We are UMG, the Universal Music Group. We are the world's leading music company. In everything we do, we are committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship. We own and operate a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising, and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. We identify and develop recording artists and songwriters, and we produce, distribute and promote the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music to delight and entertain fans around the world.
Program Eligibility: - Currently enrolled at an accredited two or four-year college/university in the United States, pursuing an undergraduate, graduate and/or law degree
- Graduating between Spring 2026 - Fall 2028
- Have access to housing and transportation within the designated city (We do not offer housing or transportation accommodations)
- Legally authorized to work in the United States and will not require sponsorship for employment visa status, now or in the future (e.g., H1-B, OPT, etc.)
- Commit to 20 - 40 hours per week (based on individual business area)
Note: There are multiple job descriptions listed below. Please read carefully. Applications will be reviewed early Spring 2026.
2026 Summer Internship Program Dates: June 8 - August 14, 2026 A&R (Onsite: CA, FL, NY, TN): How You'll CREATE: - Scout and identify potential new talent through various sources (social media, industry networks, playlists, blogs. etc.)
- A&R research, data review and analysis
- Provide administrative support: organizing and scheduling meetings, listening sessions, studio sessions, artist showcases, sharing show calendars, travel coordination, Grammy submissions work
- Conduct research on industry trends, emerging artists and market data
- Collaborate with other departments, such as marketing, publicity and creative services to coordinate artist releases and promotional activities
- Attend A&R meetings: take notes and follow up on action items
- Assist in the organization and maintenance of artist files, contracts and other important documents
- Prepare artist one-sheets and brief artist presentations
- Attend shows/concerts as needed
- Assist with lyric transcription for song deliveries
- Listen and review beat packs, song pitches and demos
- Identify trends in fan markets
- Stay ahead of industry trends by exploring innovative genres, artists, and visual/audio technologies
- Review daily research reports
- Pitch creative ideas for artists on roster
Ideal candidates will have: - Have a strong interest in music research
- Experience looking for unsigned acts and identifying rising artists
- Skilled in social media platforms and DSPs
- Knowledge of the current music landscape and market
- Basic understanding of music data/analytics
- For UMLE A&R roles: Bilingual fluency in English and Spanish
Pop/Rock A&R (Onsite: CA): A&R interns are expected to help with daily tasks, A&R research, artist outreach and scouting.
Ideal candidates will have: - Passion for pursuing a career in A&R
- Love for research and data management
Urban A&R (Onsite: CA): This role offers hands-on experience in the creative and administrative processes behind A&R development. Interns will gain valuable exposure to the music industry by contributing to active artist projects, assisting with day-to-day A&R operations and supporting the overall A&R staff.
- Shadow A&R staff on real projects to understand the process of developing artists and building records
- Contribute to the preparation of materials for internal creative meetings and artist presentations
- Gain an understanding of how A&R intersects with other label functions including marketing, digital strategy and production
- Participate in cross-functional projects that contribute to the success of upcoming releases.
Ideal candidates will have: - Strong passion for music and interest in artist development, particularly in the Urban / Hip-Hop / R&B space
- Familiarity with music databases (DISCO, Genius, etc.) is a plus
A&R Catalog (Onsite: CA): How You'll CREATE: A&R is a department that oversees the creative legacies of UMG's classic artists, from Frank Sinatra to Bob Marley, the Allman Brothers to Halsey, James Brown to Nirvana, and on and on. This role allows us to interact with every department at UMe, including Marketing, Commerce, Finance, Publicity, Production, Licensing, et al.
A&R responsibilities include curating releases, creating new IP from remixes to new content, collaborating with other departments on cultural activations, consulting on documentaries, leading creative ideas with AI initiatives and more.
Interns are encouraged to participate in project creation and development for catalog artists, including vinyl reissues, digital releases, new video content, and new remixes from vintage material, artist catalog research, generating package copy and providing a new perceptive on how UMe A&R approaches legacy materials.
Ideal candidates will have: - Working knowledge of Adobe Express
- Basic audio production skills in Pro Tools or even Audacity a plus but not required
A&R Admin (Onsite: CA) How You'll CREATE: A&R Administration turns creative vision into commercial reality. It's where the artistic meets the administrative - ensuring every recording, mix, feature and sample moves through proper channels and lands fully cleared, budgeted and delivered for release. In essence: A&R finds the music. A&R Administration makes sure it exists legally, financially, and operationally.
Responsibilities include:
- Shadow A&R Administrators to learn end-to-end project delivery - from signing through release
- Gain insight into label operations, observing how creative, financial and legal elements intersect in music production
- Attend listening sessions or production meetings (as appropriate) to understand the creative-to-commercial handoff
Ideal candidates will have: - Love of all genres of music
A&R & Post-Production (Onsite: TN) How You'll CREATE: - Scout and evaluate emerging artists across platforms (TikTok, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Instagram, etc.)
- Attend live shows, worship events and showcases; provide written assessments
- Maintain artist tracking documents and deliver weekly talent scouting updates
- Participate in A&R meetings and contribute creative input for potential signings
- Liaise with artists and managers in early-stage conversations
- Monitor and share industry trends across worship, CCM, gospel, CHH, and hybrid inspirational genres
- Studio opening/closing tasks
- Assist with set up and tear down for sessions
- Assist with deliverable QC
Ideal candidates will have: - Active knowledge of the Christian music landscape across worship, CCM, gospel, hip hop, etc.
