What does a Music Contractor do?
These musical matchmakers thrive in the space between industries, reaching across the divide to connect supply—seasoned musicians and conductors—with demand. In addition to connecting musicians with clients seeking musical talent, music contractors also act as liaisons between the musicians, the client, and the union. It's their job to ensure that the musicians they provide work under good conditions and receive fair pay.
At a Glance
It must be emphasized that this is a late-career position for a former professional musician who has worked in and around a specific industry for a long time. Music contractors build their local professional network—which is their primary product—out of a long list of peers and collaborators from their previous career. But while any working musician in Hollywood will likely encounter a music contractor at some time or another, there's a reason that few will enter this career themselves: There simply isn't enough work to support many music contractors in a single industry.
It's very rare for an individual to actively attempt to find work as a music contractor. It's these preexisting connections that music contractors use to do their job when they retire from playing music.
Hiring/casting; networking; instrumental performance; written and verbal communication; contract law; principles of film/TV scoring; knowledge of union standards
The product that music contractors sell is their connections. They not only need to know the best local musicians on every instrument, but also who among them is currently available for work, who works well together, who can't be in the same room, and who could fill in when someone gets sick.
Travel is minimal for music contractors, as most duties can be performed at a home office in Los Angeles or New York City. But like many freelance positions, this job comes with its fair share of unofficial job duties, such as constant networking at industry parties and events in order to stay on top of the scene.
