Company: Xelon Entertainment - A&R, Industry Relations
How did you first become involved in the music business? Xelon was my distributor and at Christmas 2009 I brought a slab of beer into the office. Then when I was looking for work six months later, they gave me a shot. Coincidence!
What's your area of expertise and what experience do you have? I work in the digital music landscape and have for around seven years. So everything streaming and downloads is my forte. I help people get records out and make sense of the digital environment.
What topics will you be mostly talking about at Face The Music? What does it take to put a record out? What can you/should you expect from your partners? How do you grow your audience? How do you articulate your story?
What's been the biggest change in the music business you've seen over the past 12 months? The exit of Pandora and Soundcloud from Australia is pretty major. We are still finding our feet with streaming but the future looks bright.
What do you think will be the biggest issue affecting the music industry in the next 12 months and why? I think Facebook is becoming less viable as a means of connecting with an audience, so finding a reliable way to connect with fans will be a priority struggle.
What advice would you give young practitioners in your area starting out today? Be prolific. Find a way to release music without spending large amounts of cash. Release regularly. Hit hard and hit often! Don't expect a single song to make your career.
