual instruments, and plugins have enabled home studios to produce high-quality music. Together with traditional instruments and recording equipment from companies like Shure or Georg Neumann they form the ecosystem. 

• Music Distribution: Platforms like Bandcamp, SoundCloud, and Spotify allow musicians to share their music directly with global audiences. These platforms allow for more control and a direct relationship between artists and their fans without a major label involved.  

• Music Performance: Live streaming platforms such as Twitch and YouTube Live have made it easier for musicians to perform live virtually, offering new ways to engage with audiences. But in the performance domain we still have traditional pro audio equipment with consoles, connectivity and speaker systems from companies like Avid, d&b Audiotechnik, L-Acoustics, DiGiCo or Audinate.  Sound systems are still one of the largest segment of the audio market.

• Music Licensing and Publishing: Companies like Songtradr and working to simplify the licensing process, enabling artists to monetize their music through TV, film, ads, and more.  

1. Customer Support Specialist 

 What You’ll Do: 
Customer support specialists are the backbone of user experience, helping musicians with product inquiries, technical issues, and troubleshooting. You might work on resolving installation issues or guiding users through advanced features of music production software. It can be a great entry role for someone who has no business experience.  

 Skills to Learn: 

• Audio Product knowledge (Ableton Live, ProTools, Cubase, etc.). 
• Strong communication, language and problem-solving abilities. 
• Customer service tools and platforms like Zendesk, Jira Service Management. 

How to Start: 
If you are a musician or mixing engineer, your natural path could be to look for a job in the company that tools you use e.g. if you mix in ProTools check opportunities in Avid. If you are new to music production and distribution tools, you should learn the ins and outs of the product, as well as getting familiar with customer service tools and platforms like Zendesk, Jira Service Management. 

Pic 2 – IT Support team (by Annie Spratt)

2. Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer/Tester 

What You’ll Do:
QA engineers test the functionality and performance of products, ensuring that the software and hardware meet the company’s standards before they’re released to the public. This role involves identifying bugs, testing new features, and collaborating with developers to improve user experience. 

 Skills to Learn: 

• Understanding of audio production software and devices. 
• Attention to detail and analytical thinking. 
• Testing frameworks like ITSQB so you can learn what the types of testing, how to write and execute a test cases etc. 
• Basic coding knowledge (Python, JavaScript) and familiarity with test automation tools. 

How to Start:

If you have a background in software engineering or computer science, this is a great entry-level position. It is a great entry point for non-technical music producers who know the specific products inside-out. 

3. Project Manager

What You’ll Do:
Project managers oversee the development and release of new products or features. Whether it’s a new plugin, a DAW update, or a new feature in the streaming platform, project managers coordinate timelines, and resources involved. 

Skills to Learn: 

• Organizational and leadership skills 
• Familiarity with agile methodologies and project management tools (Jira, Asana). 
• Knowledge of company’s products  

 How to Start: 

It can be a great role for someone who wants to transfer from other industries and already has some business experience.  You can also pursue certifications like PMP (Project Management Professional) or Agile (e.g. PSPO). It is also a great next step from working in Customer Support or QA.

Sound Designer

What You’ll Do:
As a Sound Designer in the music and audio industry, you’ll create unique sounds, textures, and sonic experiences for virtual instruments, synthesizers, sample libraries, video games, film, and music production. This involves crafting presets, recording and manipulating audio, designing custom effects, and ensuring sounds fit a creative or technical vision. You’ll work closely with virtual instrument developers, game audio teams, composers, and software engineers to bring immersive and expressive sounds to life. 

Skills to Learn: 

• Synthesis & Sound Creation – Mastering subtractive, FM, wavetable, granular, and physical modeling synthesis to craft new sounds.  
• Sampling & Field Recording – Capturing and editing real-world sounds for use in virtual instruments or sound effects.  
• Audio Processing & Effects – Using EQ, compression, reverb, delay, and distortion to shape and enhance sounds.  
• MIDI & Expressive Control – Designing sounds that respond dynamically to velocity, aftertouch, MPE, and modulation. 
• Editing & Layering – Combining multiple sound sources to create rich, layered patches.
• Plugin & DAW Integration – Understanding how sounds are implemented in software like Kontakt, Omnisphere, and DAWs like Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or Cubase. 

