Creative
Artist
Songwriter
Producer
Composer
Viva Music · Future in Music
There is more than one way to build a career in music.
For most people, a career in music still means becoming an artist, singer, composer or producer.
But music is supported by an entire ecosystem of managers, A&R teams, publishers, marketers, promoters, booking agents, rights professionals, music supervisors, creative directors, technologists, entrepreneurs and many others.
Future in Music is a Viva Music initiative designed to make these pathways more visible, so people interested in music can understand where their own skills, interests and ambitions might fit.
But music is supported by an entire ecosystem of managers, A&R teams, publishers, marketers, promoters, booking agents, rights professionals, music supervisors, creative directors, technologists, entrepreneurs and many others.
Future in Music is a Viva Music initiative designed to make these pathways more visible, so people interested in music can understand where their own skills, interests and ambitions might fit.
Why Future in Music
You cannot aspire to a career you do not know exists.
Someone can spend years learning music and still know very little about the industry surrounding it.
We teach people how to sing, perform, play instruments, write songs and produce music. But far fewer young people are introduced to how artist management works, what A&R actually does, how concerts are produced, how publishing and rights work, how music is marketed, how songs reach films and advertising, how brands work with artists, or how technology is changing the business.
Many people discover these careers only after entering the industry by accident. Future in Music is built around a simple idea: career awareness should begin earlier.
Music needs far more than performers. The first step is making the ecosystem visible.
Career ecosystem
Where could you fit in the music industry?
Professional pathways are varied, connected and constantly evolving. Start with the areas that speak to your interests.
Artist & Career
Artist Management
A&R
Artist Development
Legal
Rights & Business
Publishing · Record Labels
Distribution · Rights Management
Sync
Audience
Music Marketing · PR
Content · Digital Strategy
Fan Development
Live
Booking · Promoters
Festivals · Touring
Venues · Production
Partnerships & Innovation
Brand Partnerships
Music for Film & Advertising
Gaming · Technology · Data
Entrepreneurship
These are only some of the pathways. Modern music careers increasingly sit at the intersection of several disciplines.
What can change
Career literacy should start before the career does.
Visibility
Make the full range of careers across music easier to discover. People cannot seriously consider pathways they have never been shown.
Understanding
Go beyond job titles to understand how artists, songs, companies, rights, audiences and live experiences connect.
Access
Bring young people closer to people already working inside the industry, with real experiences and real questions.
Direction
Help people identify where their abilities might create value—without telling them which career to choose.
First edition · Dubai
Future in Music:
Dubai Sessions
Two free small-group sessions for young people aged 14+ who want to understand the professional world around music. Explore the creative, business and live-music roles that support artists—and where your own interests might fit.
Date8th & 9th August 2026
Time10 AM to 11:30 AM
VenueSikka Houses, Al Shindagha, Dubai
Free to Attend • Limited Seats • Entry by Registration only
Register for Future in MusicThe first session is presented as part of The Cultural Economy Lab at SIKKA Houses under Dubai Culture’s Cultural Spaces Initiative.
First session
What to expect
Understanding the music industry
How does the global music industry actually work? Explore the people, companies and platforms involved in taking music from an idea to audiences.
Exploring your options
Discover professional pathways across both the creative and business sides of music, and what people in different areas actually do.
Finding your direction
The small-group format creates space for questions and discussion around possible directions relevant to each participant.
Thinking globally
Explore how digital platforms, global distribution, collaborations, live music and a connected industry create opportunities across markets.
Open industry conversation
Bring questions about careers, education, experience, opportunities, entering the industry and taking first professional steps.
Who it is for
Who is Future in Music for?
Future in Music is for people who are curious about building a professional relationship with music, even if they do not yet know what that career could look like.
For the first session, the primary audience is students and young people aged 14 and above. You may already make music. You may want to become an artist. You may be interested in the business side of the industry. Or you may simply know that music matters to you and want to understand what opportunities exist.
No prior knowledge of the music business is required. Curiosity is enough.
1:1 Career Discovery
Not sure where you fit in the music industry?
Understanding the opportunities across music is one thing. Working out which of those opportunities might make sense for you is much more personal.
Future in Music now offers focused 1:1 Career Discovery Sessions for people who want to explore where their interests, strengths, experience and ambitions could fit within the wider music ecosystem.
Whether you are interested in creative work, management, marketing, live events, publishing, A&R, partnerships, rights, technology, entrepreneurship—or simply do not know where to begin—the session is designed to help you understand the possibilities and identify useful directions to explore further.
Future in Music
1:1 Career Discovery Session
Introductory rateAED 9930 minutes
A focused individual conversation designed to help you understand where your skills and interests may fit within the music industry.
During the session, we can explore:
- Your interests, strengths and current experience
- Career areas across the music ecosystem that may be relevant to you
- What those roles actually involve
- Skills and experience worth developing
- Possible next steps for exploring those pathways
- Questions about entering or understanding the music industry
The session is exploratory and advisory in nature. It is designed to provide industry context and direction, not to guarantee employment, admissions, introductions or career outcomes.
Who is it for?
The 1:1 session may be useful if you:
- Are considering a career in music but are not sure where you fit
- Love music but do not necessarily want to become an artist
- Are choosing what to study or what skills to build
- Already make or work around music and want to understand adjacent opportunities
- Are trying to understand the business side of the industry
- Want a clearer starting point before taking your next step
For participants under 18, a parent or guardian should make the booking. Parents or guardians are welcome to join the session.
An ongoing initiative
What Future in Music can become
One session can introduce the possibilities. Building real career awareness requires repeated exposure over time. Future in Music is intended to grow through different formats that help people discover, understand and experience the music industry at different stages of their journey.
Career discovery sessions
Introductory sessions showing students the breadth of careers across music.
School & university programmes
Sessions with schools, universities, music institutes and career counsellors.
Industry professional conversations
Managers, publishers, marketers, agents, promoters, A&R professionals and others sharing what their jobs involve.
Career spotlights
Short digital content explaining roles, from A&R and artist management to music supervision and concert promotion.
Real career journeys
Conversations with professionals whose careers were not linear.
Industry visits & experiences
Exposure to studios, venues, festivals, labels, production environments and other real music workplaces.
Mentorship & office hours
Small-group or one-to-one opportunities for people beginning to explore a professional direction.
Resources for students & parents
Simple career maps, guides, videos and explainers that make music careers understandable.
Educator & counsellor engagement
Helping educators see careers across business, technology, law, marketing, media, events and entrepreneurship.
Regional & global editions
Future sessions can explore how music careers differ across Dubai, MENA and international markets.
For partners
Help make the industry more visible.
Future in Music can become more useful when educators and industry professionals participate in building that visibility. We would like to hear from:
- Schools, universities and music institutes
- Career counsellors and cultural organisations
- Music companies, labels, publishers and live music organisations
- Technology platforms, brands and agencies
- Music professionals willing to share their career journey
- Organisations interested in supporting or hosting future editions
Get involved
Start a conversation
Whether you are a student, parent, educator, industry professional or organisation interested in Future in Music, tell us how you would like to be involved.
There may be a place for your skills in music that you have not discovered yet.
Future in Music exists to help make those possibilities easier to see.
Viva Music
Future in Music is an initiative by Viva Music. Viva Music works at the intersection of music, culture and business across artist strategy and development, music marketing, live music, partnerships and industry initiatives.
Chat with Viva Music