Music Insider

Music Insider: Linda Walker

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Linda Walker is a music industry executive with a commitment to integrity and a passion for nurturing talent. She is known for her success in forming partnerships with top artists such as Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and Dua Lipa.

Linda’s adept communication and stakeholder engagement have facilitated collaborations with major digital music platforms like Apple, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok and Amazon, driving successful campaigns worldwide.

She has been recognized as a prominent advocate for Women in the Music Industry, earning her a place in Music Week's Women in Music, Roll of Honour in 2020.

How did you get your start in music?

I used to spend all my spare time (and money!) in a local Indie Record Store. They got so used to me being in there, one day they offered me a job. I was working in a law office at the time, but I handed my notice in that same day, started in the record store the following week, and absolutely loved my job from day one. Through working in the store, I met many sales reps that worked for the record labels, and I basically drove them all crazy by asking them to get me a job! Eventually, through continually plugging away, I got an interview at Warner Music to be part of their sales team. I really thought I had messed up the interview, but I got the job and never looked back.

Your career has been marked by successful partnerships with globally renowned artists like Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and Dua Lipa. Can you share some key strategies you’ve employed to cultivate these creative commercial partnerships? 

Partnership is the keyword when you are working on campaigns such as these. Great relationships and a clear understanding of how your commercial partners work is essential to building a strong, commercially, and creatively impactful partnership. The starting point for me has always been to dig into the key objectives for a project from the artist, management and label’s perspective, and then to build a commercial strategy and partnership plan that achieves these objectives. With huge global artists like Ed, Coldplay and Dua, you must approach everything you do with a global mindset, building plans that are truly global in their ambition and reach.

Can you provide insights into how you approach and build strong relationships in the music industry - e.g. with stakeholders or music companies?

Relationships are a two-way thing and need to be nurtured, so be an active listener and remember, if you are building anything, you must keep coming back to it. I also think it’s important to be your true self, people will respect you for that and will generally see through you if you put on an act.

As a leader in transforming a music business into a predominantly digital operation, what challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them?

I remember when as a business, we first started speaking about digital music platforms, there was a slightly reluctant and fearful attitude towards the change. I always felt that we just needed to embrace the change and actively look for the positive impact it would have on our business. I jumped at the chance to work with iTunes when they first launched a store in the UK, as it just felt so exciting to be involved with something new and future facing. My point is, embrace the change!

What advice would you give to independent artists or smaller labels looking to optimize their strategies for a successful music release?

I don’t think there has ever been a better time to be an independent artist or label. You now have the tools to do so much for yourselves and you understand your audience better than anyone. There is an overwhelming amount of music released onto streaming platforms every single day, and it’s hard to get cut through, however, I would say focus your energy on what you can control, rather than what you can’t. Actively help your audience to find your music, they are your audience and your fans, not the streaming platforms’ so build that fan relationship and allow them to be part of your journey. This relationship goes beyond just streaming consumption so build a commercial strategy that encompasses all the elements that speaks to your audience.

What are some key trends or changes you currently observe in the music industry? - e.g. AI or anything else?

Well, leading on from the previous question, there is certainly an exciting time ahead for the independent sector. My old school record store self is delighted to see how well vinyl is doing and to see the indie retail sector so strong. AI is here to stay and will continually evolve, so as an industry, we need to grow with it, embrace the change and not be scared. There are going to be positive impacts, as well as negative, so the industry needs to pull together to harness the positives and work with legislators to protect against the negatives.

In your journey, how have you effectively balanced the creative aspects of the music industry with the necessary business acumen? 

Creativity is at the heart of the music industry, and I hope that never changes! Having a clear commercial strategy that delivers on short, mid and long-term goals, can easily weave together creative ideas alongside business ambition. One is not exclusive of the other.

What tips can you share with aspiring professionals to strike a harmonious balance between artistic vision and commercial success?

Understand what success means to you, it’s actually quite an individual thing to measure. Understanding this helps you to map out the steps needed to achieve your goals and how your artistry feeds into these plans. You should always remember why you do what you do and be your authentic self. Your passion, authenticity and purpose will drive you forward.

