Question 1

What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

Angela Lin · Accepted Answer

“Don’t be afraid to think outside the box for marketing stuff. In marketing we get stuck in this pattern of ‘first we put the first single out, then we put the video out.’ There’s this sort of rhythm to it.”
“The most successful marketing and sales things are when we go outside the box and do something a little bit different. Be aware of the rhythm and trends of marketing. Yes, those trends are there for a reason and they’re important because that’s what’s working at the moment — but always be on the lookout for new stuff.”
“Marketing totally changed in music in the past four or five years. It went from selling CDs, then vinyl had a resurgence, but now my entire job is doing streaming numbers. All the money we make is through streaming. The entire industry had to adapt their marketing because now we’re not marketing mainly vinyl, we’re marketing to get our track on a playlist.”
“So it’s knowing the people at Spotify who can put your song on a playlist or if an artist shares a song on Apple Music. Marketing now is streaming marketing. That’s a huge priority for us, but it wasn’t a priority three years ago.”
“There are people who saw that opportunity, who were open-minded and realized that potential. Redeye was a great example of being ahead of the game on Spotify because they were open to it. Now they’re considered an early adopter because they were doing marketing on Spotify and iTunes. As a marketing person, you’ve got to be willing to try new things and stay ahead of the curve of what’s going on marketing trends-wise.”
“It’s streaming and playlisting now, but in a few years, who knows what it’s going to be? It totally can change. It’s being open to that and not stuck in being like ‘this is what I studied: you send out a press release.’”
“There are so many ways to market. Be open to ideas. If artists say ‘I want to do this crazy visual album’ or ‘I want to do this other crazy thing,’ instead of thinking ‘oh, that’s weird,’ try your best to see how that can actually happen. A lot of time artists can ask for these things, and most of the time they are impossible, but your job is to try to make it as possible as you can.”
“That means exploring all avenues and not shutting any doors in terms of how things should be done. That creativity and flexibility are important to marketing — and also to sales — because if you’ve got a creative idea and you’re doing things in an interesting way that engages people.”

Question 2

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

Angela Lin · Accepted Answer

“I see a lot of people who are overeager for it and that sort of rubs people the wrong way. There’s a balance of being enthusiastic, respectful, curious, and wanting to talk to people versus straight up being like ‘I want this and I’m going to keep emailing this person until something happens.’ That rubs a lot of people on the indie label side the wrong way.”
“You want to be self-aware about how you’re presenting yourself. Do it in a way that’s respectful and interested. If you’re writing an email and you don’t get a response, don’t send a negative follow-up being like ‘I don’t know why this person didn’t respond to me.’ Being self-aware with how you’re coming off to people is really important, especially in music where a lot of it is who you know, your personality, and how well you’re able to present yourself.”
“Present yourself in an intelligent way and don’t push things too hard. Know when to let go and step back and think ‘maybe I’ll try this other way.’ You can’t just bludgeon through everything.”
“Another thing is to be humble. A lot of people working in music, if you get a little bit of music experience, if you’re in your small town and you’ve done a few things and booked a few shows, an ego can come with that, even when there’s nothing really to be egotistical about.” 
“Have a very humble point of view of ‘I’m always willing to learn and I’m learning to do new things and I’m not just in this for the ego boost.’ The most successful labels and companies are the ones who put the music first.”
“So if you’re putting the music first and not yourself first, that’s really important. People can see that genuine love and passion for music.”
“That’s why I love this job. I’m always talking to people who are like ‘hey, what are you listening to?’ And I’ll say ‘I just checked out this show. Did you see this show?’ Being natural about that is super important, at least for the indie side of things. (Maybe Universal or Warner has a different culture, but this is specifically for the indie side of things.)”
“Don’t try to ego it up. We’ve hired Interns that think they’re so cool and they’re just starting out. Listen to what we have to say and be open to what we’re telling you versus trying to show off. Be respectful, humble, and open about music and be self-aware. Know when to step back or step forward.”

Question 3

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

Angela Lin · Accepted Answer

“People burn out really quickly working in music so the question to ask is ‘how do you avoid burning out in your job?’ It’s really hard. I definitely feel pressure. It’s difficult for people who work in music because it’s not just your nine-to-five; it’s what you love. It’s your passion. That’s why it’s such a compelling place to work because you’re working with your passions, with your idols.”
“Even though that’s super awesome, you can still easily burn out because you’re working your dream and you’re working with artists you’ve always admired. It’s like ‘I’m working for this label I’ve always loved since I was a kid.’ But then realize you can still burn out because it’s hard. It’s a lot of stress. When you mess up it’s easier to take things personally because you’re more emotionally invested.”
“It’s so important, especially now with Donald Trump and everything. Music brings so much peace and comfort to the emotional intelligence of our world and our culture. Remember to have fun. You put a lot of your time, money, and a lot of what you have into the artist and their music and if it doesn’t pay off, it can be really hard.”
“Realize that you can try your best but if it doesn’t work out, go outside, do some other stuff, and realize it’s not the be-all, end-all — because I’ve seen it just kill people. They’re managing an artist, they’ve spent all their money and all their time doing this and it doesn’t work out. They get really bitter and really angry and you see these bitter music people.” 
“I think the easiest way to avoid burning out and becoming like that is to take everything with a grain of salt. Understand that what you’re doing is so important to the world, but at the same time, if things don’t work out, you’ve got to keep trying. Or take a break and come back.” 
“Burning out happens a lot. Especially when your dreams are involved, it’s easier to burn out. Take a break or transfer and try something different and come back to it. Remember the reason you want to work in music is that it’s fun. So if it stops being fun and you’re angry and bitter about it, do a different part of the music industry or listen to an album you haven’t listened to or remember why you love music.”
“I get burned out sometimes and I say ‘OK, this weekend I’m going to take some time for myself and maybe go see that show I wasn’t able to or listen to this new album’ and I remind myself why this is important to me. Don’t be afraid to take a deep breath and accept your failures but do not take them personally.”

Question 4

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

Angela Lin · Accepted Answer

“Empathetic. I feel like that’s why I have good relationships with my artists. I always empathize with them and put myself in their shoes with what their music is. That’s so important. Seeing the artist as a real human being first, instead of putting them on a pedestal. Seeing that this music is coming from this place. That’s how we market their music better, through understanding where they’re coming from.”
“If you’re just set on making money you see them as a commodity. I see those as the campaigns that fail — because people can tell they’re just trying to make money off you. Really empathetic, creative, emotional campaigns require for you to be a creative, empathetic person.”

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