Universal Music Group 2026 Summer Internship Program: Brand & Label Opportunities: Creative (Onsite: CA)

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.

2026 Summer Internship Program Dates: June 8 - August 14, 2026 

A&R (Onsite: CA)

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 and experience 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 

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 

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 

Digital (Onsite: CA) 

How You’ll CREATE: 

Content Creation & Execution: Video & Photo Editing: Directly responsible for editing photos and videos into engaging platform-optimized assets (especially short-form content for Reels/TikTok)  

Asset Creation: Developing various digital content and assets needed for social posts, stories and campaign rollouts.  

Assist in building and strategizing social media calendars to support artist releases, campaigns and ongoing content. 

Edit and adapt social content for various platforms (Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, YouTube, etc.), ensuring each piece aligns with platform best practices and the artist’s brand identity. 

Research and compile current digital trends, proposing creative and cohesive social media ideas tailored to each artist’s tone and audience. 

Participate in creative brainstorm sessions with the Digital team and cross-departmental partners (Publicity, A&R, Streaming, etc.) to generate campaign concepts and content ideas. 

Identify influencers, tastemakers and digital partners for potential collaborations or promotional opportunities. 

Support day-to-day campaign management, including tracking performance metrics, organizing assets and maintaining artist content libraries. 

Keep up to date on all upcoming releases, campaigns and content 

Coordinate posting for all label social media channels and interact daily on socials to drive increased fan engagement, activity and follower growth 

Fan Page Management: Assisting with the day-to-day oversight and execution across various fan pages, ensuring consistent voice, engagement and accurate information sharing  

Create YouTube Descriptions weekly for all artist releases/Manage YouTube Shorts post syndication for label artists with supervisor approval 

Manage LinkFire updates and optimizations for label socials and artist release weekly 

Research, identify and report viral social and digital trends to equip label and artist teams with content ideas that drive engagement, brand awareness, fan acquisition and music consumption 

Organizing critical team documents, content calendars, asset libraries and campaign tracking files to maintain efficiency and easy access for all members. 

Ideal candidates will have: 

Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and Canva 

Exceptional video editing and graphic design skills  

Experience with social media management and short form content creation 

Proficient with social media platforms (i.e. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, X, etc.) 

Comfortable using social insights and analytics tools (such as Sprout Social or Chartmetric) to understand audience engagement and campaign performance 

Passion for music, digital storytelling, and artist development, with a proactive, curious approach to learning and staying ahead of trends 

Global Communication and Brand Strategy (Onsite: CA) 

How You’ll Create:  

This team leads global communications across the company, including internal and external messaging, media relations, corporate marketing, sponsorships, advertising, social media and brand alignment — ensuring our story is consistent, compelling, and connected across markets. 

Project research and ideation 

Social support and ideation  

Internal and external communications messaging support 

Event support 

Ideal candidates will have:  

A genuine interest in the Communications field 

Global mindset, with the ability to work across multiple time zones and navigate cultural sensitivities. 

Familiarity with MuckRack, Cision, Airtable, WordPress, and traditional and social media platforms is a plus. 

Marketing/Creative (Onsite: CA)

How You’ll CREATE: 

Cutdowns & video edits for short form content

Graphic design

Brainstorm content / concepts for both short form & long form pieces (social media videos or music video creative)

Suggest potential creatives for artists on our roster to collaborate with

Help on site w/ artists at shoots

BTS content / photos etc.

 Help run Mercury social media account

Ideal candidates will have:

Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (specifically Photoshop for graphic design)

Experience video editing (Premiere Pro)

Creative brainstorming - ability to analyze an artist's vision & propose new creative ideas that fit into their world

Fluent in social media creative (ideation, editing, etc)

Marketing (Onsite: CA)

How You’ll CREATE: 

Attend and participate in department, staff and artist meetings

Develop an understanding of the role of a modern marketing/project manager within the label services model through meetings with marketing managers.

Conduct high level audits on marketing plans to identify universal needs across all marketing plans.

Create a marketing cheat sheet/project management tool to better inform, prepare and automate a checklist on the standard deliverable elements across all projects. Collate these deliverables into an adaptable checklist with assignments and accompanying deadlines and deliverables. Using marketing automation tools to develop content

Identify commonalities across campaigns, and pain points on deliverables.

Ideal candidates will have:

Interest in music, artists and audience development with an emphasis on digital marketing and data analysis. 

Familiarity with Project Management and available tools.

Experience with Airtable

Data-driven individual with the ability to organize, plan and execute

Attention to detail and interest in planning strategy

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and is at ease communicating across teams and different levels within a large organization

Passion for music and developing artists across multiple genres.

Working with both artists and artist management teams.

A heightened interest in marketing.

