Rachel Tong

ME:
Hello, I am a strategic design and management student at parsons school of design, minoring in communication design. I am graduating spring of 2029, and hope to go into the music industry as a creative in the marketing department. To prepare, I plan on creating a website with mock marketing campaigns, and showcase my designs/ photography. Can you help me strategize more about my future?

ChatGPT:
Absolutely. Since you have until Spring 2029, you have a great amount of time to build a portfolio that specifically positions you for creative marketing in the music industry.
Your Goal: Creative/Marketing roles in music — especially artist marketing, campaign strategy, creative direction, and visual branding.

Your Roadmap:
2026–27 → Build Your Foundation; Create your personal portfolio website. Develop 3–5 mock music campaigns for real or fictional artists. Practice campaign strategy, art direction, photography, social media, and branding. Start building your personal brand/content presence. Learn industry-standard tools: Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and basic analytics.
2027–28 → Gain Real Experience; Apply for music internships at labels, agencies, publishers, management companies, and artist teams. Take on freelance/student projects related to music. Network with artists, photographers, designers, and music professionals. Turn real projects into portfolio case studies.
2028–29 → Position Yourself for Employment; Refine your portfolio around music + creative marketing. Have 5–8 strong case studies rather than dozens of smaller projects. Build relationships with people in the industry before graduation. Apply for internships, entry-level roles, and creative/marketing positions.

Your Website Could Have:

Your Biggest Differentiator:
Don't just show that you can make things look good. Show that you understand why something should look that way and how it supports an artist's identity, audience, and marketing goals. That combination of strategy + design + music culture can become the core of your portfolio.

ME:
In the music industry, what do employers look at when I submit my website portfolio?

ChatGPT:
When music-industry employers look at a portfolio, they’re generally trying to answer: “Can this person contribute creatively to an artist/campaign, and do they understand the audience?”

What They Look For:

For Your Portfolio:
Because you're studying Strategic Design & Management + Communication Design, I'd lean heavily into the combination of: Strategy → Concept → Visual Identity → Campaign → Execution. For example, instead of simply showing an album cover: “I designed an album cover for X.”
Show: Artist problem → Target audience → Campaign concept → Visual direction → Social rollout → Final assets → Expected outcome
That makes you look less like someone who can only design and more like someone who can think like a creative marketer.

One Important Thing:
Your portfolio doesn't need to be entirely real music-industry work yet. Strong, thoughtfully developed speculative campaigns can demonstrate your abilities while you're still a student. Your goal by graduation should be for someone to visit your website and immediately understand: “She knows music, she understands marketing, and she can execute the creative.”

ME:
what is some advice you could give me as someone who is not really majoring in something specific enough for the career path I want to pursue?

ChatGPT:
Honestly, I wouldn't see your major as a disadvantage. Strategic Design & Management + Communication Design can actually give you a useful combination for music marketing—you just need to make your portfolio more specific than your degree is.
  1. Let your portfolio specialize for you; Your degree can say “Strategic Design & Management.” Your portfolio should say: “I am a creative marketer focused on music, artists, and entertainment.” Your specialization comes from the work you choose to show.
  2. Build your own “music curriculum”. Use college projects to intentionally develop music-industry skills:

    3. You don't need every project to be music-related, but a significant portion should be.
  3. Don't abandon your strategic background; This could actually become your advantage. Someone with only a design background might create beautiful visuals. You can demonstrate: “Research → Strategy → Creative Concept → Design → Marketing Execution” That's extremely relevant to creative marketing.
  4. Start getting music experience early; Don't wait until senior year. Look for:
    • Music internships
    • Student organizations Independent artists who need creative help
    • Local venues
    • Record labels
    • Artist management companies
    • Music festivals/events
    • Photography opportunities

    Even small projects can eventually become real portfolio case studies.
    5. Develop a recognizable creative identity; By 2029, you want your work to have a common thread. For example: Music + culture + visual storytelling + strategic marketing. That becomes your professional identity—even if your degree title doesn't explicitly say "Music Marketing."
  5. Think of college as your opportunity to experiment; You have almost three years until graduation. You don't need to have everything figured out right now. Your job over the next few years is to gradually answer: “What kind of creative do I want to be in the music industry?” Your portfolio should evolve as you figure that out.