How to Start: 

It is a perfect path for a professional musicians. Many Sound Designers begin as musicians, producers, or engineers before specializing in sound creation. To get started: 

• Experiment with sound design – Reverse-engineer presets in synths like Serum, Massive, or Diva. 
• Build a sample library – Record and edit unique sounds, then organize them into a usable collection. 
• Learn industry tools – Gain proficiency in synths, samplers, and sound design software like Kontakt, Falcon, and Reaktor. 
• Create a portfolio – Develop a set of presets, sample packs, or soundscapes to showcase your work. 
• Engage with the industry – Follow sound design influencers (e.g. my favourite Dom Sigalas), join communities (KVR Audio, VI-Control), and attend trade shows like NAMM or Superbooth. 

1. Product Manager 

 What You’ll Do: 

Product manager is a senior role. PM defines the vision for a product, working closely with designers, engineers, and marketing teams to bring ideas to life. They gather feedback from users and ensure that new features meet the needs of the target audience. They are also responsible for the financial success of the product.  

Skills to Learn: 

• Understanding of user needs and the ability to translate them into product features. 
• Strong communication skills 
• Knowledge of the product development lifecycle and Product Management frameworks and tools (e.g. Lean Startup, Product Discovery, Design Thinking) 
• Knowledge tools like Roadmaps, PnL and software like Jira, ProductBoard etc. 
• Deep understanding of music industry 

How to Start:  

Many product managers start in technical or marketing roles. Familiarize yourself with the product development process, consider a certified PM course like NPDP, Pragmatic or our Introduction to Audio Product Management.

If you are a product manager in another industry, you are well positioned to transfer to this role, but you need to gain knowledge about the market by going to trade fairs like NAMM show, watching industry YouTube channels. Working on your own music productions can help a lot too as you will learn your customer challenges first-hand.  

 2. Product Designer

 What You’ll Do: 

As a UX Designer in the audio and music industry, you’ll design intuitive and engaging experiences for software, hardware platforms used by musicians, producers, and engineers. This includes DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations), plugins, synthesizers, music production apps, streaming services, and hardware interfaces. You will work closely with product managers, sound designers, and developers to ensure that designed tools are not only powerful but also easy and enjoyable to use. 

 Skills to Learn: 

• User Research– conducting interviews, and usability testing. 
• Knowledge of Audio & Music Production Tool – Understanding MIDI, synthesis, mixing, and mastering concepts to design user-friendly interfaces.  
• Information Architecture & Navigation – Structuring menus, presets, and controls to enhance workflow.  
• Interaction & Motion Design – Creating smooth and intuitive user interactions for virtual instruments, effects, and hardware controls.  
• Collaboration with Developers & Sound Designers – Communicating effectively with engineers and audio teams to implement designs seamlessly. 

 How to Start: 

If you are new to Product Design you must learn UX fundamentals first – take courses on UX/UI design, interaction design, and usability and learn how to use Figma. If you are not new to UX, get hands-on with music tools – use and analyze DAWs (Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio), plugins (Waves, Native Instruments, Arturia), and music apps to understand user needs. Then build a portfolio – redesign an existing music software UI, create a case study on improving a workflow, or design your own concept of a music app. 

Pic 3 – inteface of iZotope Ozone

3. Product Marketing Manager 

What You’ll Do: 

Product marketing managers craft strategies for promoting products to musicians and producers. You’ll be responsible for identifying target audiences, creating campaigns, and ensuring that the product resonates with its users. 

 Skills to Learn: 

• Marketing strategies, particularly for tech and creative products. 
• Social media marketing, content creation, and analytics. 
• Knowledge of the music tech space and its trends. 
• GoToMarket planning  

How to Start: 

A background in marketing or communications is helpful, but gaining insight into the music tech industry can give you an edge. Like in the case of PM – go to trade fairs like NAMM show, watch industry YouTube channels and read industry portals like Sound on Sound. 

As mentioned earlier, above list is not exhaustive: there are other roles like SCRUM Masters, Product Owners, Customer Success Managers and of course Engineers but there is not enough space in one article to cover them all. We will keep exploring them in the next articles.  

Once you’ve gained experience in any of these roles, you may want to get into leadership positions, such as: 

• Lead Engineer for technical roles. 
• Senior Program Manager for project roles. 
• Head of Product or Chief Product Officer for product positions. 
• Lead Designer or Head of Design for UX roles.  
• VP of Marketing or Global Head of Brand for marketing roles.  

Be careful though, the leadership roles are not for everyone. At this level, you are involved in the strategic planning, investments and finance and there can be a lot of pressure from investors or owners.  

Pic 4 – one of our latest webinars with Simon Cross, Chief Product Officer at Native Instruments  

Building a career in MusicTech can provide stability of working in tech sector while you still are around musicians and moreover, you can build tools that can help musicians succeed.   

 If you would like to learn more about how industry works you can join our free webinar with music tech veterans sharing their experience or join one of our audio product courses.  

Thank you for your attention and good luck!