On July 14, rolling out hosted the Backwoods Making Smoke music panel. This event brought together local artists, producers, and music makers to network and gain skills in their respective fields. J. Sims, J.R. McKee, and Joshua “J1” Raiford spoke to the guests and gave tips and advice for working in the music industry.
McKee is the CEO of MPR Global Incorporated and spoke with rolling out about the event and some tips for people looking to get into the music industry
What is a normal day for you as a music executive?
I check analytics. The best part about streaming is you have all the data right in your face and all the feedback right there in your face. So I’m checking analytics, social media, comments, and direct messages. I want to see what the people are telling me because they’re really giving me my roadmap. Every day I wake up its analytics, social media, and feedback, and then I take that feedback back to the team. I say, “Hey, listen, we lacking here or we’re lacking there. Let’s do this. They love this. Let’s do more of that. Oh, this is going great. Let’s put more money there.”
How has technology played a big part in the music industry?
It’s everything because there are so many apps. At the end of the day, when you’re talking about streaming, you’re talking about the audience. So all of these new apps are giving you the opportunity to reach those audiences in different ways such as Clubhouse where I can talk, Instagram where I can go live, and TikTok where I can make skits. It’s all these different opportunities to tell my stories in various different ways, and technology has opened it up for everybody. If you’re a really good speaker, Clubhouses is for you, and if you are really funny, TikTok is for you. If you’re really beautiful and have a fashion sense, Instagram is for you. You can find your way to reach your audience now due to technology.
What are some tips you would give someone looking to get into the music industry?
Start. Don’t make the mistake of waiting for permission. If you want to be an A&R and go find an artist, then don’t wait for somebody to give you a job to find them. That’s going to be how you get the job. If you want to be a producer, don’t wait for artists to come and ask for a beat. Go make the beats and then send them to the artist. Don’t just be proactive. Whatever you want to do, start today. Don’t wait for anybody’s permission to start.
