Entertainment & Music Industry – B2 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
You will hear a senior music executive called Liam Davies giving a talk about his career in the music industry. For questions 9-18, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
Liam Davies – Music Executive
When Liam left college, his ambition was to work as a (9)……………………… .
Liam’s very first job at the recording studio was based in the (10)……………………… .
Liam jokes that his actual role was that of a (11)……………………… rather than a studio assistant.
Liam was most fascinated by observing the (12)……………………… while sitting in the studio.
Liam’s first chance to impress came when he replaced a faulty (13)……………………… during a recording session.
Liam was subsequently promoted to a role where he had to look for new (14)……………………… .
Liam says that having a good understanding of (15)……………………… is crucial for modern music executives.
According to Liam, many young people fail in the music industry because they lack (16)……………………… .
Liam is currently busy organising a (17)……………………… to help fund scholarships for young musicians.
Liam advises people starting out in the industry to focus on building a strong (18)……………………… .
ANSWER KEY
9 sound engineer 10 post room 11 teaboy 12 creative process
13 microphone 14 artists 15 digital marketing
16 patience 17 charity concert 18 reputation
AUDIO SCRIPT
Liam Davies: Hi everyone. My name’s Liam Davies, and I’m a senior music executive at a major record label. I’ve been invited here today to talk about my career journey, which definitely had very humble beginnings!
When I left college, I was desperate to get my foot in the door of the music business. Most of my classmates were dreaming of becoming famous record producers, but I actually had my sights set on being a sound engineer. I was fascinated by the technical side of things and loved the idea of shaping the acoustics of a record.
I eagerly applied for dozens of internships at various studios. I was hoping they’d place me right in the mixing booth to shadow the experts, but instead, I spent my first six months working down in the post room. It wasn’t the glamorous start I’d envisioned, dealing with boxes of CDs all day, but it meant I was finally inside the building!
Eventually, I got a lucky break and was moved upstairs. My official contract stated my job title was ‘studio assistant’. However, considering I spent my entire day running to the café and taking orders for hot drinks, I was essentially a teaboy. I really didn’t mind, though, because it meant I was constantly interacting with everyone.
Because I was always bringing in trays of tea and coffee, I was allowed to linger in the background of major recording sessions. I initially thought I’d be most interested in the expensive, state-of-the-art equipment they were using. Actually, what really captivated me was watching the creative process. Seeing how a song evolved from a basic melody to a polished track was an incredible education.
My first real chance to prove my worth happened quite by accident. One afternoon, a famously difficult singer was throwing a tantrum about a terrible buzzing noise on her vocal track. The senior engineers assumed it was a complex glitch in the software. But I noticed it was simply a faulty microphone. I quietly swapped it out, the buzzing stopped instantly, and the producer finally took notice of me.
Thanks to that little intervention, I started to be taken more seriously. I wasn’t instantly made a producer, of course, but I was offered a junior A&R position. This meant I was sent out to small venues every night to scout for new artists. It was an exhausting schedule, but utterly thrilling to discover fresh talent.
Fast forward to today, and my role as a senior executive is vastly different. People often assume that my day revolves entirely around listening to new music. While that is a perk of the job, having a thorough grasp of digital marketing is what really drives success in the modern industry. You absolutely have to know how to reach the streaming audience effectively.
It’s a notoriously tough business, and I see a lot of ambitious young people come and go. They often arrive with plenty of passion and genuinely great ideas. What they usually lack, however, is patience. They expect overnight success and get frustrated when it doesn’t happen, but building a career takes years of hard work.
These days, I also try to use my position to give back to the community. The press recently reported that I was setting up a new music academy. While that sounds lovely, I’m actually pouring my energy into organising a massive charity concert. All the profits will go towards providing scholarships for underprivileged musicians.
If I could offer one piece of advice to anyone wanting to follow in my footsteps, it wouldn’t be to spend a fortune on recording software. Rather, you should put all your effort into building a solid reputation. If people know you as hardworking and reliable, the right doors will eventually open for you.
