Music Industry

Member Spotlight #38: Sarah Stam

On the music industry, representation, cancer recovery and The k*tkanker Book Project

Sarah Stam is an Amsterdam based music enthusiast who launched her own boutique artist management company set the tone . over five years ago. With a background in marketing, branding, PR and project management for international record labels and music brands, Sarah worked with companies like Spotify UK, Armada Music, Armin van Buurenand labels like UKF, NCS and TheSoundYouNeed amongst others. With a focus on developing young, independent talent, set the tone’s roster includes electronic producer Ellis, jazz fusion artist Hemai and R&B/soul vocalist Laura Roy amongst others.

Sarah was working as a freelancer in the music industry during the pandemic , when in November 2020, she was diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer.

Sarah says: “During my recovery process, I tried to find hope and inspiration in other women’s stories who had been through a similar diagnosis, because I had no idea how I was supposed to handle everything that I was faced with. As it turns out, there is so much medical information about cancer, but very few resources to help women through the day to day process, both in terms of practical and emotional sources.”

So she decided to create that resource herself, resulting in the k*tkanker book project.

The book touches upon more than just the medical trajectory. Sarah says: “We explore experiences of life with and after cancer. How do you deal with the mental issues that you face after your medical journey? What does the disease do with your sense of feminity and sexuality? This project is here to explore all different types of perspectives to such questions and offer a safe place or recognition for all types of women. A project with 50 different portraits of women between the ages of 20 and 100 years old with cancer from all walks of life.”

Read on for our Member Spotlight with Sarah.

shesaid.so: Can you tell us a bit more about your career journey to date and what you’ve most enjoyed?

It’s interesting as I always knew I wanted to work in music from the age of like 12 years old, but being from a small hometown in the north of the Netherlands I never thought I would be able to. I didn’t know anyone in music growing up so it seemed always like a bit of a dreamworld to me in all honesty. I had no idea which jobs were even out there. When I was 15 years old I visited my first festival in the Netherlands, watched Justice and guys like the Arctic Monkeys perform, and I thought to myself: This is the coolest thing ever. I know I don’t have enough talent to be on the stage, but those guys hanging on the side of the stage, maybe I can be like them. I studied general arts and management, and ended up doing my master thesis about streaming platforms. Bluffed my way into Spotify London at the time, when there were like 4 people working there, and that kinda kickstarted it. I definitely learned the most during my time at Dutch record label Armada Music, grew an international network, worked directly with artists and their managers, and got to know everything about the creation and marketing of music. After that I decided to start my own boutique artist management company set the tone. and it’s now exactly 5 years ago I signed my first artist and producer Ellis in London. There is honestly no place I’d rather be in the world right now then what I am doing right now, I can hardly believe I get to do what I get to do half of the time. To witness music being created, setting up the studio sessions, hearing the first session bounce, to then releasing music, putting it out into the world and seeing your artists perform: there is honestly no greater joy in life for me personally.

shesaid.so: What are your biggest learnings or top tips for artists/labels wanting to nail their marketing and branding?

Well that is a great question, with no timeless answer obviously. It’s hard to answer this without going into cliches, and throwing in words like authenticity or real connection with fans. I think my own biggest takeaway from the past few years is everyone is always following trends. but only a few are setting the trends. Do what feels authentic and natural to you, don’t look at others too much. Definitely always invest in growing those channels you control yourself, like soundcloud and youtube or your own Artist Spotify Playlist, so many people often only focus on those things out of their control. And honestly, if you plan timely you can achieve so much. I’be had the pleasure of working with and consulting for some fairly big artists and labels out there, and where it often goes wrong is bad communication and last minute planning. That’s an easy takeaway.

shesaid.so: You have been heavily involved in shesaid.so and she.grows, heading up shesaid.so Ams. What was your motivation to be involved, and what have you been most proud to work on or achieve?