Tips on finding your first music job?

Work hard on building out your network and never be afraid to reach out to people who you find interesting and whom you think you could learn from. I can’t tell you how many people that I’ve never met before, have agreed to jump on a call or meet me for a coffee. The worst that can happen is that they don’t reply or say no, but you’ll probably be surprised by how many people will say yes. Also, don’t shut yourself off to one specific type of role, learn as much as you can about the industry (from your newly formed network) as there may be roles that you didn’t even know existed that spark your interest.

Tips for anyone who wants to get into your industry

Learn as much as you can about how the industry works. You have many resources available to you, so use them. And remember, music is a broad industry so don’t be afraid to explore all options.

Connect with Linda Walker

Music Insider: Moni Saldaña

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Moni Saldaña is a music industry executive with over 16 years of experience. Currently residing in Mexico City, Moni serves as the Artist and Label Partnerships Manager at Spotify Mexico.

Before her tenure at Spotify, Moni was the director of NRMAL, an international community based in Mexico. In this role, she oversaw all aspects of the annual festival that spotlighted emerging global talents. Additionally, her time at Turista Universal involved contributing to musical supervision for films, series, and diverse projects.

Being a passionate advocate for equality and diversity in the music industry, Moni is actively involved in Spotify's EQUAL and GLOW committees. (EQUAL, a global program promoting women in music, and GLOW, a celebration of LGBTQIA+ artists and creators.)

In this interview, Moni shares her journey in music, emphasizing her commitment to helping emerging artists and projects with a particular focus on Latin America.

How did you get your start in music?

I got my start in music a bit by chance. I was studying journalism, but I always loved music. I didn't know how to get involved. I told myself “Oh, if I was a boy, I would have a band” but I didn't believe or I didn't know how to be a part of it. I then came across NRMAL - a project that I was a part of for the past 15 years. I sent them an email because they had a blog, and I just told them “hey, I want to get involved in any way or capacity that you see fit”. So I started going to festivals and concerts, then I wrote reviews for their blog, and that's how I eventually got involved with the events that they were putting out. It was something very special and important for me, it literally changed my life professionally and personally as well.

As an Artist and Label Partnerships Manager at Spotify, you oversee various initiatives. Can you tell us more about them?

Currently, I am part of the Artists and Label Partnerships team at Spotify based in Mexico. And my job is literally having those conversations and relationships with what we call “our partners” (the artists, labels or distributors etc). We are having conversations about what's coming up, about their plans and other projects. We are trying to know what's happening outside, to be able to translate that insight within the company and to be able to come up with plans, ideas, etc. We’re the bridge for artists to reach the platform, but also the bridge for other departments in the company to be able to reach the artists. I get to talk, oversee and work with a lot of amazing artists from all sorts of genres, all sorts of backgrounds. 

Obviously, with that comes the responsibility, in order to give as much visibility as I can to all sorts of artists and partners. Every single day, I learn about new things, I learn about new music, about new artists and projects and that just keeps everything very exciting. We have to understand trends and more things  that are happening at the moment. Our job is to be experts and to know what's going on, to dig deeper, to come up and develop new ideas.

Because of my background and because of where I come from, working in that side of music feels more like “defending” emerging artists or giving more visibility on women's representation within the music industry. You have to be present every single day.  So for me, it's very, very fun, fulfilling and very interesting to be able to connect with more and more creators around the world and particularly in Mexico.

You've worked with both established brands and emerging artists. How do you bridge the gap between these two worlds within the music industry? 

Throughout these years working in music I’ve done a lot of things. My core has been about working with emerging artists and giving a platform to them or creating spaces for them. I’ve also done a lot of work with established brands doing events or working now at Spotify. Being able to learn from these huge companies and brands that have great standards and have been there for so long (and from the amazing people that work there). Also, coming from that background of independence or not having lots of resources and that struggle, made myself more creative. 

That’s why I always try to collaborate a lot, work here and there, and just allow myself to keep evolving and learning. I think that’s the key of it; understanding where we can connect, and how we can balance those spaces. That’s always been my vision and nowadays that’s still very important to me. 

