What’s Happening with Our Artists this Week

by James Muller

From an outside perspective, most people would think that there is not a whole lot is going on with musicians right now. With live music on pause for the most part, many artists have jumped into a quarantine of creativity or simply just spend time with family. At Olivia Management, each of our artists have had a busy summer finding new ways to bring music to the world and connect with their fans. From playing live streams, launching Patreons, safe and socially distanced shows, releasing new singles, and everything in between. Every week is different, and there is always something new happening with our artists. Here’s a little rundown of what our artists have going on this week! 

If there’s one thing we know about Jill Andrews, it’s that she loves to tour. While understanding the need and importance for social distancing and safety during this time, Jill had a vision to tour the country in a safe and pandemic-friendly way. This week she continues her ‘Outdoor Spaces and Covered Faces Tour’ with a show on Thursday, August 6th in Madison, WI. So far the tour has been a socially distanced success, and Jill has been thrilled to play live for her fans in a safe manner. 

Hush Kids are beaming with their latest single release, “Wake Up (Acoustic)”, and are excited to have this song out in the world! Take a listen.

Derek Webb continues his ‘End of The World’ livestream series this Thursday with a full performance of his album, “Mockingbird”. Click here for Tickets!

Ruthie Collins has been making the most of her airstream with her livestream series, “Live from the Airstream”. Check out her next show, Monday, August 6th. She will be playing future cuts!

We are so proud of all that are artists are doing to stay creative and connected with their fans!

Chill Songs from Olivia Management

by Madeleine Kelson

Hey there friends and fans of Olivia Management! The world can be a pretty stressful place these days. With so many things to worry about, we all deserve a moment to just slow down and relax. With that in mind, I decided it was time to update my OM Chill Songs playlist from last summer. The new and improved playlist is longer and chiller than ever before. It is the perfect soundtrack to your walk around the neighborhood, the aimless drive you take to kill time, or even as a musical interlude for the time between dinner and your nightly Netflix binge. Whatever the occasion, turn on some of your favorite OM songs, and chill.

Madeleine Kelson · Playlist · 16 songs · 0 likes

Best Hush Kids Covers

by Connor Kozlecar

In the ridiculously vast platform that YouTube is, creators of all types get the opportunity to share their passions, personalities, and talents with the world. Some of the most wholesome and rewarding content is that of musicians sharing their covers, contributions, and renditions of their favorite songs or pieces from their favorite creators. Below are some of my favorite covers of songs from one of my favorites, Hush Kids.

Drum Cover - Hush Kids

Jacob McCoy feat. Langley Burton - Goodbye Rain (Hush Kids Cover)

PS22 Chorus “Wake Up” Hush Kids

Music in Visual Media: Why It Matters

By Connor Kozlecar

Think to yourself…

Have you ever watched a movie or binged a TV show without any music in it?

Odds are, you haven’t. And there’s a reason for that. 

Whether you like to think of it this way or not, music is an integral part of your everyday life. In almost every facet of life, music plays a weighty role contributing to many cognitive functions of how we process our daily activities. And now that i’ve pointed it out, you’ll surely begin to notice how prevalent music is in your life. Even down to the simplest form, commercials. 

I can almost guarantee that if you hear someone sing the first part of the jingle “like a good neighbor,” it’s likely that you will be able to finish it without skipping a beat. The beautiful thing (and easily my favorite part) about how our mind processes music and melodies, is the emotion that score composers and artists are able to evoke in a viewer as they watch a movie or a TV show. 

Because that’s the whole point, right?

Where’s the joy in watching a movie or a show if you don’t feel anything towards what your eyes are processing. Visual media and music have a shared responsibility in the experience of the viewer. 

If you think back on a favorite scene, movie, or show of yours and can remember how you felt watching, chances are if you go back and listen to the song or score associated you will be thrown into a wave of nostalgia that makes you wish you were watching it for the first time again. 

The importance of music and sound design in visual media is paramount and having an understanding of the intention behind every scene makes watching all the more worth it. As you go about your day, I challenge you to listen to everything around you and pick out where music falls into your life. Additionally, next time you watch your favorite show or a new movie, notice how the music makes you feel behind what it is that you’re seeing. I bet you’ll find that its presence is far more impactful than you were previously aware of.