Heading up the Amsterdam chapter of shesaid.so was an absolute pleasure. After meeting founder Andreea at a music conference in Norway and learning about the amazing mission and vision she had for the community, I couldn’t not fall in love with the community and it was an honor that she asked me to start the Amsterdam chapter at the time. We’ve had the pleasure to do some amazing real life events, but the she.grows mentorship program during ADE and Eurosonic were definite highlights, it is just amazing to connect women from all walks of life and see them help each other move forward.

shesaid.so: Throughout your career, what kind of progress have you seen in the industry in terms of equality, diversity and inclusion?

SS: Honestly, not as much as I would have hoped for. It’s shocking to realise it is 2022 and still 80% of the artist managers or music lawyers I deal with are white men. But it is on the other hand hopeful to see more and more companies trying to make an actual change by including more women in their boards as well as appointing diversity managers within their team.

shesaid.so: Can you tell us more about The k*tkanker Book Project and your journey behind it?

SS: Unfortunately I got diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer in November 2020, and instantly had so many questions, which started quite plastic (how is my scar going to look, how do you deal with hair loss from chemo) to later more mental focussed questions like: how do I live my life with cancer and how do I go about the insecurity of it all? Although there is a lot of medical information about cancer, I couldn’t find sufficient information about life with cancer. Evenmore so, most medical websites and information flyers are filled with stories from 65+ year old white women. I knew that if I was struggling to find any inspiring role models to gain courage from, this would be even more challenging for women of color. Hence I thought to myself: if I survive this treatment period, I will have to do something that ads to a more divers and inclusive information source about women with cancer. hence I started the k*tkanker project with an amazing team of friends and professionals. K*tkanker is a book and photo exhibition authored by 50 women between the ages of 20 and 100 years old who are battling breastcancer of a form of gynecological cancer. Fifty powerful, inspiring portraits and short stories that includes an additional section with over 100 tips of useful websites, smart insights and practical tips for women with cancer. You can support our project by donating to our crowdfund (https://www.voordekunst.nl/projecten/13688-ktkanker ), we need to hit 80% to make this special project a reality. First copies are in Dutch, but you can opt in on an English version of the book through our website: www.kutkanker.com

K*tkanker book project

shesaid.so: How has it been for you to work on the project? What have you learnt about yourself or otherwise?

SS: It’s been such an interesting journey honestly. I feel blessed to have connected with so many likeminded women, to hear so many different stories and learn that I am not alone. And the team of professionals working on this, dedicating their time and energy, and asking little to nothing in return, has been a very humbling experience. They are all such amazing professionals, and together we were able to capture 50 completely individual, different and divers stories. The days when we did the photoshoots for this project have been absolutely magical and special. To have 50 women who all are transformed by this horrible disease, open up and share their most beautiful and vulnerable self has been a unique experience I will carry with me forever.

All these women struggle with their cancer diagnosis on a day to day basis, and so many wished they had a book like this during their process, as it is so important to recognize yourself in someone else. Furthermore, I’ve mainly learned that making a book is way more work than I anticipated and that unfortunately the medical world is still very much behind when it comes to diversity and inclusivity.

shesaid.so: What do you hope it will provide for others?

SS: Speaking to over 100 women, I learned everyone missed something. Myself, I missed a powerful photo of someone who had a temporary stoma (colostamy bag) like myself but who would still go out, work out, travel, go to festivals and date for example. One of the black women in the book shared a very personal insight, saying she “never saw a black person on TV with cancer, thought all her life it was a disease for white people”, showcasing the lack of diveristy in imagery around women with cancer. Or someone else sharing she couldn’t find one photo example of how her scar would look on her pigmented skin after her mastectomy, being a Surinamese Hindustani (not sure this is the right ENGLISH translation) woman. I hope we can make a real change by telling these 50 real life stories and showing 50 powerful portraits of 50 incredible women, who happen to have cancer.

shesaid.so: How can people support the project? (Internationally too)

