Job Vacancies & Internships » London

Full-Time Staff Positions

2009-01-08

International Label Manager for Independent Label Group

Application deadline: 30th January 2009.

Based at our North London (N22) office.

Southern represents a group of independent record labels in Europe. Coordination of manufacturing, distribution, marketing, promotion and touring are our primary activities. We are seeking a unique individual to join the Labels team in our north London office.

The role requires a dynamic, highly motivated extrovert with exceptional organisational skills and a passion for independent ethics within the music industry. This is a key role within Team Southern and reports directly to the Managing Director.

Southern has a broad spectrum of distribution partners in Europe - ranging from the largest national distribution companies to the smallest specialist mail-order companies. The responsibilities of this role include working with our existing distribution partners to set up new release campaigns, devising and implementing back catalogue programmes, and supervision of all marketing and promotion activities in Europe. You will motivate our partners to do their best work for our bands, educate them about our new artists, coordinate retail marketing programmes, set sales targets, prepare sales literature and oversee shipping schedules to ensure our titles reach the right stores at the right time. Additionally you will be working on researching new distribution partners and expanding our network. You will also be required to represent Southern at trade fairs and by visiting distributors at their offices.

In addition to the specific responsibilities of this job, all prospective candidates should be interested in contributing to the general teamwork - for example, getting involved with projects we release on our label, finding new bands/labels to work with, helping devise company-wide creative strategies and achieving our goals.

Essential skills and attributes are:

  • Minimum two years experience working in a music-related sales, marketing, or promotions environment.
  • Passionate interest and knowledge of the bands/labels Southern represents.
  • Exceptional creative writing skills - including grammar and spelling (without a spell checker!).
  • Outgoing personality with a great sense of humour and a strong work ethic.
  • Excellent telephone manner.
  • Outstanding verbal communication skills.
  • Native or very fluent English language skills.
  • Strong computer skills (Mac OS X or Linux): spreadsheets, word processing, WYSIWYG, Internet research, and text-based applications.

Desirable skills and attributes would include:

  • European languages, in particular French and Italian, would be an advantage.
  • Strong commitment and motivation to work for an independent label group.
  • Desire to participate and contribute to a strong team environment.

Other requirements:

  • Available to attend gigs evenings/weekends (on average five per month).
  • Willingness to travel to Europe occasionally to visit our partners.
  • Confirmable references from employers comprising a total of at least five years work history.

Additionally we would advise applicants of the following:

  • UK residency is a requirement.
  • If you are not currently resident in the UK, you must have the legal right to work and reside in the UK, be able to attend an interview at your own expense, and be available to relocate immediately, also at your own expense.

We are looking for someone with some relevant work experience, and who is able to demonstrate the skills and qualities outlined above, in their application and throughout the interview process.

We will be accepting applications and conducting interviews until a suitable candidate is found. To apply please send the following:

  1. CV
  2. Covering letter which outlines:
    1. Your level of knowledge of Southern's bands/labels
    2. Why you believe you possess the qualities necessary for this job
    3. Availability (date you can start or notice period at current job)
    4. Salary expectations

Applications that do not address four of the points above will not be considered for interview.

Applications may be sent via the following methods:

  • by fax to the attention of Ms Schnackenberg on 020 8888 6166
  • by email to ad7ff55[at]southern.com

Thank you!

2009-01-08

Warehouse Team Member (Part-Time)

Application deadline: 30th January 2009.

Based at our North London (N8) warehouse.

16-24 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

Salary: £6 per hour. 30 days holiday per annum (pro-rated).

We are looking for someone to take a responsible role within a team of three looking after the running of our busy warehouse. The role involves control of goods coming in from labels and manufacturers, orders out to distributors, bands and mail-order customers, stock maintenance, and administrative paperwork. A considerable amount of physical work, particularly lifting, is required.

We are looking for someone who is:

  • Reliable, responsible and able to take sole responsibility for specific aspects of our warehouse workload.
  • Interested in working for an independent label group.
  • Highly organised and numerate.
  • Physically fit and able to undertake lifting and other physically demanding tasks.
  • Computer literate -- familiarity with invoicing and stock control programs would be an advantage.
  • Resident in the UK at the time of application.

To apply please send your CV and a covering letter detailing when you are available to start work.

Applications may be sent via the following methods:

by fax to the attention of Ms Schnackenberg on 0208 888 6166

by email to ad7ff55t[at]southern.com

via Post to

Warehouse Assistant Job
Southern Records
PO Box 59
London N22 1AR

Other Vacancies

2008-10-16

Southern Records Tech Internship Position Available (Unpaid)

We are currently accepting applications for internships starting in January, February and March. This dates are somewhat flexible. We run continuous internship placements, so if you are interested in a placement next year we are also willing to accept early applications now.

