Career Guides

A comprehensive range of music career advice, case studies, contacts and a series of valuable ‘how-to’ features, all designed to assist musicians in developing their career within the music industry.

Guidance packs

Finance

Getting Funding

Learn where to look for funding your music business and useful organisations that can help.

Marketing and Promotion

From maximising opportunities of your online presence to taking advantage of ‘word of mouth’ recommendations and offline marketing.

Working Relationships

How to work with agents, managers and other players in the music industry and what you need to look out for.

Freelance Musicians' Pack

Advice on managing your work as a freelance musician.

Guide to Auditioning

A guide to preparing for an audition.

Professional Growth and Creativity

Musicians' Wellbeing Pack

Latest career features

Utako Toyama singing and playing piano to a crowd, in front of a red curtain and flowers.

Utako Toyama for LGBT+ History Month: “Sharing Music from an LGBT+ Perspective Allows Others to Connect”

Utako is a multi-award-winning composer and MU member who promotes diversity, equality, and world peace through her music. In this guest blog, she discusses why visibility and allyship is important not just in the music industry, but for society as a whole.

Published: 17 February 2025

Musician Kat Browning holding a clarinet and smiling.

Katmuss for LGBT+ History Month: “The Community I Didn’t Know I Craved”

Katmuss, the resident bass clarinettist for Folk Clarinet Quartet, The Tradinettes, shares their experience of dealing with mental health issues and rediscovering a sense of community through the MU and its LGBT+ network.

Published: 10 February 2025

A musician singing into a microphone on stage.

ALIA for LGBT+ History Month: Representing Unity Within Diversity

In this blog for LGBT+ History Month, ALIA shares their experience as a queer independent musician and how the MU has supported their journey.

Published: 01 February 2025

Arowah on Meditation for Musicians

Award winning musician, composer and MU member, Arowah, shares how starting a meditation practice in Zen Buddhism transformed their music practice, and how self-compassion helps them navigate the challenges of working in the music industry.

Published: 28 January 2025

Black and grey image of two people, one holding a guitar case, walking up a hill together with a stormy sky above.

Exploring Your Self-Image Through Feldenkrais

'Self-image in movement' is the theme for January's MU Feldenkrais sessions, which are free and run exclusively for members. In this blog, professional musician and Feldenkrais teacher, Emma Alter, reflects on how the simple act of body scanning can help improve your self-image.

Published: 15 January 2025

Last chance to book

31 Jan 2025

Feldenkrais: Move Better, Feel Better, Perform Better

Free up your playing and singing using the Feldenkrais method, a sensory-motor learning system which looks at our mind and body holistically.

Online Member only

Last chance to book

Backstage view of a band performing in a large venue.

19 Feb 2025

Legal Webinar: Living it Live

In this one-hour webinar for MU members in Scotland, leading Scottish Law Firm Harper Macleod will discuss the key legal considerations for putting on live music.

Online, Zoom

Last chance to book

A young plant sprouting on cracked dry soil, symbolising resilience.

20 Feb 2025

Creative Resilience

This online, two-hour session is for anyone in the creative industries who is interested in developing their understanding of psychological and physical resilience and applying this to their day-to-day life.

Online

This is not a hobby - it's our profession

No-one should feel guilty about turning down unpaid “opportunities". Have you been asked to work for no fee?

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This is not a hobby - it's our profession

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Popular searches

Career Guides

Guidance packs

Getting Funding

Marketing and Promotion

Working Relationships

Freelance Musicians' Pack

Guide to Auditioning

Professional Growth and Creativity

Musicians' Wellbeing Pack

Latest career features

Utako Toyama for LGBT+ History Month: “Sharing Music from an LGBT+ Perspective Allows Others to Connect”

Katmuss for LGBT+ History Month: “The Community I Didn’t Know I Craved”

ALIA for LGBT+ History Month: Representing Unity Within Diversity

Arowah on Meditation for Musicians

Exploring Your Self-Image Through Feldenkrais

Upcoming events

Last chance to book

Feldenkrais: Move Better, Feel Better, Perform Better

Last chance to book

Legal Webinar: Living it Live

Last chance to book

Creative Resilience

This is not a hobby - it's our profession