- Familiarity with major music and social platforms/tools (Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, Instagram, Chartmetric)
- Ability to organize and track data clearly and communicate findings concisely
- Passion for live music and ability to attend local showcases and events
- Strong understanding of professional audio, including signal flow, gain staging and audio processing.
- Experience working in live audio and/or studio environment.
- Working knowledge of Pro Tools, any experience with other DAWs a plus
A&R Research & Business Development (Onsite: CA) How You'll CREATE: The Business Development and A&R team runs all things new business. We scout new and established artists and independent labels who might be a fit for the Virgin roster. We work with our existing label partners to help them sign the next big thing.
- Scouting new artists and independent labels who might be a fit for the Virgin roster
Ideal candidates will have: - Strong working knowledge of the music business, industry trends, and emerging artists/genres
- Well versed in A&R research, including knowledge of industry standard research tools (Chartmetric, Luminate, etc.)
- Data literacy (SQL or python is a plus)
- Eager to help wherever possible
Audience Growth (Onsite: CA) How You'll CREATE: Audience Growth is the intersection of creativity, strategy and data, focused on connecting artists and fans in meaningful, lasting ways. The team develops and executes digital strategies that amplify an artist's reach, deepen fan engagement, and drive discovery across platforms. Audience Growth blends social media storytelling, campaign strategy and analytics to shape how music lives online, and converts sales, from launch moments to legacy catalog campaigns.
- Social Media Strategy: Assist in crafting platform-specific narratives, engagement plans and campaign ideas.
- Digital Campaigns: Contribute to brainstorming and execution of creative initiatives across streaming, social and creator channels.
- Content Ideation: Generate concepts for track moments, releases and fan-driven storytelling.
- Catalog & Resurgent Marketing: Support campaigns that revive legacy releases with fresh, modern digital strategies.
- Analytics & Insights: Help track social and creator performance and prepare reports to inform future campaigns.
- CRM & Fan Engagement: Assist with building and brainstorming strategies for fan databases and direct engagement initiatives.
- Team Collaboration: Aid with organization and communication across marketing, creative and digital teams.
Ideal candidates will have: - Basic digital insights knowledge
- Awareness of social platform features
- Creative strategy thinker
Audience Growth/Digital (Onsite: FL) How You'll CREATE: This department aids the marketing departments in sourcing influencer campaigns, as well as overseeing all digital activities and looks to aid all releases in the digital space
- Overseeing digital campaigns
- Drafting content ideas and influencer strategies that align with the artists
Ideal candidates will have: - Experience with Canva, Meltwater, Chartmetric, TikTok, Meta & other analysis tools
Audience (Onsite: NY) How You'll CREATE: This department is responsible for finding creative and data driven strategies to increase radio spins for specific records across the United States.
- Completing and creating data driven reports for the Audience team daily.
- Assisting with booking travel for radio personnel and radio contest winners will also be an integral part of the role.
- Radio report tracking, cross-referencing our database platforms
- Mapping out the growth of records to play across the radio
- Brainstorming and executing promotional plans for developing artists
- A final presentation reflecting the knowledge the interns have retained over the summer will also be part of our interns' agenda.
Ideal candidates will have: - Passion for a career in the music industry
- Experience with Canva or similar websites is a plus
- Google doc and sheets
Brand Partnerships (Onsite: CA) How You'll CREATE: This team focuses on building and managing collaborations between artists and brands to create impactful, culture-driven campaigns that are mutually beneficial to both the brand and the artist. Interns will gain hands-on experience in creating impactful partnerships that are moving the needle in culture.
- Research potential new brand partners
- Support active campaigns and developing artist pitch materials
- Help create and update decks and one-sheets
- Track industry trends and competitive brand activations
Ideal candidates will have: - Experience making visual assets in Canva, Adobe, PowerPoint or similar programs
- Strong research and analytical skills
- Familiarity with social media platforms and marketing trends
Commercial Partnerships & Think (Onsite: TN) How You'll CREATE: - Streaming & playlist reporting
- Gathering information for Hit List
- Playlist creation and updates
- Streaming account marketing (Spotify Artist Pick, Pandora AMP)
- Assist team with miscellaneous needs / asset gathering
- Assist in developing and scheduling social media content across Instagram and TikTok
- Organize creative assets for easy team assets
- Research and compile data on audience growth, engagement and reach to identify what's working
- Manage fan accounts for key Re:Think artists
Ideal candidates will have: - Music industry knowledge
- Up to date on trends and Gen-Z market
- Basic understanding of all streaming platforms
- Working Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite
- Social Media & Content Creation Skills
Content Creation (Onsite: CA) How You'll CREATE: Core functions involve supporting the Creative Strategy & Content team's efforts in the development and management of artist brand strategy campaigns.
- Support Creative Strategy & Content team administratively.
- Onboard new freelancers and agencies to UMG vendor registration system.
- Manage purchase orders and codes invoices in Uniport.
- Maintain and organize database of creative resources.
- Create and proofread concept pitching and recap presentations.
- Assist in organization and updates to tools like Monday.com, Box and other platforms.
- Coordinate video production efforts, including communicating with finance and legal, scheduling shoots, liaising with videographers and editors, and sh...