To send off, here are a few examples of how music has impacted my viewing experience and some of my all-time favorites:

1. The Office Theme Song

2. Jill Andrews Cover of “We Built This City” - Greys Anatomy

3. Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack

4. “BellBottoms” - John Spencer Blues Explosion - Opening Scene of Baby Driver

A Day in the Life of an Intern

By James Muller

The start of this internship was a little bit different than I had expected because of COVID-19 and everything that came with it. You would think that working remotely for the first few weeks of an internship would make for a confusing and difficult landscape to navigate, but it was honestly quite the opposite. Getting started with this internship was about as smooth as a new intern could hope for, and it almost felt like we were all working in the same office despite being physically apart. Part of what made this such a smooth experience, besides how awesome, patient, and communicative our team is, are the systems that we use. I’m not sure if it would have been possible to get things done in an efficient manner if it weren’t for the instant communication that Slack offered us. Slack is basically a virtual office space where we can all come together online and talk to each other in real time as if we were communicating in person. During the first few weeks as an intern, I would start the day by signing on to Slack to let everyone know that I was online, to which I was greeted by everyone online, and it genuinely felt like I was physically there, ready to work. 

Fast forward to the present day, we have transitioned to working at our new office in East Nashville. It is a shared office space from a company called Three One Three, and it has been nothing but a great experience to come in every day to a bright, cheerful space where we can safely make things happen and work together in person. 

Now that I’ve thought a little bit about how this internship has been productive and a great learning experience despite the strange times, let's get down to the nitty gritty of what a day in the life of an Intern at an artist management firm like Olivia Management looks like! 

When I arrive at the office, I am greeted by the smiling faces of our awesome team, and then I get on my computer, log into all of our systems, and get to work! The first order of business is logging into Asana, which is an organized system for tasks that need to get done. I check to see if there is anything pressing that has been assigned to me. This would be tagged as high priority, and typically needs to get done ASAP. These tasks typically involve anything from adding artists’ shows into Artist Growth, a system that allows us to add in information about specific shows, so our artists can have an organized place where they can see all of the details for the show. Although most of the live, in-person shows have been canceled for the foreseeable future, our artists’ have been staying busy doing online shows, and finding other creative ways to interact with their fans. This has been keeping us busy, too! In order to maximize the outreach and exposure of these shows, I often find myself adding Eventbrite pages for artists’, which gives fans details about the livestreams, and a link to buy the tickets. Ruthie Collins recently added four Live Stream From the Airstream dates, so adding these shows to Eventbrite, and editing the show posters in Canva are something that I find myself doing often in my day, not just for Ruthie, but for all of our busy artists!

One of the things that I love the most about this internship is that I never know what I’m going to be doing next. It seems like everyday I am going to be introduced to a new system or process that helps our artists grow, and make money. 

If you had told me a year ago that I would be helping put together a socially distanced tour for Jill Andrews, that effectively brings live music to fans in a safe way during a pandemic, I would have been scratching my head, but it has been one of the most rewarding experiences about this internship. Never knowing what I’m going to be doing next, and then jumping into a new situation where I have to learn as I go has been a great growing experience for me, and I look forward to it every day. 

While I love having tasks thrown my way, and learning new things, one of my favorite parts of my day as an Intern is taking time to work on my semester-long projects. At the beginning of the semester, I chose to take on two semester long projects: writing the monthly Olivia Management newsletter and acting Wikipedia Master. Learning how to draft a newsletter in Mailchimp has been a very insightful experience and one that has really helped me learn about email marketing and writing in general. The Wikipedia Master task has been challenging, but I think a good challenge is important. I had no idea before this internship that creating a Wikipedia page was such an intricate process, but I have learned a lot in the process. 

It’s difficult to explain what a day in the life of an Intern is like at Olivia Management because a typical day is not typical compared to another job or internship. There is always something new and exciting happening, but one thing that stays constant is the positive and encouraging attitude of the team. Everybody works hard day in and day out and is committed to doing their very best work to promote the beautiful music that our artists make! 

