This week we are thrilled to share part 1 of our discussion with industry legend Dr Sally Anne Gross! Sally has had quite the varied career from being the first female A&R at Mercury Records, taking trips to San Fransisco to scout artists to running her own record label from her kitchen table and later studying for her Law Masters. We discuss the key differences that Sally found in her experiences in the DIY scene and at major labels. Her role as an Artist Manager; shifting records and remixes for dance acts and how the title and responsibilities have changed. Later Sally began studying ..read more

In this episode we spoke with duo Bella & Alex. Working on both sides of the industry although working closely together, Bella is a freelance content creator and strategist Summer of '96 (her creative agency) and Alex in the dance marketing team at Atlantic Records. They both have had experience working for what many of us would consider 'Dream Companies' and we unpack what this looks like. In this episode we discuss both of their career journey's starting from university and the experience and guidance they received whilst studying. Also as internship season is approaching we discuss Ale ..read more

This week we spoke with the wonderful Lex Hearth (fka Lex on the Decks). Lex previously worked as a strategist for brands and culture in the advertising industry before pivoting into music. Lex now wears many hats: a presenter, artist and 'Groovy House' DJ, best known through her podcast ‘Hot Girls’ and artist releases, which have been featured on BBC Introducing, and BBC R1 Dance. Lex is also the Founder of digital magazine Cleopatras and creator of Dance Music Digest (@dmduk) that launched in 2024. In this episode we discuss her career path to date, overcoming challenges and the launch o ..read more

Welcome back to Season 5 of the Melocompass Podcast! We are so excited to be back with you and are kicking off this series with the wonderful Nikki McNeill. Nikki has 25+ years of music Industry experience and has a wealth of knowledge on PR and communications for festivals and events. Nikki is passionate about this all around the world and founded Global Publicity in 2007, she works with clients that she really believes in and speaks on authenticity that her voice projects by doing so. Nikki is an extremely active member in the wider music industry community; being on the executive board f ..read more

Season 4 finale! In this final episode of the series, we spoke with Alex Ampofo. Alex is an absolute powerhouse across the music industry - she is a Live Music Promoter at one of the UK's leading gig promoter and has worked on the shows and tours of some of the world’s leading talent’s such as; Ms Lauryn Hill, Robbie Williams, Janelle Monae, Ella Mai, SiR, Nao, Mura Masa, Goldlink, Jordan Rakei, Ghetts. As well as rising talents, Kojey Radical, Etta Bond, Arlo Parks, and Che Lingo to name a few. In this episode we discuss Alex's early entry into Live Music and the differences in responsibili ..read more

In this episode we spoke with Sophie who is Director of Partnerships at DICE. We discuss her journey into the Music from studying Arts, Music and Entertainment Management at LIPA to securing her Masters Degree in Business alongside working in South Africa as well as her passions for diversity and inclusion; specifically stemming from leadership positions. During her time in South Africa, Sophie began managing bands and working within the Live Sector in Marketing and Partnerships. After the World Cup in 2010 there was much greater opportunity to tour in South Africa which led to a huge increas ..read more

In this episode we spoke with Sarah Wilson, Head of Tunecore for UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Tunecore is one of the world’s leading DIY distributors, working with over 150+ DSPs globally, and working closely with its parent company Believe Digital. It stands strongly for the democratisation of access to distribution for all. We also discuss how Sarah manages her busy schedule and working across multiple timezones. Sarah’s experience lies solidly within the music industry, having worked at Universal Music UK as VP, International Marketing and at The Orchard in Artist ..read more

Esta wears many hats day to day as an Events Manager, Youth Mentor and Public Speaker on Neurodiversity, specifically Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. In this episode we were able to dive deep into her schedule and the doors that speaking openly about her dyslexia have been able to open. Since she was diagnosed during her time at University, Esta struggled academically for her younger years but has gone on to show that her creativity and drive propels her talent in the Music Industry. She is voice for others with invisible learning needs to ensure they see appropriate support, check out @life_with_dysl ..read more

In this episode we spoke with the incredible Xylo! Xylo is an Artist, Producer and founder Music Production for Women: an online platform that provides a supportive environment for women to learn music tech skills. Since it's launch in 2019 MPW has taught more than 7000 women in over 120 countries; breaking down the barriers for women in the production space, partnered with global brands and has left Xylo internationally recognised as an entrepreneur and innovator through shesaid. so and being a finalist in the 2022 Australian Business xCellence awards. In this episode we speak about: the exp ..read more

In this episode we spoke with Kaitlyn Davies who helped us to pull back the curtain on buzz-topics such as Web 3.0 and Blockchain! With the increasing pressure to stay updated on tech news in the past few years Kaitlyn's expert knowledge has given us a more cohesive image of the future of the music industry. Kaitlyn has had a vast and varied career journey that has led her across the globe from Toronto to London, Berlin and now Lisbon. She began her career in music in Publicity roles, moved to working at Soundcloud and during that time co-founded CO:QUO which was her introduction to Web 3.0 a ..read more