Take as many classes as you can. Knowledge is critical to surviving and thriving in the music industry. According to the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association, more than 150 colleges now offer bachelor's degree programs in the music industry, and roughly a dozen more host some kind of student-run record label. These programs offer an ideal introduction to how the industry works, so take advantage of them while you are an undergraduate.
Do not limit yourself to one particular area or specialty. True executive producers, like Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, immerse themselves in every aspect of the music industry. In particular, learn the basics of engineering, recording and songwriting, because you may well have to walk young bands through their latest project's paces. There is no substitute for getting your hands dirty.
Build on the connections that you make in classes and in live shows and rehearsals, if you play in a band. Keep a PowerBook or text message list of all relevant contacts and make a point of regularly updating it. Send periodic ecards, jokes or other light communications to cement relationships, and keep your name in front of other people who can help your career.
Secure an internship--preferably with a record label, though management companies and publicity firms are acceptable secondary choices--after graduation. Do not wait to capitalize, either; your junior year is not too early to start thinking about where you want to end up, and what you want to do.
Use the contacts you build from your internship to look for a record label job. You most likely will work for an independent; getting major labels to hire you sight unseen is rare without a higher level of connections that will take a little longer to build. The important thing is to find a platform to develop your skills. Unlike an internship, it is your living--not your grades--that is at stake.
Expect to start from the bottom, handling basics tasks like entering track lists and other pertinent details into databases, for example, or proofreading artwork for an upcoming album. Learn something from each task, no matter how small; your bosses will likely use this as a measurement of your ability to follow directions or execute simple tasks.
Set yourself apart. The mass layoffs and mergers that characterized record label politics during the late 1990s, and much of the following decade, created a status quo of permanent understaffing, so there is always work for idle hands. However, do not work long hours for the sake of it. Always keep an eye on career prospects--as future mogul David Geffen did by trading on the information that he gained during his first mail room job, for example.
Start thinking about specialties you want to handle, which becomes easier assuming your first or second label job turns out to be a long-term proposition. Production is generally considered one of the better assignments but requires you to interact with all the major players from sales to marketing and publicity departments. If logistics is not your specialty, look into a different area.
Learn about the music industry's business side from basic accounting functions to dealing with orders and inventory--in short, making sure that enough copies of an attention-getting release are available to those who want them. The more you learn about these tasks, the more adept you become, and the closer you get to your executive production goals.
Never miss the chance to sharpen your communications skills--which will come in handy for numerous purposes--from editing artists' biographies, for example, to preparing one-page sales sheets aimed at convincing retailers to stock a particular release. Style is typically the deciding factor in promotions, so make a point of understanding how it works in your particular arena.
Ask questions if you do not understand the rationale behind a particular project. Instead of asking how do you do this, ask your co-workers, why are we doing it this way. The answers you get will not only boost your knowledge but possibly save you from ethical and legal headaches later.