What has been a notable highlight from your journey in the music industry?

It's gonna sound very cheesy, but I think it is the journey itself. I've been a part of the music industry for the past 16 or 17 years now. It is a journey. It is a process. You're never fully there. You keep learning and you gotta keep yourself grounded because it's very difficult. It's very hard, but at the same time, it's so beautiful and amazing.

Why? It’s because I love music. I can't really separate my personal from my professional life because it's something that I really love. You get invested emotionally very hard - and I think that's a lesson that you usually learn the hard way. Something very important is that you have to eventually understand how to balance your life, how to balance your work, how to keep being very passionate and invested, but at the same time how to give yourself a break and understand your limits when it's time to give up on a project.

“I feel very lucky and fortunate that my job, even though I don't make music,  is to connect with people through music. That's something very precious and valuable that I just can't take for granted. Also, when you understand the power that culture and music have. It's not just entertainment; you can actually connect and change people's lives through music. I think that's something very powerful”.

What you do matters, what you do is part of your legacy, particularly being a woman in the music industry. That's something that I will carry with myself every step of the way. And I don't look at it as a burden, I look at it as a gift, as something that gives me a unique perspective and that allows me to add value to whatever projects I've been a part of or will be a part of.

Can you share some insights into the challenges and opportunities you've encountered in promoting emerging and independent music projects in Latin America? 

Promoting music or artists from or within Latin America is very interesting but at the same time, we still don't have the same spaces or infrastructure or resources that other countries have (like in the States or Europe). At the same time we have a very active and passionate audience.  We have Music Fans. Who is better to tell us what was happening at specific music scene or club or festival than the people that are working there? That's why we always love collaborating with promoters, with festivals, with collectives, with labels, because they are the experts.

We have to treat the audience, right. We have to respect the audience. That's why building a community is more important, because you're not building an audience. You don't want someone that will pay just when something is interesting for them. You want to build an engaged community.

“For me, in a community, we talk to each other. We listen to each other. It's not just me talking to you”.

It’s very important to open up these conversations. It's great to see how, in recent years, a lot of amazing markets and festivals and venues and opportunities have grown for the rest of Latin America, and how interconnected we are nowadays.  I think we're doing great and I really really love how we keep connecting. But there's still a lot of room to grow.

What’s your best advice for people who want to enter your industry.

I don't think there's a perfect answer to this. If we had a formula, everything would be easier. I wish we had it. There's so many things that I could talk about - you know, like “being persistent and being patient and this is tough and just keep yourself curious” - all of this. There is a phrase that I really like that says “Culture isn’t what you intended it to be, it's not what you hope or aspire for it to be. It's what you do so, so do better”. That’s it.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

I think it's very simple, but it's important: just to not be afraid. I was very afraid when I was younger. I was very afraid to speak up. I was very afraid to make certain decisions. I was very afraid to follow certain things, because of what people might think. I was very afraid to say things when I wanted to say them. There's so much you can miss out by being afraid.

Now, I feel very proud of myself because I did a lot of great things for myself. In my professional life, at least, I switched careers when I felt I wanted to switch. I gave up some things to follow my dreams. I sent that email when I wanted to reach out. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am right now.

Also, to love myself more because that's how you will connect with more people. That's how you will enjoy things. That's how you will make things better.

Connect with Moni Saldaña on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter (X).

Moni Saldaña’s work.

Interview: Little Monarch

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Little Monarch is the brainchild of LA-based artist Casey Kalmenson. Recognized for her exceptional songwriting, production, and vocal abilities and blend of indie pop, soul, jazz, and funk, Casey has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, including Daisy The Great, Jessie Ware, Far East Movement, Parra for Cuva and more. 

Little Monarch found viral success as a solo artist with her debut single "No Matter What," which has wracked up over 25 million streams across platforms.

She has seen her work feature prominently in a variety of TV networks and film projects (including ABC, CBS, MTV, and VH1 and popular shows like Grey’s Anatomy, All American: Homecoming and Love Is Blind).