SS: People can donate to our crowdfund (https://www.voordekunst.nl/projecten/13688-ktkanker ) to help bring this book to life. We need a lot of money, due to the fact that we worked over a year on this book with a team of 12 people doing research, interviews and shooting 50 portraits, combined with relatively high paper prices due to COVID and wanting to create a high-quality full-color photobook for a reasonably low price so it’s accesible for all people at €29,99. You can pre-order a dutch copy of the book through the crowdfund, but also simply donate money without purchasing a book. Internationally, people can opt in on an English translated version of the book through our website (www.kutkanker.com), if we hit 100 opt ins, we’ll get the book translated and shipped internationally.

shesaid.so: One piece of advice that has impacted you?

SS: Fake it till you make it. To an extent. I once heard this said by someone who explained it as: of course don’t lie or get in over your head, but honestly the majority of people don’t know what they are doing, so be confident and know you can probably figure it out along the way. This has really resonated with me, especially when I started for myself as an artist manager, having only a record label background. The older I now get, the bigger the boardrooms I find myself in, the more I realize that indeed a lot of people don’t know what they are doing and you can figure it out along the way. Be informed, be on point and do your best, and you can basically do anything you set your mind to.

shesaid.so: Any music you currently have in heavy rotation that you’d like to share with others?

SS: I just went to Governors Ball in NYC where Tove Lo absolutely blew me away, what an artist, a proper rockstar of our time. Same for Ashniko, amazing performer. And a nice summer song to have on repeat is “Nobody” by Quentyn and KEV!

. . .

Here are those links again to support the k*ktanker book project:

You can support our project by donating to our crowdfund (https://www.voordekunst.nl/projecten/13688-ktkanker ), we need to hit 80% to make this special project a reality. First copies are in Dutch, but you can opt in on an English version of the book through our website: www.kutkanker.com

Member Spotlight #36: Erika Montes

Erika Montes — VP, Artist Relations at Soundcloud

Erika Montes is the VP of Artist Relations at Soundcloud, where she is in charge of building and maintaining SoundCloud’s relationships with artists, managers, producers, and agents. We spoke with Erika about her experience working with artists like Rihanna, how she pivoted from working at record labels to working in music tech, and why budding executives should fight for their fair share.

Erika Montes

shesaid.so: Tell us a little more about yourself, and your music career journey to date.

Erika: I have now been in this industry for over 20 years — 22 to be exact! I started out as an assistant at a latin label back in 1999. Then in 2001, I went over to Def Jam to do Video Promotions and I was there for close to 10 years. It was the best boot camp I could ask for! That place taught me almost everything I know (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and also gave me some of the most memorable moments of my life. Maybe one day I’ll write a book. From there I went over to Fuse, a music TV channel, and then over to LoveLive, a Creative Agency, where I got to dip my toe into the agency world. While I was at LoveLive, I got a call from a recruiter at Soundcloud to work with someone who I had met during my Def Jam days and I could not pass up the opportunity. I had been wondering whether I wanted to continue in music and thought, well I haven’t ventured into tech so I at least have to try it. Coming to Soundcloud reignited my love for music and the best part is that I get to work with ALL kinds of music. On the daily I have a team where we listen to every single genre imaginable and get a first hand look at what is bubbling under on the platform that will dictate who we will be listening to a year from now.

shesaid.so: What do you consider some of your greatest career achievements, and why?

Erika: There are so many to mention because the experiences keep getting better. I’ve had the honor of working with some of the biggest names at the beginning of their careers like Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, and Kanye West. To watch them become as huge as they have and know that I played a tiny part in that is a feeling I can not describe. Recently though, I’m really proud of the team I’ve built at Soundcloud and coming into my own as a manager. Encouraging and passing on the knowledge that I’ve learned to the next group of music executives is key to making this a more inclusive and empathetic industry.

shesaid.so: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced, and how have they shaped you and your career?

