Alumni Case Study Pip Rainbird

Pip Rainbird has been in bands since she was in her early teens, however she always wanted to be a music producer working mostly with synths. After starting her current project Everyday Saints she realised she lacked the skills needed to create the kind of music she envisioned, which resulted in the band having a more indie guitar feel with some synth elements. Whilst at WaterBear she was able to work on these skills and more, to get to a point where she is now able to produce her own projects, and paying clients, to a high standard. She does this alongside her role as Assistant Station Manager at radio station, Platform B.

After hearing good things about WaterBear from others in the music scene, Pip wanted to give the college a go for herself. Her main aim was to expand her production skills – to get to a point where she is an industry-standard producer – and figure out how to make that into a sustainable career. Wanting to fully understand music business was also a key factor in why she opted for the MA in Performance, Production & Business.

A year of constantly networking and taking every opportunity that came her way through WaterBear meant that Pip graduated with a full-time career in the music industry in various roles. The freedom to explore and create different styles of composing and recording music also gave her the space to assess and refocus her creative direction to electronic music – which she’s truly passionate about.

“Production and composition mentoring, particularly with Kieron Pepper, has allowed me to grow hugely as a musician”

Since graduating, Pip’s primary professional focus is working as the Assistant Station Manager for Platform B, Brighton’s leading radio station dedicated to 18–25 year olds. This permanent, paid position was secured after initially taking on voluntary sound engineering roles with Slack City radio in Brighton.

In this position, she is responsible for running the station’s day-to-day operations and is actively involved in producing and engineering live FM / DAB+ radio broadcasts. Her work has also provided opportunities to run stages at festivals like The Great Escape and collaborate with local organisations, including AudioActive, as well as involvement with the BBC.

In addition to Pip’s work at Platform B, she maintains a varied freelance career, working as a music producer, audio engineer, tutor, and occasional session musician.

When building her career, a key challenge was managing the fear of failure, a common concern in the huge and competitive freelance music industry. She says while this fear never fully disappears, she is learning to manage and become more comfortable with it.

Pip developed a versatile skillset that now supports a multifaceted freelance career: 

Music Production & Composition 

Audio Engineering 

Radio Production 

Event Management 

Freelance Business Development