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Hey, you!

Yes, you! Liking what you’ve read? We’re currently on the lookout for new interns to join the team for the Fall Semester of 2020 for school credit. Contact us at mackenzie@oliviamanagement.com with your resume and cover letter attached to begin the conversation!

A Software I Use: Asana

By Emma Martin

I often find myself overwhelmed with life since there can be days where it seems like there are a million and one things to do. I used to write down everything that I needed to get done that day, in the order that I needed to get it done, but I needed to keep track of things that were long-term projects. When I started interning at Olivia Management, there were new softwares that I had to learn to use. One of which was Asana. At first, I was intimidated by the software because there was so much to learn, but I soon realized that it was going to be the most helpful software I have ever used to date.

What is Asana? Asana is a software that allows you to create tasks for yourself and others on your team. It helps you manage your tasks and your projects all in one space that everyone can edit and see. Asana provides an easy way for team members to schedule tasks that can be planned far in advance or the day of and it’s a great way to stay organized and stay on track with your schedule and projects. 

How I use Asana. I start my day by going to the “My Tasks” bar and then looking at what I need to get done for the day and then look at what I have that is upcoming. On every task, you can see the due date. When a task is due that day, it will turn green and when it’s past due it turns red. I always make sure that I do the tasks that are due that day first, and then I start on the ones that are due later or ones that are long term. It’s so important to track our progress and make sure everything that needs to be done in a timely manner is done!

Taken from www.asana.com

Fun Features. Something that I really enjoy about asana is that you can easily edit the task and write as much information about the task in the task description. We can link other sites and sources, attach downloadable content, etc. Sometimes when a task is assigned to me and I am not entirely sure how to do yet, it there will already be detailed instructions in the task description that explains what the task is. Along with that, at the bottom of the task, you can create subtasks to check off and add comments having to do with the original task at hand. Another fun feature is that you can set up a task as repeating so it comes up on your task list every week or month. I enjoy this because you can still check it off as completed and it won’t show up until the next week. You can also add tags to tasks and create groups so you and your collaborators can find them easily and know which ones to prioritize. Some tags that Olivia Management uses include high priority, weekly task, intern task/project, touring, press, etc. These tags help us stay organized through the craziness of touring, releases, and day to day artist management.

This is a great software if you enjoy checking things off your list and need an easy way to organize your thoughts and tasks whether it is with a business or for yourself. Try it out! It’s free for personal use, too. An absolute game changer.

Click here to learn more about Asana, and happy organizing!

My Favorite Songs by Smooth Hound Smith

By James Muller

When I first began interning at Olivia Management one of the things I was most excited about; and continue to be excited by, is digging into all of our artist’s catalogs and enjoying the beautiful art that they create. I was familiar with our artists before starting, but I hadn’t yet fully committed my ears to their songs. From Jill Andrews to Derek Webb, Ruthie Collins, Hush Kids , and Smooth Hound Smith there’s a lot of great stuff to take in. Boy, am I glad I took the deep dive. It’s always difficult to pick favorites, but I am going to highlight some of the songs from Smooth Hound Smith that really spoke to me in the past month of diving into these tunes. 

I love all kinds of music, but the music that really grabs my attention and sticks with me is the kind of music that you can put on, and it immediately has an effect on your mood. Music that puts you in the space where the artist is coming from. For me, that’s what music is all about: connecting with something and letting it take you to another place. 

It wasn’t terribly difficult to find some favorites as I started listening to Smooth Hound Smith. They bring a vibe and a feeling to their music that makes you want to dance, and intently listen to the lyrics at the same time. Which is pretty awesome. Their song “Get Low”, is one of those tunes that gets your feet stomping with it’s pulsating rhythm, laid back guitar grooves, and ethereal vocal harmonies. It’s a song that could just as easily be played at a party as it could on a long drive. As a lover of blues music, “Get Low” is one of those songs that instantly scratches my itch for current blues music that is fresh and fun, while still holding on that rootsy, vintage inspiration. If I was on Spotify going through the blues and roots playlist, this would be the song I would hope to hear. 