Erika: You name them, I’ve faced them. Being told that I would be submitted for certain power lists and not others because I’m Latina, and not because of the work that I’ve contributed to a particular type of music. Being marginalized in that way is very difficult. Knowing that you’re not being paid enough for the jobs and positions you’re being promoted to. I am very vocal and will make sure to stand my ground and ask for what is right and what I know I deserve, but I know that is not the way we are conditioned. My mom taught me to be vocal but at the same time not ruffle too many feathers. As I grew more, I started to see the major discrepancies in salaries between men and women and then men and women of color, and I quickly realized that everything is negotiable and first offers are just a starting point in negotiations. And not just for myself, but making sure that I’m sharing that with my friends, my colleagues, and making sure that my team members get what they deserve.

shesaid.so: Who in the music industry are you inspired by, and why?

Erika: I find inspiration from the incredible friends that I have been lucky enough to build friendships with in my career journey. There’s nothing better than finding a community where you push each other to be better, to want better, and to pass that on to the next generation.

shesaid.so: What do you hope to see more of in the music industry in regards to latinx/hispanic representation?

Erika: I want to see more places where we get to celebrate each other and our wins. Some great friends of mine, who are part of the group that inspires me, started the Asian American Collective, and they’re always encouraging me to start the LatinX version and I think about it daily especially right now as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. That will be my goal and future contribution. Putting it in writing!

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Become a member or find out how to support shesaid.so here.

Member Spotlight #37: Maria Gironas

Senior Media Partnerships Manager, Creators and Artists at Reddit

Maria Gironas

For Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re spotlighting inspiring latinx and hispanic people making waves in the music industry. Maria Gironas is a Senior Media Partnerships Manager for Creators and Artists at Reddit, where she works with creators to onboard them onto the Reddit platform. Maria spoke with shesaid.so about her past life as a touring musician, her experience living with anxiety and depression, and her vision for latinx representation in the music industry.

shesaid.so: Can you tell us a little more about yourself, and your music career journey to date?

Maria: I started my career as an artist signed to a small label, and it changed my life. I got to play shows, tour, produce, and learn the nitty gritty on what it meant to be an artist. The crazy thing was, I was 11 when that all started. I was a kid being told what to wear, to write about honest feelings, to balance school and social life, and couple that with both the weight and honor it is to be a child of two Bolivian immigrants. It was a lot. I fell out of love with the idea of a musician, and fell in love with the idea that I could work with artists and creators to protect and honor their visions. My career since has been about two things: 1. Empowering creators and artists through embracing technology and data and 2. Elevating marginalized communities through all the work I do. Those north stars have brought me to companies like Reybee as a publicist, Fender in social media, YouTube in artist and creator development, Q&A/Human Resources on platform partnerships, Wide Eyed Entertainment in marketing, Downtown Records in DSP strategy, and now, Reddit heading up talent partnership efforts.

shesaid.so: What do you consider some of your greatest career achievements, and why?

Maria: Honestly, in my wildest dreams, I would have never thought to be in the place I am in my career. This might sound silly to someone reading this, but I am in a constant state of gratitude for my life, and I think I’d be lying if I wrote out what my greatest career achievement was, because just living right now, in the moment, feels like the biggest win of all. Young, little Maria would think this current Maria was pretty awesome.

shesaid.so: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced, and how have they shaped you and your career?

Maria: I’ve had a winding mental health journey my whole life. Through therapy, medication, and support from my friends and family, I’ve been able to manage my anxiety and depression. I’m grateful to say I’ve had some incredible bosses who were very open to letting me share my struggles and allowing the space to take a step back when I needed to. But, there were many, MANY, moments where I just didn’t take care of myself and it manifested into panic attacks, obsession, intrusive thoughts, and distancing myself from the people that cared about me. I think because I went through all of this, I can see when others might need space to feel heard and seen. Sometimes, gentle conversations on mental health could be allowing the space and time to properly ask, “how are you doing?” Within the Latino community, there is an unfortunate stigma surrounding mental health that is slowly being corrected, but still has a long way to go. All we can do sometimes is create space and give space, and I have known those simple actions to change the course of my life and career.

shesaid.so: Who in the music industry are you inspired by, and why?