A love for analytical tools, research and a knack for distilling data into actionable items.

Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills

Strong organizational and time management skills

Ability to handle confidential information

Ability to interact comfortably and effectively with employees of our company at all levels including Senior Management

Self-motivated, analytical, proactive, and resourceful problem solver

Excellent follow-through and attention to detail

Paid Media & Audience (Onsite: CA) 

How You’ll CREATE: 

The Paid Media and Audience department oversees all digital activations in the paid space including digital advertising and influencer marketing. From full scale global ad activations to multi-faceted influencer and creator campaigns, we centrally manage all campaigns. 

Assist in developing media plans and campaign execution

Assist in influencer marketing campaigns liaising with agencies and/or influencers/talent management 

Manage internal communication between the paid media team to various stakeholders (marketing, upper management, etc.) 

Manage reporting, decipher data pulls and communicate to stakeholders 

Ideal candidates will have: 

Desire to learn about digital advertising and/or experience with digital ads/influencer marketing 

Sports & Gaming Marketing (Onsite: CA) 

How You’ll CREATE: 

This role offers hands-on experience in music marketing, brand partnerships and campaign execution within the intersection of music, sports and gaming. 

Support the team with day-to-day operations and coordination across departments and external partners 

Assist product managers in the execution of marketing campaigns and partnership activations for Interscope and Capitol artists 

Design and update marketing materials, including pitch decks, event invites, recaps, one-sheets, timelines and other creative assets 

Conduct research on sports, gaming and cultural trends to help inform strategy and identify new opportunities for artist integrations 

Help organize and maintain campaign trackers, calendars and project documentation to ensure smooth execution and team alignment. 

Contribute creative ideas in team brainstorms and assist in preparing presentations for internal and external meetings. 

Provide general administrative and logistical support, including meeting preparation, asset organization and coordination of deliverables. 

Ideal candidates will have: 

Experience with Canva 

Passionate for sports, gaming, music and general popular culture 

Interest in creative sync and marketing 

uDiscover & D2 (Onsite: CA) 

How You’ll CREATE: 

Specifically working with the Editor In Chief and lead curator of uDiscover Music, UMG's direct to consumer editorial and eCommerce store, this role would assist with both editorial content, storytelling and news coverage, as well as aspects of the store, socials and audience growth. The intern will assist with all aspects of running uDiscoverMusic.com, including news coverage, stories, features, social content as well as curation and store management for the uDiscover Music store. 

Support the editorial team by researching, writing and publishing news coverage of UMG releases. 

Assist with curation, merchandising, and product setup for the uDiscover Music store. 

Contribute to social media and short-form video strategy for uDiscover Music and The Sound of Vinyl, with a focus on engaging and growing younger audiences. 

Help identify emerging trends in music, culture and e-commerce to inform content and marketing initiatives. 

Provide general team support across editorial, marketing and e-commerce projects as needed. 

Support and engage in efforts to utilize AI tools and technology to support and grow the brand's traffic, engagement and other areas. 

Ideal candidates will have: 

Excellent writing and editing skills, with a strong interest in music journalism and storytelling 

Working knowledge of content management systems (e.g., WordPress) and social media publishing tools 

Familiarity with social and digital platforms (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube) and awareness of trends in music and pop culture 

Basic understanding of e-commerce or digital marketing principles (experience with Shopify or similar platforms is a plus) 

Urban Digital Marketing (Onsite: CA) 

How You’ll CREATE: 

The Urban Digital Marketing team builds and grows audiences for urban-format artists (typically hip-hop, R&B and related genres) by designing and executing digital-first campaigns that drive streams, fan engagement, ticket/merch sales and cultural visibility. 

Support the execution of artist marketing campaigns across our Interscope urban artists by assisting with social media, content strategy, and digital rollout planning. 

Help manage assets, track campaign performance, and gather analytics across platforms. 

Collaborate closely with the digital project managers, creator, fan engagement, and social editorial teams to align messaging, conduct research on trends and audience engagement. 

Contribute fresh ideas for social and influencer activations. 

Maintain campaign trackers, preparing reports or presentations, and ensuring all digital deliverables and timelines stay on track—essentially serving as an adaptable, detail-oriented link between digital strategy and campaign execution. 

Ideal candidates will have 

Familiarity with video editing platforms like CapCut 

Bring Your VIBE (ALL ROLES): 

Strong attention to detail 

Strong organizational skills and efficiency 

Ability to multitask and meet tight deadlines in fast- paced, high-pressure environments  

High level of integrity 

Discretion in handling confidential information 

Professionalism in dealing with senior professionals inside and outside the company 

A “can-do” attitude 

Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)  

Self-starter 

Excellent communication skills 

Eager to learn