While listening to records is something  I can’t get enough of, there is a level of energy that live music brings that takes a song to another level. 

Check out Smooth Hound Smith playing “Get Low” live on #JamInTheVan here.

My next favorite song by Smooth Hound Smith is “Three Shades of Lonely”. This is one of those songs that comes on, and you immediately perk your ears up a little bit. The song perfectly showcases what I love about the band— they undeniably catchy hooks that are melded together through beautiful harmonies by this duo. The chorus from this song gets stuck in my head in the best kind of way, the kind that you are happy to have stuck in your head. One of the other reasons that “Three Shades of Lonely” is a favorite of mine is because of the gritty and soulful guitar that sits back with the drums and then comes out to speak later in the song. As a guitar player myself, this tasteful and expressive guitar work is what I love to hear. Luther Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars and  The Black Crowes plays slide guitar on this song, and If you're familiar with him then you know that he brings the soul to whatever group he plays with. Next time I’m in need of some music that brings the feels, this will undoubtedly be in the rotation.   

Like I said before; It’s tough for me to pick favorites, especially when you're choosing from a lot of great music. I’m glad that I sat down and spun all three of Smooth Hound Smith’s records because I found some seriously groovy, soulful, and fun songs in there that I will be keeping in the mainstay of my listening routine. “Get Low” and “Three Shades of Lonely” take me to those places that I am looking to go when I listen to music, and I hope they can do the same for you! 

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Check out the duo live next Tuesday, June 30th on their Facebook page for a free livestream of all cover songs. Be sure to mark your calendars for the show! You won’t want to miss it.

What does an artist manager’s intern do?

by Chelsea Hallman

I feel like even my friends that are in the music industry are still curious about what an artist manager does, and what I am doing for them. Here’s a look into my week, what I do in my position, what I believe is important, and what I’ve been learning.

For background, I will explain the purpose of an artist manager. An artist manager is the person behind the artist that helps manage their fast-moving career. They professionally represent and advise an artist to make the smartest business decisions. Artist managers work to get their artists to stand out enough to attract labels, music supervisors, playlisters, and others in all sectors of the music industry. They negotiate contracts, set up tours, make marketing plans, promote them, give budgets, and overall help develop the artist. Find more information here.

So if you think that’s cool, or maybe something you’d want to do, many artist management companies, like Olivia Management, have internships available to teach you just that. But what does that mean you’d be doing? 

First, before you even land an internship, make sure you are bringing your class knowledge with you. Pay attention in your major classes because it matters more than you think. I use this knowledge almost every day in this internship. I have Belmont’s Music Business program to thank for helping me get prepared for this one!

Now you are prepared professionally and start to look for an artist management internship. What does that mean day-to-day? Like I said previously, this is a fast-paced career. Every day there are different deals to be made and different things to discover in the ever-changing music industry. New ideas come up, new people reach out, new songs are written, all just depending on how people are feeling. This is a pretty unpredictable day-to-day job. But that’s also what makes it so much fun.

Because of the unpredictability, there are sometimes gaps. You never really know what you’ll be working on that day until you step into the office. Sometimes it's a crazy busy day where you can barely get time to eat. Olivia Management specifically gives interns “semester-long projects” of their choosing to discover more about the music business. My semester-long projects are diving into artists’ Youtube and working on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for the company, both things I’m interested in. Others are working on merchandising, social media, press releases, sponsorships, etc. It really depends on what interests you!

Most days, I am not working on my semester projects. Instead, on various projects and tasks that come up and the team needs help with. I could help route a tour, make a calendar, edit a music video, edit show posters, make social media posts, do some research for someone on the team, organize something physically, or in a database. There are lots of opportunities. Recently, those are a few of the things that I’ve been up to. 

Arguably, more importantly, is the stuff that will advance my interpersonal skills from this internship. I know what an office environment in my field looks like. I’m watching my co-workers find their work/life balance. I observe what meetings with professionals are like and how to act. These are all invaluable skills that can be learned from any internship. They are the reason that internships are so important before graduation. 

For all of these reasons, I am so grateful for Olivia Management. I’ve learned so much already and will continue to. If you’re a student aspiring to be in the music industry, this is the place for you!

