July's Interview

This month's interview is with my friend Cherryl Ignacio, an Artist Manager based in London. Cherryl started her music journey a few years back and had since managed several artists and bands. Her passion and hard work comes through in every project she takes on, helping artists to build a reputation within the music industry and grow their network. 
You can find her on Instagram : ​@cherryl_rr

​Questions:
 
 CF - What inspired you to start your business?

CI - "After having friends in bands and music being my passion, I started helping bands with bits and pieces like admin and social media idea's. From there it then escalated into helping out at shows on weekends while still having a full time job".

CF -  What is one mistake you've made that taught you a valuable lesson?

CI - "Saying yes to everything and trying to do everything - I have learned to have quality over quantity".

CF - If you were to start over, what would you do differently from the very beginning?

CI - "I wouldn't change anything as the mistakes I have made have made me better in business and at my Job".

CF - What trends should aspiring/established artists managers keep an eye on? 

CI - "In terms of trends to always be aware of social media trends especially on TIK TOK and Instagram. What songs are being used and how are they being used. Being aware of new music coming out on editorial playlists on Spotify and Apple Music - who's on the 'New music Friday' playlists. Who's new on radio and who are topping the festival scenes".

CF -  Can you describe a typical day in your life as an Artist Manager?

CI - "Everyday is different. Normally Mondays are admin days and catching up on everything - evaluating the week before and looking at what the plans are for the week. month and year as it always changes. Then Tues/Weds I normally catch up in person or zoom for meetings with my artists and plan out their week. Are they in the studio, festival, show, campaigning a release of music etc".

CF - How do you grow as an artist manager? Do you have a mentor? 

CI - "You can always learn more at your craft, so I still attend networking events, go to shows in the week, take part in communities revolving around women in music or artist managers".

CF - How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

CI - "This is difficult as working as an artist manager is not a 9-5 job but more like a doctor. You're on the clock all the time. Maybe you receive emails from another country with a big time difference and they want to use a track for something, you have a matter of hours to get back to them or they move to another artist whose track they want to use. For me it's making sure i have at least a day off in the week to rest and spend time with family".

CF - How do you want to be remembered? What kind of legacy will you leave behind?

CI - "I want to simply just be known for someone who has helped people".

CF - What was the hardest decision in your business career so far and how did it end up for you? 

CI - "When I have to let go of artists as the dynamic doesn't work. When I take on an artist I do a trial period for around 6 months and that's for myself as well as the artists to see if it works and only a few times it doesn't".

Thank you for your time Cherryl, it was great finding out more about your journey.