Maria: My parents, Carla and Ramiro Gironas, are the people that inspire me the most in all aspects of my life, hands down. Within the music industry, I am the luckiest human on earth to admit that I have been truly blessed to have friends and mentors like Jenna LoMonaco, Rachel Stoewer Poston, Beka Tischker, Irene Richter, Jessica Rivera, Brooke Rascoff, Julie Nguyen, Sam Juneman, Rebeca Leon, Chelsea Dankner, Jordan Federman, Vatana Shaw, Erika Montes, Danielle Jimenez, Doris Munoz, Ana Maldonado, Ranya Khoury, Daniela Sala, Livia Piomelli, Tayla Ridley, Emily Garibaldi, Madilyn Bailey, Evange Livanos, Brynn Elliott, Kristin Gregory, Jensen McRae, Grace Adeyemo, Noreen Prunier, Kat MacLean-Daley, Ritz McCain, Blair Miller, Jordana Golub, Jamie Hart, Caroline Trujillo, Tenille Arts, Michele Stephens, Satasha Torres, Jillian Newman, Julie Gurovitsch, Brittany Crawford, Phylicia Fant, Erin Hanson, Lauren McKinney, Nicole Barsalona, Grace Segundo, Cecille Crisostomo, Sara Dempsey, Jackie Yaegar, Grace Roslovic, Shaun Alexander, Evangeline Elder, Whitney-Gayle, Benta, Niki Pittelli, Chelsi Zollner, Cecilia Winter, Julie Ciccarelli, Melanie McClain, and so so so many more. Remember these names!

shesaid.so: What do you hope to see more of in the music industry in regards to latinx/hispanic representation?

Maria: I want to see our community represented in all genres of music on all sides of the business. Latinx and love metal? Manage a metal band. Latinx and love pop music? Start a pop label. Latinx and love pop punk music? Start a pop punk band. Let’s spread our culture far and wide!

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Become a member or find out how to support shesaid.so here.

Meet the Alternative Power 100 Music List 2021 Ambassadors

We celebrate the New Creative Economy with this year’s #AltList

To say we’re excited about this year’s Alternative Power 100 Music List is an understatement.

We have just come from our brilliant #AltList2021 launch and networking event in Amsterdam with our partners Patreon and we’re eager to share more with you.

This year, the #AltList 2021 is celebrating The New Creative Economy and the new era it is ushering in for the music industry.

The pandemic forced a reckoning of what it means to operate in a system that isn’t sustainable for the music industry’s independent creators, thinkers & entrepreneurs. Alongside our partners at Patreon, we will honor those whose alternative paths lead to a better world for everyone.

From architecting new ways of owning work to community-supported funding, the music industry is building a new creative economy where the independent community can fully thrive.

And we can’t wait to celebrate those at the forefront of this new era.

So get ready to meet our extraordinary ambassadors this year…

MEET THE AMBASSADORS

To help bring our vision to life, this year we are also introducing special awards and ten brand new categories covering industry areas such as Artists, Community, Record Labels and more.

Here are the ambassadors championing this year’s #AltList.

Artists and DJ’s

NJ Ndure — Relationships Manager for North America Catalyst Brand Management, Nike

Based in Los Angeles, during her nearly six years with Nike, NJ has built an impressive project portfolio working with today’s leading talent such as Megan Thee Stallion, IDK and Chika. She has worked on countless cultural moments throughout her career including Air Max Day, All Star Weekend, Super Bowl, and Grammys.

Aly Gilla — Bandcamp

Aly Gillani is the co-founder of First Word Records — an independent UK label focusing on the intersections between Hip Hop, Jazz and Soul. He’s also the UK and Europe label rep for Bandcamp.