(Another) Summer Intern Introduction: Madeleine Kelson

Surprise! We’ve got another intern to introduce! Woohoo! We’re so excited to add to the team (again). Let us introduce you to Madeleine Kelson. Madeleine interned with us last semester, and we loved her so much we just had to have her back on the team! She’s such a valuable person and we’re grateful to have her!

Madeleine Kelson

What do you want to get out of this internship?

I would like to immerse myself in the Americana music world and get a better handle on what it means to be a professional in that realm. I want to improve my skills in the different systems that OM uses and learn my way around any new ones. I’m also hoping to listen to lots of great music and hopefully pet Erin’s dogs.

What do you love to do? Hobbies? Activities? 

I love all things music; listening to it, writing it, playing it, etc. Lately, I have also been doing some recording and sound engineering. Other than music, I love hanging out with my dog, cooking, and watching brain-melting reality TV. I also love traveling and finding absurdly cheap ways to visit other countries.

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?

Al Pastor tacos. Yum.

Favorite musicians, artists, genres, equipment, shows you’ve been to...tell us anything you love about music.

I am a huge Americana fan and all of its related genres. I grew up on Dolly Parton, Lucinda Williams, Mavis Staples, Bonnie Raitt, The Band, and Led Zeppelin. Lately, I have been listening to Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, Noah Gundersen, Kacey Musgraves, Yola, and John Prine. My current favorite show I’ve been to was also the last show I went to — the “To Nashville, With Love” tornado relief show at Marathon Music Works. The lineup was PHENOMENAL, and it felt important to be there supporting my community. Moments like that, when the catharsis that music brings are so tangible, are the reason I love music.

Why did you choose to intern here? 

I chose to intern here, first and foremost, because I had such a great time and learned so much last summer. Supporting women in the music industry is also incredibly important to me. OM’s artists and the music they put out is also a major draw.

What is your favorite part about Nashville?

I love how supportive the music community can be. There are so many people here who are dedicated to furthering their friends’ careers just as much as their own. I also love the mild winters.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be an Americana artist. There is nothing I love doing more than playing music for myself and other people!

Support Black Voices

by Madeleine Kelson

We observed Blackout Tuesday on Tuesday, June 2nd. This was a day for the music industry to stand in solidarity and support the Black Lives Matter movement, to research and educate ourselves on how to eradicate racism and become anti-racist. Not only are black artists are a cornerstone of American music, but black artists are the bedrock of modern music as whole. You’d be hard-pressed to find a genre that was not in some way influenced by the work of blues, rock and soul created by black artists in the early 20th century. Americana today would sound a lot different without artists like Elizabeth Cotten, Lead Belly, or Sister Rosetta Tharpe laying the foundation. In an effort to amplify those voices, we put together a playlist of some of our favorite black Americana artists. We hope you love these artists as much as we do, continue to listen to their music in the future, and are inspired to go find other similar artists to support. If you’re interested in supporting the Black Lives Matter cause further and retroactively taking part in Blackout Tuesday, check out DonateMyWage.org to find organizations fighting racial injustice.

How to Find New Music

by Chelsea Hallman

Ultimately, my favorite way to find new music is to hear it live. Going to a show with four artists, only knowing one of them, and coming out on the other side with a playlist full of new music is my ideal Friday night. Right now, since that option is not currently in the picture, we must go digging ourselves.

I find myself digging up the most music when going for drives alone. Spotify really helps me out with this one. I put on my Discover Weekly playlist and just cruise. I often find a single by a small artist that Spotify matches up with my taste. I then add that to a playlist and later will look into more of their music. More often than not, I end up with a new favorite! This is how you find stellar smaller artists like Derek Webb or Ruthie Collins. Another cool thing about my Discover Weekly is I will sometimes land on a single that came out years ago that I would have never listened to otherwise. Tell That Devil by Jill Andrews came out four years ago and every day still is rocks on. With songs like that I’ll listen to one old single and find a whole artist's discography. It’s one of the many tools we’re lucky enough to have these days.