Southern Records deals in nearly all areas of the music business, from its record label operations to its exclusive distribution deals with labels in Britain, Europe and North America. It also runs a recording studio and has its own IT department which is responsible for running a 50+ node network across several companies, a venerable enterprise-wide proprietary business application suite, a web site, a web shop, an IT consultancy and a distribution framework for our rapidly-expanding digital distribution business.

Broadly speaking, our requirements are (although we maintain flexibility depending on the candidate's availability and requirements):

The objective of our internships are twofold: the intern gets some valuable experience working in the IT department of an independent music business, under the guidance of our technical team, and we get the benefit of having you contribute to one of our projects.

The qualities we are looking for in our interns:

We're looking for interns with the skills in some (not all) of the following areas:

Here are a few tasks IT interns at Southern can expect to do (with help from staff, of course):

The above list is a guideline only. Responsibilities will be discussed in greater detail prior to an intern being accepted. We will sit down with you to put together a personal project.

Southern Records is not able to provide any financial support to interns other than a small travel supplement. You will need to find alternative methods of financing your living expenses. What we can offer is expert guidance from our staff, who possess knowledge of every aspect of the independent music business.

As you might expect from an independent record company, the atmosphere in the office is laid back and there are opportunities to attend gigs and other social events.

If you are interested in applying for an internship, please send a CV and a personal cover letter to ad37x14 -AT- southern -DOT- c o m with "IT internship" in the subject line.

Thank you for your interest in Southern!

2009-01-08

Internship Position Available (Unpaid)

We are currently accepting applications for three internships starting in January, February and March 2009 These dates are somewhat flexible. We run continuous internship placements, so if you are interested in a placement later in the year we are also willing to accept early applications now.

Southern Records is a small independent record label office - we run our own labels (Southern, Latitudes, Black Diamond and Truth Cult), work with some British musicians who run their own imprints (Crass, Bluurg, Durtro Jnana, Exitstencil, Himalayan) as well as looking after a select group of North American labels in Europe (Antacid Audio, Anticon, Constellation, Dischord, Ipecac, Kranky, Neurot, Southern Lord, and Wrong) and three damn fine European labels (Exile On Mainstream, OIB and Upset The Rhythm).

We are currently considering applications for internship placements, based at our north London warehouse and offices. Our placements are medium to long term as it is our experience that this provides the greatest opportunity to gain genuine practical experience. Broadly speaking, our requirements are (although we maintain flexibility depending on the candidate's availability and requirements):

  • Candidates should ideally be available at least 20 hours per week.
  • Placements should ideally last a minimum of six weeks.

The objective of our internships are twofold: the intern gets some valuable experience working at a independent label office (perhaps contributing to their CV or assisting them in determining what sort of career they would like to pursue) and Southern gets some valuable help in our super-busy office.

The type of work an intern at Southern can expect to do:

  • Assisting our PR team with mailouts and follow-ups.
  • Pulling and packing orders for distributors and our mail order department.
  • Preparation of newsletters and content for our web site.
  • Collating and filing press clippings and PR reports for labels.
  • Preparation of sales and PR literature (one sheets, biographies, press releases).
  • Assisting sales team with order input and sales tracking.
  • Attending gigs and liaising with bands, helping run merch stalls etc.
  • Distributing posters and flyers at local record stores, venues etc.

The above list is a guideline only. Responsibilities will be discussed in greater detail prior to an Intern being accepted.

Southern Records is not able to provide any financial support to interns other than a small travel supplement. You will need to find alternative methods of financing your living expenses.

The qualities we are looking for in our interns:

  • Enthusiasm for working specifically within the independent label community.
  • Knowledge of and enthusiasm for Southern's labels/bands.
  • Desire to learn and commitment to working hard and making a genuine contribution during your time at Southern.
  • Willingness to undertake all kinds of work - from the menial to the creative.
  • Computer literacy: Mac OS X preferred and experience with Open Office, Excel, Word, and good internet skills.
  • Good spelling and grammar (without a spell checker!)
  • Punctuality and a great sense of humour.

If you are interested in applying for an internship, please send a CV and your answers to the following questions to ad98797 -AT- southern -DOT- com. Alternatively, you can post your application to Internship, Southern Records, Unit 3, Cranford Way, London N8 9DG.

  1. Why are you applying for an internship at Southern, as opposed to any other label?
  2. What type of work would you ultimately hope to pursue in the future?
  3. Who are your three favourite musicians/bands and why?
  4. What are your three favourite books and why?
  5. What magazines do you read on a regular basis?
  6. What are the last three gigs you went to? Which was your favourite?
  7. What are the last three records (CD, vinyl or download) you paid for, and where did you buy them from?
  8. What, in your opinion, should differentiate an independent label from a major?
  9. What date are you available to start working at Southern, and what date would you like to finish?
  10. What hours/days are you available to do your internship?

Thank you for your interest in Southern!