Where are you based?
I am based in the Magic city: Miami Beach, Florida.
Where do you work? What do you do?
I am the founder of Do Better For Artists, artist manager and lifelong music lover. I’ve spent the last 13+ years working across independent music distributors like The Orchard and ONErpm, leading DSP marketing and on-platform advertising at Platoon, and coaching global brands and bands how to market themselves and develop authentic audiences across digital platforms at companies like LA Weekly, Sneak Attack Media and DKC where I lead influencer strategy for brands like L’Oreal Paris, Sports Illustrated Swim and No Kid Hungry.
Do Better For Artists is a collective and community for groundbreaking creatives eager to connect, learn + grow within digital communities. We leverage cross-platform audience data to craft bespoke advertising and marketing strategies to help creators, brands and artists achieve their campaign goals. Our clients range from independent artists, record labels and services teams looking to contract digital specialists with an innovative, holistic, forward-thinking take on digital marketing.
My mission (and life’s purpose) is to super-serve marginalized creators within the music industry and elevate women, POC and LGBTQ+ artists in an industry crafted to sustain only the top 10% of artists.
What are you listening to?
- Tems – Replay
- Isaiah Rashad – The House Is Burning (album front to back)… I haven’t stopped spinning daily since July 30, 2021
- Cartel Madras + Jide – WORKING (this song pushed me into a creative flow to build my new company)
How do you discover new music?
I spend a lot of time listening to Miami Community Radio and Jolt Radio that feature some of the best dj’s I’ve heard in the country out of Miami. I’m also lucky to be surrounded by incredibly talented and creative music-forward people in South Florida who share a passion for discovery and have built a local ecosystem to promote local talent. I’ve also been a Spotify superuser (and early beta adopter) since 2011 and still dig through curator playlists. It’s no limewire, but it works for me.
What formats do you usually listen to? LP, CD, Cassette, Digital, Streaming Services? Why?
I collect all types of vinyl and enjoy physical product over streaming – but Spotify and YouTube, for me, are essential. The last CD I listened to was David Knudson – The Only Thing You Have To Change is Everything (his debut album / release last year!)
“Most of my frustrations with streaming comes from a lack of knowledge about correct targeting and advertising on-platform. if you’re serving Metal related ads to users who only listen to Pop music, it isn’t going to resonate, the user experience is ruined.”
Where do you do most of your music listening?
My Spotify account is on from pretty much the moment I wake up, until it’s time for bed. My day is a shuffle of podcasts and albums – typically listened to while working or walking on the beach.
How do you find and listen to pre-release music?
I still read the major music publications and independent blogs which tend to feature cool upcoming releases – honestly following the distributors directly has been my favorite way to get a constant feed of new music in my timeline + algorithm at all times. They feature their top ~10 priority releases each week, and it’s cool to see what their teams consider frontline when it comes to releasing +1,000’s tracks a week.
What are your frustrations with listening to music digitally? Any benefits?
Most of my frustrations with streaming comes from a lack of knowledge about correct targeting and advertising on-platform. I’ve specialized the last 5 years in advertising for bands and brands on Spotify, YouTube, Tik Tok and Pandora. Most advertisers and artists aren’t terribly conscious of the ad targeting, and are looking for the cheapest CPM to get the highest impressions at the cheapest cost… but if you’re serving Metal related ads to users who only listen to Pop music, it isn’t going to resonate, the brand is wasting their ad dollars, and the user experience is ruined.
How do you keep track of everything you are listening to?
I’ve been a music and playlist curator for years – so I love to build genre and mood specific playlists for the different activities throughout my day.
Do you tip other people off to new music? How?
I am guilty of being the person who is posting Spotify tracks to my Instagram Stories daily. I love to share my new discoveries (and old favorites) to my social media.
Anything you want to “promote”?
Outside of Do Better For Artists, I manage (my music hero and guitar legend) David Knudson, lead guitarist of indie rock legends Minus The Bear, and hardcore/metal legendary band Botch (who recently reunited for their 20 year anniversary and crushing their international tour). His debut solo album came out last year, and I couldn’t be more proud of being a part of Dave’s massive musical renaissance.
