First of all, can you explain a bit about the role of a Head of Music?
 
Largely it is to connect the dots between music and brands, identifying who may work well for the client and represent them (and us) in the best way. You aren't going to put a Soundcloud rapper with a refined gentlemen's club, as an example. Also in the role I have to oversee all other music aspects and manage relationships with clients, potential clients and partners etc.
 
What’s your professional background?
 
I have spent 20 years in the industry in almost every single role that does not include being an actual musician to learn all elements of the business and also seen and assisted brands first hand as they connect with music. An easy example of this was when I was an artist ambassador for Nike so was DJing many times for them.
 
Could you describe a typical day or week in your role? What are the key tasks and challenges you encounter while overseeing music operations?
 
There is no such thing as a typical day or week in the role.... That is the most typical day or week, if you don't have a surprise to add to the week, then that is a weird week.
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Each week there are always key projects to work on but it is always impossible to time, something may just be one quick call or email to fix, or it may surprise you and become a few days to work on. I actually love the unpredictability and constantly challenging nature of it where no plan laid out for a week actually goes to plan.
 
How do you collaborate with other teams or departments within the organization, to ensure a cohesive and successful music strategy across different functions?



The key is to have good relationships and conversations across the board so that when a new urgent project comes in, it is briefed and acted upon very quickly. Because the music side is one of the most dynamic elements, all support has to be sorted very quickly and I am lucky to have highly skilled colleagues in SoMe, design etc that support these kinds of functions.



In your role, what are the key industry trends and challenges that you need to navigate to drive growth and success? How do you stay informed and adapt to these evolving trends?



Always to understand new artists and new tech are vital. These are not mutually exclusive either as quite often go hand in hand. For example, even though I am not particularly a Tik-Tok user, I have to be aware of what is trending and what is blowing up to know if it can be used for anything.



Another key part to keep my eyes on new things is my relationship with artist agency teams as they will often contact me with their new signings and detail the strategy to me so I can can see how they can fit with us.
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