NJ Ndure and Aly Gilla

Music and Sound Creators

Aubrey Whitfield — Producer and Songwriter

Aubrey Whitfield is a London based Music Producer and Songwriter who has worked with an array of talent from Kelly Clarkson, Simon Webbe (Blue), Little Mix, J-Fla, Charlotte Kelly (Soul II Soul) and George Shelley, to writing and producing songs for Universal and BMG.

Maria Egan — Chief Music Officer, Splice

At Splice, Maria oversees creative partnerships and music strategy globally, plus is Chair of the DEI Council. Previously she served as President and Head of Creative at Pulse Music Group for seven years. Egan signed and developed writers delivering multiple #1 hits ranging from the record breaking Latin smash ‘Despacito feat Justin Bieber’ (Marty James) to ‘Adore You’ by Harry Styles (Tyler Johnson).

Maria Egan and Aubrey Whitfield (L-R)

Community and Activism

NIKS — Black Artist Database

London based DJ, facilitator, educator and consultant NIKS co-created the database and editorial platform Black Artist Database (B.A.D) with a group of five friends in early June 2020. Now a full-fledged website, B.A.D houses over 3,500 artists, producers, labels, bands and counting.

NIKS

Steven Braines

Steven Braines — CEO, The Weird & The Wonderful & HE.SHE.THEY.

He.She.They. is an international event series/record label/fashion house which aims to create “places without prejudice for people to be people” bringing intersectional audiences and artists together to diversify dance floors and make spaces more inclusive and welcoming to a wider range of people in brave spaces from London, New York and Berlin through to Ibiza, Amsterdam and Mumbai and countless others in between.

Record Label

Andreea Gleeson — CEO, Tunecore

Since joining Tunecore in 2015 Andreea has made significant contributions to the company’s growth, after years as an eCommerce pioneer in the retail industry. Andreea also rose as a fierce advocate for female-identifying creators, commissioning the MIDiA Research study BE THE CHANGE: Women Making Music 2021.

Julia Killer — Head of Music Label Partnerships EMEA, Facebook

Julia Killer joined Facebook as Head of Music Label Partnerships EMEA in 2019 and her team works with record labels on music product opportunities across Facebook and Instagram. Before Facebook, Julia was Director of Artist and Label Services at Soundcloud, managing the international label and artist services team , headed up the Label Relations team at 7digital and started her career in Music Publishing at Kobalt, where she joined in 2006. Julia is also a proud Alt List 2020 Honoree.

(L-R Andreea Gleeson, Julia Killer)

Artist Management

Jameson Thomas — IAMJT

Jameson Thomas is the co-founder of IAMJT, a Los Angeles-based creative agency and management company whose clients have included Off White, Boiler Room, Theophilus London, Seb Wildblood, Biako aka Itai Shapira, and more. He also serves as Artist Relations Board Member at shesaid.so and is a partner at The Foundation, a new management venture with a roster ranging from The Martinez Brothers and Joseph Capriati to Vince Staples, Madeintyo, and Yuna.

Sophia Kearney — CEO, The Weird & The Wonderful & HE.SHE.THEY.

Sophia’s career started at WME Entertainment, after which she moved to ATM artists. Then Sophia and Steven Braines founded “The Weird & The Wonderful”, who manage an eclectic roster of artists such as Maya Jane Coles, Robert Owens, Louisahhh, Emily Nash, SYREETA & Wax Wings. Steven and Sophia launched an event series and fashion house HE.SHE.THEY.

Josh Andriano — Indie Pop

Josh co-founded the artist management company Indie-Pop and has helped to develop hit songs, platinum albums, and the careers of music producers, songwriters, DJ’s, and artists, including Kyle, Yuna, The Martinez Brothers, Joseph Capriati, Carnage, Yellow Claw, Boombox Cartel, MadeinTYO, KSHMR and more. In 2020 he co-founded the label alternative Independent, a boutique and curated full service music distribution company.