With her sound as a summer sunset, Little Monarch continues to shine in the music industry, resonating with audiences globally. Her more recent single "Same Old" followed Little Monarch's track "Tears" and an extensive tour playing in Gracie Abrams band. The tour included multiple opening act performances for Taylor Swift on the Eras stadium tour. "Tears" combines pieces of soul, jazz, and indie pop to create a sunshine filled sonic reminder to let go of control and find your own place in the flow.  

What's the one thing you hope fans will take away from listening to your new song “Same Old”?

In general, it's always “self confidence” and a renewed sense of self worth. And not giving up. That's always been kind of the pillars of what I write about. Because it's always what I need to hear and what I want to transmit into the world, the messaging of “don't give up, just keep showing up”. You just gotta keep going and things turn around.

What's the most unexpected place/time/space you found inspiration for a song?

I don't think this is unexpected, but it's recent. I was feeling really blocked creatively and I went for a hike. There was this little rock and I thought “that looks like a wonderful rock". I'm gonna sit on it”. And I sat on it and I closed my eyes, did a little meditation and I got this inspiration for a song, came home and started to play it. It was just this feeling that I really wanted to capture and I think that I did. It was just so renewing because I had kind of felt a little bit lost, trying to navigate putting this album together. I was thinking “I really want something, I don't know what I want yet, but I don't know what it feels like”. So, I kind of landed on this when I got quiet and got out in nature. And that always seems to do the trick for me.

What's an important lesson you've learned in your music career?

Ooh, I mean, so many but…don't give up. Just keep going. There's really no “one path”. You can read people's bios. You can study the greats (and you should) but there's no trajectory that you can copycat. So you really just have to be patient and keep showing up for yourself and your own path, which is going to be unique.

What’s a piece of advice for finding creativity on a tough day?

Don't force, it would just show up. Even if it's just 20 minutes of practising or journaling, there's a lot of ways to be creative that doesn't involve sitting down and writing music or producing something. Also, make sure you’re giving yourself a “creative palate cleanser”; get a little bit done, go take a walk. I love to do that - it just clears my head - and then I can come back to something with fresh ears. And also, most importantly, if it's a tough day and you're not feeling it, just don't. You don't have to. You can take a rest and that's just as productive sometimes.

What’s your top tip for people that want to become music producer, singer songwriters etc?

When I wanted to start producing, I was buying some gear (I was you know, figuring it out what I needed) and somebody ironically (amazingly enough) at guitar centre said to me “give yourself seven years and then you'll actually be a producer, you'll be good enough for you to want to hire yourself”. I actually still think about that and think that's kind of true.

You have to give yourself this runway of time to you know, learn the skills and you're always learning. I think, just giving yourself a runway of time and setting yourself up for that, knowing that it could happen overnight or you might want to build something where it has a lot of longevity and you can sustain it - in which case you, you need to set up a support system and figure out a way to really know that it's a 5 to 10 year journey to get to a place where you might deem yourself successful or comfortable or sustained. Just give yourself some time and patience because it's beautiful that you're even showing.

What are some of your favorite songs to wake up to?

This week it's been “Love and Happiness” by Al Green (and just anything by Al Green). I really love to take a morning walk and listen to some (Frédéric) Chopin, it just stimulates my brain, it's beautiful.

Three things you can't live without in your bag.

Aquaphor, sunscreen, earbuds. Pretty pretty standard.

Follow Little Monarch:

▶ Stream: https://ONErpm.lnk.to/-LittleMonarch

▶ Instagram:   / littlemonarchmusic  

▶ Facebook:   / littlemonarch  

▶ Twitter:   / littlemonarchla  

Music Insider: Halina Rice

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Halina Rice is an electronic musician and AV artist creating emotive electronic music ranging from evocative soundscapes to beat-driven tracks.

Her live shows have been described as “part-rave, part art-happening” taking audiences from immersive experience to dance-inspired tracks.

With her last album ELISION released in 2022 to critical acclaim, her music has been described as “sublime and infectious” by Electronic Sound magazine and as “modern electronic music at its finest” by Headphone Commute.

