Introducing Chloe Irving to my blog! I am so excited to have Chloe on and for her to tell you her experience on becoming a Digital Marketing Assistant within 'Rhino' record label (Warner Music).
We talked on topics such as how leaving university was the best decision she could've made to what has been a 'pinch me' moment in her career so far. We also touched on her work experience at Warner and how she made crucial connections in such a short time.
I hope that whoever reads this feels inspired as much as I did so here you go...!
Hi! Please could you introduce yourself, how old you are, where are you from and what area of the music industry are you are in?
Chloe: Heyy! I’m Chloe, I’m 21 years old from a teeny tiny Island in the UK called the Isle of Man and I work in the recorded music sector, specifically for Warner Music’s catalogue label, Rhino.
How did you discover what area you liked of music?
Chloe: I was very lucky with the fact that I landed in my dream area through an apprenticeship. I knew I wanted to work in music, but I wasn’t quite sure where! Thankfully though, the label I’m working at runs a Digital Marketing apprenticeship with Multiverse and it was a no-brainer for me. Loved it!
I know you got work experience at Warner Music Group when you were younger, would you be able to explain how this impacted you and how you had the confidence to put yourself out there and introduce yourself to people working at Warner?
Chloe: Yeah, so when I was 16, I don’t know how, but I landed myself a week’s work experience which was HUGE for little me. I know the importance of connecting with people is quite vital for a career so I took this week as a fantastic opportunity to make these contacts and show London what I was all about. I would spend my lunch walking around the building and just saying hi and asking people about their roles and careers - I was terrified but everyone was so lovely which made it a lot easier! By doing this, I took so many fantastic contacts and tips from the trip and has helped me hugely in my career since! I often talk to those who are now my colleagues and it’s flattering to hear the impression I made way back then - just shows how important connecting is!
Taking a leap of faith is always a terrifying but usually a rewarding experience. How did you feel when dropping out of university to chase your career?
Chloe: Totally agree with this! Honestly I was so worried I was making the wrong decision, it was really touch and go for a while on what decision I made. I was at University for my career but it just wasn’t working for me and I was adamant that there must be another alternative. Apprenticeships aren’t for everyone, but boy am I glad I found it! It was everything I was looking for - a way to meet people, learn, earn and get such an amazing foot in the door! I have learn’t so much, met amazing people and had some quite ‘pinch myself’ experiences! I am very grateful for my journey so far!
Do you feel any social pressure from the industry? Do you feel like you have to be a certain way or promote yourself in a certain way?
Chloe: I think most of the pressure I feel is from myself. I am very much a perfectionist and always want to prepare myself for anything and everything! Warner hashenomenal company to work for, they very much care for their artists and employees so I really don’t feel any pressure at all except the good stuff!
Being young in the industry has there ever been an experience where you have felt that people wouldn’t take you seriously because of your age?
Chloe: Totally! I find I’m quite a bit younger than the next youngest which has been scary at times and something I had to really work on at the start. The majority of my experience has been really great, I try to make my age not apparent and show my ideas and passions first, but sometimes when you’re working with such industry legends it’s easy to not find your voice. When I’m given a chance, nothing makes me thrive more than proving myself as a young female in this crazily competitive industry and so I really try to speak up because you never know what’s going to take off!
What is your best piece of work that you are particularly proud of and why?
Chloe: Gosh that’s a hard question! I am very very lucky to have been able to work on so many fantastic campaigns which are such a huge moment for my career! I have to say though, If I had to pick one it would be a project I worked on from idea to on the shelves with my colleague Mhairi. Not only was it my first name check on the back of a vinyl (eek!) but it was a project to raise money for the NHS which was a huge deal for me, especially with the world we are living in at the moment. The product was an exclusive coloured vinyl of The Proclaimer’s ’Sunshine on Leith’ in collaboration with Hibernian FC and ELHF and we actually sold out in 3 days - a huge success for the team and something I am very proud to have my name on.
Chloe's first vinyl with her name on the back!
Do you think Gen Z will drastically change the music industry? What areas in the industry do you think will change the most?
Chloe: I love working in the digital space because that is so rapidly changing all the time - just look at TikTok! I think this is something that Gen Z will bring in too and I am so excited for all the fantastic new things that are going to be jumping out of the space in no time!
Trends are a huge thing at the moment, but do you think they happen too quickly these days especially with social media such as TikTok? Do you think this specifically results in new artists having 15 seconds of fame?
Chloe: I love TikTok! I think it’s great platform and the fact it’s breaking so many artists and tracks is so cool! It’s definitely difficult to work on at the minute as there’s not really a right or wrong to the platform - but I think as marketers this is a great way of learning new things and testing others. I love putting ideas to my artists and seeing where they go with it - yes, sometimes it doesn’t get the traction you’d think but when it works, WOW!
What has been a ‘pinch me moment’ in your career so far?
Chloe: I think the time I pinched myself the hardest was when I was working on Rod Stewart’s album with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and we got 3 times number one album in the UK charts including beating Harry Styles and Stormzy to Christmas number 1. It was such an amazing moment for the team, we’d all been working so hard and it was great to be able to celebrate it with all the success it achieved! I never thought I’d be part of a number one album in my first 6 months so that really was a fantastic feeling and one I’ll never forget!
Rod Stewart thanking his fans for Christmas No.1
I feel like there is a lot of expectations on where you should in life at a certain time. What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone younger wanting to do what you’re doing?
Chloe: You know, it’s scary and I can’t even imagine how difficult it would be right now, let alone how hard it was when I was trying to find my break! My advice for anyone would be try every opportunity and really give it your all. If it wasn’t for me making such an impact on my weeks work experience, I probably wouldn’t be here right now, just still searching an opportunity. You never know when someone’s watching or taking note so show them who you are and why they’re going to need you some day - trust me, someone will see and believe it! Wishing you all the luck in the world!
Rhino Record Label - https://www.rhino.com
Thank you for answering some questions there is a lot of important advice in this interview! I am so excited to watch your journey and to hopefully work with you in the future. We all wish you the best! - Amy