Communities Are Key: Big Careers Start Local
Tuesday June 7th, 2022: 6pm AU / 9am BST. Live online via Zoom
Free registration: byta.co/hwl-live-sarah-hamilton
Everyone has to start somewhere. Developing a loyal community out of your local music scene is key. Our next guest is Sarah Hamilton, Regional Manager for Australia & New Zealand at Ditto Music. Sarah also co-founded a charity called One of One with Joanna Cameron, a website that highlights women and non-binary people in the music industry. Sarah has been working in digital distribution in Australia since 2008, with a short stint in New York City. She loves working with independent artists and seeing them gain access to the same opportunities as artists signed to major labels.
Partnering with Byta.com on this month’s event is One of One, a not-for-profit charity that supports, encourages and celebrates women and people in the Australian music industry by highlighting and acknowledging their achievements. Partnering also is Gig Life Pro. Built by music industry professionals for music industry professionals wanting to grow their business across Asia Pacific and beyond through education and networking. Offering insights, connections and a supportive community.
This is a monthly online event that will be presented in two parts:
- A workshop: Tips & insights for tomorrow’s artists & music industry leaders with Byta founder Marc Brown.
- An in-depth interview with Sarah Hamilton: talking about developing a supportive community, how to start locally and aim globally. She will also talk about music import and export in Australia.
About the Event
This series is designed to deliver the knowledge to enable tomorrow’s artists and industry leaders to better manoeuvre their way through the music ecosystem. Providing a fun and insightful Q&A along the way!
#HowWeListen Live: In Conversation is hosted by Byta’s founder, Marc Brown, whose deep music business background and digital audio knowledge have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto. Marc is a former label owner, A&R, manager and radio plugger.
Key takeaways:
- What does “local” mean in the digital music age?
- Community is key in developing a career in music
- The importance of diversity and inclusion
- Developing international streaming and marketing strategies
- How indie artists can gain access to the same opportunities as major label artists
- Streaming playlist tips and tricks
- Opening up your world: be part of like-minded communities in music
Free registration: byta.co/hwl-live-sarah-hamilton
Event Format
#HowWeListen Live (part 1):
The workshop will introduce industry insights that Marc has picked up from his work in A&R departments, running his own radio promotion company, plus years of experience managing artists and significant large scale projects. Some of the topics he will touch on include artists’ teams, timelines and connecting the web of the music industry. Plus, most importantly, tips on what you can do yourself to increase your chances of success.
#HowWeListen In Conversation (part 2):
Each event will feature an in-depth one-to-one conversation. This time around, from Australia, Sarah Hamilton will discuss how crucial it is to develop a supportive community in order to build a successful music career. She will also explore what community and a “local music scene” means in the digital era.
About Byta
Byta (“Bee-tah”: the Swedish word for exchange) is unrivalled in taking advantage of the unique properties found in audio files. By simplifying the reading and writing of file metadata, converting file formats, and delivering fast yet secure streaming, the platform enables everyone to send and receive digital audio in a clean, simple, and secure way. Byta has also launched #HowWeListen, a not-for-profit organisation that complements the company’s ultimate goal: providing artists and their teams with the tools and knowledge needed to move their careers forward.
About Sarah Hamilton
Sarah is the Regional Manager for Australia and New Zealand at Ditto Music, which is a music and label services company that works with over 500 000 artists and labels worldwide, with offices in 25 countries. Sarah has been working in digital distribution in Australia since 2008, with a short stint in New York City. She loves working with independent artists and seeing them gain access to new opportunities and to build new audiences.
Sarah loves watching the industry change and grow and helping artists navigate the changing digital space. She has eclectic music taste and loves hip hop, neo-soul, r&b, pop, with some alt-country thrown in. Sarah also co-founded a charity called One of One with Joanna Cameron, a website that highlights women and non-binary people in the music industry and hosts annual events for International Women’s Day, now in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Sarah was the recipient of the inaugural Music Victoria Outstanding Woman in Music Award in 2020 and has been listed in The Music’s Power 50 of the Australian Music industry on two separate occasions.
When not at her computer with headphones on, she can be found eating Vietnamese food on Smith Street in Melbourne’s Collingwood neighbourhood (when it’s open).
About Marc Brown
Marc is the founder of Byta / byta.com. Run as a distributed team across three continents, Byta enables sending and receiving digital audio in a clean, simple and secure way. Built for everyone working with music today.
He has an extensive music business background and considerable digital audio knowledge, which have helped him deliver unique insights to audiences from Tallinn to Toronto.
Marc started his career at murderecords, Canada’s premier artist-owned label during the mid-90s. After working in A&R at the legendary London indie, Creation Records, and then at Alan McGee’s Poptones, Marc started his own boutique UK radio promotion company off the back of his success with The Hives. Marc worked with an impressive list of indie rock luminaries for over ten years, including Wilco, Bloc Party, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Spoon and Refused, and legends such as Tom Waits, Yoko Ono, Booker T and Mavis Staples.
Marc currently lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.
Free registration: byta.co/hwl-live-sarah-hamilton