Listening 2
You will hear a young man called Liam giving a talk at a career fair about how volunteering at music festivals helped him get a job in the entertainment industry. For questions 9-18, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
Liam – working in the music industry
Liam spotted the call for festival volunteers on (9)……………………… rather than on campus.
Instead of preparing the stage, Liam’s first job involved distributing (10)……………………… to attendees.
Liam says that the (11)……………………… proved to be the most difficult challenge to manage during the festival.
Liam feels that he developed his (12)……………………… significantly by assisting lost visitors.
A major benefit of the volunteering role was being allowed to go (13)……………………… during the event.
Liam was particularly inspired by a conversation he had with a (14)……………………… at the festival.
Liam believes his (15)……………………… was the main reason he was later offered a paid position.
Liam advises people to highlight their (16)……………………… on their CVs rather than just listing basic tasks.
Liam is now focusing his career path on the area of (17)……………………… within the music industry.
According to Liam, the most highly prized quality for professionals in the music business is (18)……………………… .
ANSWER KEY
9 social media 10 wristbands 11 weather 12 communication
13 backstage 14 sound engineer 15 enthusiasm
16 problem-solving 17 logistics 18 reliability
AUDIO SCRIPT
Liam: Hi everyone, my name is Liam, and I’m currently a production coordinator in the live music industry. I’ve been invited here today to talk to you about how I got my foot in the door. The entertainment business is notoriously difficult to break into, and when I was a student, I had absolutely no contacts. I initially looked on university notice boards for work experience, but I didn’t have much luck. I actually found the advertisement for festival volunteers on social media, so I quickly filled out the application form and got accepted.
When I arrived at the festival site, I was extremely eager to get involved. I was hoping to help with stage setup, just to be close to the action, but they actually put me in charge of handing out wristbands at the main gate. At first, I was a bit disappointed, but I soon realised it was an incredibly important role because I was the first point of contact for thousands of excited fans.
Working at a festival is intense. Everyone assumes the noise is the hardest thing to cope with, given the massive speakers everywhere. However, it was actually the weather that caused the most issues that weekend. We had torrential rain on the second day, and keeping everyone safe and moving efficiently through the mud was a massive physical and mental test.
Despite the exhaustion, the learning curve was steep. I thought my technical knowledge would improve most from being around all the equipment. Instead, my communication got so much better, mainly from helping lost attendees find their tents or explaining schedule changes to frustrated crowds. You really learn how to speak to people effectively under pressure.
Of course, volunteering isn’t just hard work; there are some amazing rewards. Volunteers didn’t get free food as some might think, which was a shame as the catering smelled amazing, but we did get to go backstage, which was an incredible perk. Seeing how the production crew managed the artists and the schedules from behind the scenes was absolutely fascinating.
During my breaks, I tried to network. I thought I’d be starstruck by the singers, but the person who really inspired me was a sound engineer I chatted with near the main stage. Hearing about the technical precision required to mix live music for an audience of fifty thousand people completely blew my mind and motivated me to learn more about live production.
A few months later, the festival organizers advertised for paid junior coordinators. When applying for paid roles, I honestly thought my degree would impress them the most. Actually, the festival organizers hired me because of my enthusiasm during the event. They remembered how I kept a smile on my face even during the worst rainstorms.
When you’re putting this kind of volunteer work on your CV, it’s vital to frame it correctly. Don’t just list your duties like ‘picking up litter’ or ‘directing traffic’. Employers really want to see examples of problem-solving, showing you can think on your feet when things inevitably go wrong. That’s what proves you have potential.
Looking ahead, my career goals have shifted. Many people coming into this business want to go into artist management. But after that experience, I realized my true passion lies in logistics, making sure everything from lighting rigs to tour buses arrives exactly when and where it needs to. It’s like a massive puzzle.
Ultimately, people think that having raw talent is great, and having family connections certainly helps some people get started. But honestly, the trait this industry values above all else is reliability. If you show up on time, do what you say you’re going to do, and work hard, people will want to hire you again and again. Thanks for listening!