As Rice states “my main focus is to present compelling, emotive and innovative music and visuals in order to move the audience outside of their day to day experience. I want people to come away from the shows feel invigorated and inspired.

Read our interview to discover more about Halina’s work and insights.

As an artist who aims to move the audience outside of their day to day experience, which emotions or reactions do you hope your music and visuals evoke in your listeners?

When I think about what I'm trying to evoke in listeners, I'm not really very prescriptive about it because I think everyone one kind of comes with their own experiences and things will resonate or they will react in different ways depending on their own individual experience.

But what I tend to find is that if there's something that I create musically or something that I create working with one of the visual designers, if something resonates with us or kind of excites us, then that's often going to create a reaction in the audience as well. So we tend to go for stuff that makes us feel something. I think it's a really individual way that people react to the events.

How do you prepare for large scale events?

For instance, I had a show at Village Underground on October 3rd. In that instance, it's just mainly about the technical side. Planning is probably the most important way that I prepare because in my shows I'm running the audio, the visual jewels and quite a large proportion of the lighting. It's making sure that I've done all the relevant site checks and understand what the venue capabilities are and checking that my setup is going to interact with their setup OK. Also, that I'm completely in line with the promoter for all the details about the event.

Then another aspect is when I run spatial sounds. In some gigs, I'm running multi speaker systems with sound coming all around the audience. I have a show coming up at Ade on Thursday, October. The 19th at a venue called The Other Side, which has just had a 14.1.5 speaker system installed.

And in that instance, there's a little bit extra planning, which is that you need to receive their speaker layout in order to be able to reprogram your sound so that it's coming out into the formation of speakers in their venue. So it's really just about planning and lots today.

What is the central theme or concept that ties all the tracks on your upcoming EP New Basis together? How did this theme influence your creative process while working on the project?

I think possibly for New Basis, the creative theme is something about contradictions. There's a kind of a clash of classical and more experimental forms.

Definitely I created chord structures that have quite a sort of long, almost recognizable contemporary classical structure, but then they would be presented in a sort of electronic instrumentation and I never really wanted those shapes to be 100% recognizable. Things twist and change throughout and there are builds of distortion. Then we kind of reflected that in the creative process.

Working with visual designer Frany Anthony, we actually used scans, 3D scans of natural objects. But then we kind of took those, recolored them and twisted and distorted them so that the visuals were matching the music. Organic and inorganic juxtaposition is what lied through the whole creative thinking behind the EP.

How do you stay inspired and innovative in your music and visual art?

One of the ways that I'd stay inspired is to go and see other people's shows, works or art presentations. For instance, there's a venue in London called Eclectic which is just in Waterloo and it's non profit making so they'll platform quite experimental ideas, students, etc who are just sort of trying things in quite a raw format. And that's really interesting because it can kind of trigger ideas or developments from that. And I'm lucky enough to also play at audiovisual festivals. I was at MUTEK in Montreal a few weeks ago and there was just a huge number of fantastic presentations from around the world.

Sometimes it's seeing other people's work but also just being in venues. For instance, being in a dome projection venue and just thinking this is really interesting and what would I do in this space? So yeah, just sort of getting out and about and having a bit of reflective time while you're absorbing other audience of visual events and you.

What advice would you give to emerging electronic artists?

The advice I'd give to emerging electronic artists is to connect with other like minded people in your area. If there are meetups of electronic, electronic or AV groups, it's a really great way just to share information and learn. Maybe you're going to collaborate or work with a few people that you meet there. And also, in a lot of these groups you're just performing maybe for other people in the group. It can be a really non judgmental place for you to trial before you take that in front of a ticketed audience, for instance.

And I think also it's great to feel like you're connected to a wider community because it can be quite an isolating thing to do. It's good to be able to call on other people as you solve production queries, as you work your way through what the right kind of format and setup is for you.

Halina’s EP NEW BASIS was released on 29th September via AWAL and is available through all streaming platforms.

Catch Halina Rice live at Rescue Rooms in Nottingham on October 12th, and Summerhall in Edinburgh on November 17th.

