James E. Webb Internship Projects

Identify location at Smithsonian where you would like to intern and/or the type of internship experience you are seeking such as Human Resources, Account etc.

Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (CFCH)

Department: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Music Business Internship

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is the non-profit record label of the national museum of the United States. Our mission is to foster cultural diversity, education, increased understanding, and lively engagement with the world of sound. The Smithsonian Folkways collection features more than 3,600 albums and 40,000 tracks (and growing), including iconic songs (“This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie), legendary artists (Pete Seeger, Lead Belly, Doc Watson), children’s music, world music, and non-musical sound (poetry, sound effects, natural sounds). The music is distributed worldwide via CDs and vinyl records, digital downloads and streams, podcasts, lesson plans, and videos.

As a music business intern with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, you will work on a range of short-term and long-term projects, all supporting the intellectual property rights of the artists and songwriters who have contributed to Smithsonian Folkways’ collection of music. You will gain knowledge and experience in artist and publishing royalties administration, music licensing, copyright issues and contracts. Such experience can be the foundation for a career in any field that deals with royalties, licensing, and intellectual property rights, such as music, film, book and software publishing, and patents and trademarks.

Every day is different - tasks may include:

• locate and contact artists or their heirs • scan contracts, analyze and enter contract information in a database • research song copyright information • prepare copyright registration and other application forms for submission to the US Copyright Office • prepare and mail royalty statements and contracts

The royalty manager will serve as your mentor and will develop tasks based on your interests. A successful candidate will have skills in one or more the following areas: general music knowledge, business management, research, data analysis, computer programming, and accounting. Knowledge of Excel and Filemaker Pro is a plus. The Smithsonian Folkways offices are located in Downtown Washington D.C, just off the National Mall, and is very accessible by public transportation.