Katelyn Mcintyre is a SAE Music Business student based in Glasgow with multiple industry ventures to her name.
Along with two fellow students, she formed Jam Piece, a collective focused on providing live opportunities to bands and artists from outside Glasgow.
She has also launched her own artist management company Nøise Management in January of this year with two bands – neverfine and An Opening Lie.
We featured Katelyn as part of our International Women’s Month content from earlier in the year. But her ventures sounded so exciting, we realised we had to get to know Katelyn and her projects better.
Read our interview for more below…
How did you launch your musical career?
I was always musical, and spent most of my childhood in music groups, choirs, orchestras etc and always knew I had a passion for music. But I didn’t want to be a musician – and I didn’t know anything about the industry or other avenues I could pursue.
It wasn’t until much later, in my early twenties, that I started studying biology at university, and within 18 months of starting my course, I was met with the reality of what the music industry was. I was lucky enough to meet a really lovely band, and spent a while attending various dates on their tour and speaking with them and their team. It was at this point I realised that there was so much more in the background, and that maybe that would be something I’d like to pursue.
From there, I fell down a rabbit hole, researching the industry, finding out what jobs were out there, and the courses I could do. Before I knew it, I was back at university, but studying something I loved, and I’ve never looked back.
What led you to SAE then?
I applied for SAE after finding out it was a two-year accelerated degree rather than a four-year degree like most others. This was a huge benefit, as I felt I’d already wasted time getting to this point, and wanted to get out into the industry sooner rather than later, so I applied.
Discussing the course content with the lecturers, and the opportunities for placements, as well as knowing that the lecturers I was learning from were still active in the industry, this all gave it an edge that no other courses compared with at that time. This really solidified my choice.
How have your studies prepared you to take on the music industry?
I knew a lot of the basics, but being at SAE really allowed me to gain insight into how this applies in the real world rather than textbook examples.
The Music Business degree is made up of so many assets that I felt that I was always learning something new, expanding into new areas, and finding passion in fields of the industry I hadn’t previously thought I’d be interested in.
The lecturers have been a huge help, especially in the last 12 months. After my first trimester, things started to move at a slightly quicker pace, and the workload definitely increased, but having two lecturers who were so active in the industry, but who had such a vast experience really helped. I think, having built a relationship with them the way I did, I always felt I could ask questions, big or small. They really helped me realise that everyone in the industry starts somewhere, and that you have to back yourself the whole way.
What have been the key things you’ve learned?
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that you can never stop learning. Like I said before, the industry is changing all the time, and things get changed overnight, new music is released, new technology, everything changes all the time. Even the people who have been in the industry for years, they are all actively learning new things about the industry every day. That, for me, really allowed me to be more confident.
A few modules focused more on building a business and planning a business concept, or building a brand for an artist, and these were important too. This really taught me how creative you can be within the music business, and that it’s not all contracts and legalities and planning. Coming from a music background allowed me to really bring the creative elements of a musician into a business capacity, which I loved.
What was the motivation to launch your businesses?
There are definitely a few factors behind this. I had done some work on artist management and branding in a previous module, and had planned a business for another module in the same semester, and I felt these two projects really allowed me to develop my own knowledge and skills as an artist manager and someone who wanted to work for themselves.
Moving into my second year, myself and two fellow students were tasked with planning and executing a live event for a module, which is how Jam Piece came to life.
The minute we started Jam Piece, we knew that it couldn’t just be one event, so we really began researching how we could utilise it moving forward, and just chose to continue working on it even after the module was done.
Launching my management company came from a different avenue completely, and was purely due to networking. I’d known a band for a while who’s music I really liked, and I knew one of the members, and they had been advised to bring someone on board, who could really focus on them from the beginning. Also, someone who was newer to the industry was likely to have a bit more drive behind them to make their mark. That’s when they reached out to me. We had a big discussion about how it would be a big learning experience for us both, and whilst I was super excited to be considered, I was really unsure.
It wasn’t until I came back this semester, and spoke with my lecturer, and I explained to him that I’d been asked to manage a band but I wasn’t sure if I was ready, that I got the push I needed. I definitely had the passion and motivation, but I just didn’t quite know if I was up to the task, but was soon reminded, that everyone is still learning, and that there was no real reason for me to say no.
How does Jam Piece work? And what venues are you working with?
Jam Piece is a collective that focuses on uplifting artists and bands from more rural areas of Scotland and provides them the opportunity to play gigs in larger cities. We work by providing support slots to artists from across Scotland, and allow them to support more established bands in cities like Glasgow.
Jam Piece works on the basis that we are completely open to artists, so whilst we’re researching and scouting the upcoming talent in places like Stirling, Falkirk, Fife and elsewhere, we’re also always open to emails and DMs from artists and bands looking for the opportunity.
What we do at Jam Piece, essentially encapsulates all areas of hosting a gig. We book the venue, we find the artists, we create all the marketing and promotional material, we promote the gig and sell tickets and look after the artists from beginning to end. We provide them with legitimate contracts and we pay them fairly in line with the recommended pay guidelines provided by the Musicians’ Union.
For ourselves, its not for profit, and we do it purely for the artists involved, and we work hard to be able to provide opportunities that they might not have the chance to get otherwise. Additionally, paying them in line with the Musicians’ Union recommendations, does mean they’re getting great pay for their gig, and it’s not common to see this for acts at that level often unfortunately.
In terms of venues, our launch night took place at The Hug and Pint in Glasgow, a fantastic grassroots venue. We wanted to work not only with artists and focus on helping independent artists gain more exposure, but also focus on independent grassroots venues, and we will continue to make that a primary focus as we move forward this year. We don’t have any direct partnerships with venues as yet, but it’s definitely something we have considered.
Do you have any advice for emerging talent looking to break through?
I think my biggest advice will always be, remember you are a business!
Imagine you’re going onto Dragon’s Den, you don’t walk on with a product and no clue about how to brand, or pitch it, or how to describe why it deserves the money. Being an artist is exactly the same, except the product is your music. Working to build your brand is the foundation, and that’s not necessarily putting yourself in a box and saying ‘I’m only releasing pop music and that’s what I’ll do forever’. In fact, it’s knowing how to brand yourself, and how to develop that brand as you move from project to project.
Being able to distinguish one artist from the rest is so so important, and I’ve seen it happen a lot where musicians release an album or EP and haven’t put any thought into their brand as an artist, and define themselves based on their release.
I would also say, planning everything is so important, and asking people for help! I’ve had bands who I don’t manage ask me for advice on bits and pieces that they’re unsure about, and I’m always happy to help. The reality is, there’s a deadline for everything, for tracks and mastering, and getting them onto platforms before release dates, or deadlines to get press pitches out there etc, and planning your project is so important to meet them and give yourself the best chance at success. Self managing your time is really important, but don’t let it ruin the creativity!
The last thing I’d say is get in the room. Go to a gig, meet new people, chat to everyone you can, because that person you chat with might just be the band’s manager. It’s all about making connections, and I didn’t believe that too much at the start, but it really is. Meeting one person can lead to a multitude of others, and the more contacts you build and relationships you nurture, the more opportunities you’ll have.
Connect with Katelyn’s businesses:
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