Halina is also part of the official programme at ADE 2023 this year performing a spatial audio and visual live set at The Other Side on Thursday 19th October, presented in L-ISA hyperreal sound by L-Acoustics.

Music Insider: Iiris Vesik (Night Tapes)

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Night Tapes (Max Doohan, Sam Richards and Iiris Vesik) is a London-based, genre-blending atmospheric dream pop band with haunting vocals by Iiris.

The band's inspiration came from both their lived experience in the world that they can see and touch, as well as the less tangible spiritual and metaphysical realm. 

The 'Perfect Kindness' EP has been mixed by Nathan Boddy (known for his work with PinkPantheress, James Blake, Mura Masa) and mastered by Matt Colton (noted for his work with Flying Lotus, Flume, and Brian Eno).

Their debut single "Forever" has already amassed over 5 million plays, while their music continues to garner support from various media outlets. Having signed to Nettwerk Music Group in 2022, Night Tapes also made their SXSW debut in 2023.

These are Iiris's reflections on songwriting and valuable tips for overcoming creative hurdles.

What experiences impact your songwriting and the emotional depth of your music?

I think that being a musician is somewhat of a mystical, mythical journey because so many things are out of your direct control. You're a part of a bigger wave than yourself. It's bigger than you. And you're bringing creations from a world unseen, from that big wave out into the real world and making something out of nothing.

And I feel very lucky to have writing by my side because I can describe what the fuck is happening to me. And I agree with the existentialists. When you have the power to describe what is happening to you, you can somewhat take your own experience into your own hands.

For me, that has helped to feel like I can turn the things that happen to me into something useful and that I can take control. No, not control…I can take responsibility over my own reality and spot some treasures in the underworld.

At times I feel like I'm free and on the right path. Carl Jung has said “the work is the expression of my inner development for commitment to the contents of the unconscious forms the man and produces his transformations”. But to be honest, I just trust the unknown because it's been really useful, effective and easy for me to create.

I love the scientific and I love the empirical. But when it comes to art, the work I do is between me and the source. And the more I've let go, the more I've trusted, the more I've been able to flow in synchronicity, meet the peeps that I need to meet. And at best, creation has felt like magic and a journey of individuation. So I do recommend.

Tips for finding your creativity on a challenging day.

I think one can't really be creative if the Maslow hierarchy of needs is missing. The bottom half my body needs nourishment and sunlight and eating and exercise and all that good stuff that I didn't think I used to need. I used to think that music is number one and everything else is secondary and let me tell you, that was a bit destructive. I do NOT recommend.

So on a tough day, I think that there's definitely phases to creation (and to life), and it's good to not mix them up together. It's like if you're resting, rest. If you're working, work. There's chaos, there's order. And it's good to start from order, because without order, there is no harvest. So having a plan, having a setup, having an environment that supports your creativity is necessary and that comes through order. You create those things for yourself. You set them up in order.

And then when you get there, that's when you can go into chaos because you can let loose, vomit out the ideas that you did, just like get the material out so you'd have material to work with.

And then when you got the material, then you can see like OOH, what shape is this? What is this? And then you can your analytical mind, your intellectual knife and start to sculpture the thing of your vision, of your dream, what you're thinking.

And then once again, you have to go into chaos to let go of the outcome, to have some surprise, to be open to the highest, best outcome. Because the thing that wants to come through you is already somewhere out there in the world, unseen. And you can just act as a tool (if you're into that sort of way of thinking, which I am, because it's easy).

And then when things go, a lot of the times it's because you just don't know what phase you're in. Like in creation, try to start chiseling with an intellectual knife of a thing that you don't have to chisel. You need to have the phases in the right order and you need to be able to know which phase you're in.

So sometimes you show up, you try to implement your order for your harvest but sometimes it's good to just ask like, maybe this is not the time. Maybe it's time for a little chaos. Maybe it's time for a little bit of task free time. Maybe it's time to slug out a little bit, to breathe in so you could breathe out.

So that would be my tip for finding some power to go on on a tough day of creation.

(Yeah, this is long).