(L-R) Jameson Thomas, Sophia Kearney, Josh Andriano)

Events

Ali Harnell — President & Chief Strategy Officer, Live Nation Women

At Live Nation, Ali Harnell spearheads women’s initiatives and women-led programming, for example Oprah’s “2020 Vision” Tour. Prior to Live Nation, Harnell spent 15 years as SVP at AEG Presents, overseeing national tours and more.

Stephanie LaFera — Global Head of Electronic Music, WME

Stephanie leads an international team of agents focused on the genre whose roster includes top electronic music acts, including Kygo, Steve Aoki, TOKiMONSTA, Martin Garrix, Marshmello, Eric Prydz, and Peggy Gou.

Terry Weerasinghe — COO, Boiler Room

Terry is COO at online broadcaster and live events company Boiler Room. He spent seven years at Beatport, and previously spent over five years as the Head of Native Instruments’ Traktor brand, which he grew from a small side business to be the companies major revenue generator.

(Clockwise from top) Ali Harnell, Terry Weerasinghe, Stephanie LaFera)

Creative

Ibrahim Kamara — Digital Entrepreneur and Co-Founder, GUAP

Ibrahim is a 27-year-old digital entrepreneur and co-founder of GUAP, which has grown from the world’s first video magazine to becoming a multi-platform youth media brand, covering all aspects of creativity and culture.

Teresa Aramburu — Global culture marketing activations, Adidas

Over her career so far, Teresa has successfully spearheaded the artist relations, entertainment marketing and partnership departments for companies such as Marshall Headphones and Speakers, Urbanears and FL Studio. Over the years, she has carved out numerous high-profile collaborations with artists and partners including Little Simz, Cuco, Iggy Pop, Tove Lo, Alan Walker, Deb Never, Vagabon, TM88, Amsterdam Dance Event, Afropunk, ComplexCon, Razer, Red Bull and Beatclub, to name a few.

Teresa Aramburu and Ibrahim Kamara (L-R)

Business and Technology

Maria Gironas — Senior Media Partnerships Manager, Creators, Reddit

Maria is a creator and artist development professional, having been a signed artist herself to cultivating publicity or social media campaigns for artists and brands including Fender and Noah Gundersen. Previously, she was Strategic Partner Manager on the Artist Development team at Youtube.

Suzy Ryoo — Co-Founder & President, Q&A

Suzy Ryoo is the Co-Founder & President of Q&A, a music tech startup on a mission to empower the independent future of the music industry. Q&A recently launched software & services platform Venice as a community built to level up independent artists & entrepreneurs including Erick the Architect, Thuy & Kota the Friend.

Suzy Ryoo and Maria Gironas (L-R)

Marketing, Comms & PR

Yasmine Summan — Journalist & Social Media Consultant

Yasmine is a non-binary, South Asian, multi-media music journalist and social media mogul, interviewing your favourite bands by day and going viral on Tik Tok by night.

Whitney Wei — Editor-in-Chief, Resident Advisor

Foremost a journalist and critic, Whitney writes about club culture and experimental dance music scenes from around the world. Her words have appeared in The Guardian, Vogue US, Pitchfork, Mixmag, FACT, Highsnobiety, and Numéro Berlin, among others.

Yasmine Summan and Whitney Wei (L-R)

Sync and Publishing

Shauni Caballero — Founder, The Go 2 Agency & G293 Publishing

Shauni Caballero is a former Universal Music and PRS for Music Exec, founded The Go 2 Agency a Music Publishing and Consultancy company to help artists, writers and producers make money from their music.

Shauni Caballero

. . .

The Alternative Power 100 Music List launched in 2017 as a response to Billboard’s Power 100 List with the aim to challenge conventional music industry standards. Over the past four years the #AltList has evolved into a sought-after distinction by many executives, artists and other creators in the music industry, focusing on traditionally underrepresented communities. The #AltList is open to all genders.

Find out more and get ready to nominate here.