Another way I find music is through my friends. I find they have pretty good tastes in music, too! I’ll follow my friends on Spotify and look at their playlists, or just ask them what they’ve been listening to. I can assume that at least one of your friends gets a little too excited when you like their music taste. We all have that friend (or friends) (or friend groups!) that prides themselves in their playlists, I know I do!

It can also be fun to find music from another generation than you. Ask your parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, coworkers! I know my Uncle Jim is a music fanatic. He will give me hours of playlists of underground oldies. It’s a totally unique and fun listen. It’s also something cool to show off to your friends when you find something great.

Social Media is a great place to find music too. Instagram and Facebook have live shows going on the daily. A new one for me is finding artists on Tiktok. All the dance videos can lead me to some good music that I probably wouldn’t have heard otherwise. Keep on dancing!

Also, I recently found the Music Map. You search one artist you love and it comes up with a whole map of artists around that it recommends you check out. You can get down a hole in this one and find all kinds of new artists. I know for me, I searched for one artist I liked, Billie Eilish, and Harry Styles, Lorde, Lana Del Ray, Ruel, Bea Miller, Lady Gaga, King Princess, and many more of my favorites showed up along with about 40 artists that I hadn’t heard of. I’m a little obsessed with this tool now. Check it out here!

Happy music hunting, and let us know of any solid finds in the music world below in the comments!

Summer Intern Introduction: Chelsea

It’s been a blast and a half remotely getting to know James and Chelsea. I get the honor of now introducing you to Chelsea. She’s an intelligent, loyal, and hardworking addition to the team. Stoked she’s part of the team! Hoping you get as much out of this interview as we did!

Chelsea Hallman

What do you want to get out of this internship?

I want to gain all and any knowledge that will further help me in this industry. I want to acquire connections and build relationships that are meaningful.

What do you love to do? Hobbies? Activities? 

I love to go to local shows and discover new artists. This is something I’m missing most during the pandemic. I love fashion and makeup. I have a bad shopping addiction. I love to be with my friends but also value self-care. I’m working on taking more time for myself. 

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?

I would eat chicken piccata from the Cheesecake Factory for the rest of my life. If anyone wants to take me there, at any point you know what it do. 

Favorite musicians, artists, genres, equipment, shows you’ve been to...tell us anything you love about music.

I love Lorde. I love her writing style and the way she revolutionized the industry through unique sounds that are still appealing to the general public. I think she is a trend setter. I love Harry Styles and Billie Eillish for similar reasons. As a classic I love The Beatles and to jam out to Micheal Jackson’s hits. I think a lot of my fellow peers are outstanding such as Clare Ernst, Chloe Hogan, Cole Ritter, Analise Malick, Luke Prost, bstrok, etc.

Why did you choose to intern here? 

I chose to intern with Olivia Management because I see opportunities across the industry that are very accessible because of how tight knit the group is. I like the sense of community the company has. It feels home-y. 

What is your favorite part about Nashville?

The local bands. I love music being everywhere. I love the culture of the people. The fact that everyone loves music so much and supports the art of music is what keeps me here.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I don't know. I want to be where God places me. As long as I am personally content with my line of work and making enough money to live comfortably, I think I’ll be happy. 

Summer Intern Introduction: James

Excited is an understatement when we get to announce the fact we’re on adding two new interns to the Olivia Management team for the summer of 2020! Now we get the privilege of introducing you to James Muller! We have asked him a few questions and he was willing enough to share some answers with us. Read on to learn more about James!

James Muller

What do you love to do? Hobbies? Activities?

Some of my favorite hobbies are making music with my friends, playing guitar, and spending time outdoors. I love to run, and go hiking. I have also just begun learning to cook, so I would say that is a hobby of mine.

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?

If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life it would have to be Mexican food. Tacos specifically.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I grow up I want to be immersed in the music industry and make a difference. I want to be a part of something bigger that helps bring beautiful music to people that deserve to experience it. Whether that be playing music, working in management or publishing or some other facet of the music industry.

Favorite musicians, artists, genres, equipment, shows you’ve been to...tell us anything you love about music.

Some of my favorite musicians are: The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dawes, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Dr. Dog, and Anderson Paak. I’ve always been a guitarist, and I love old guitars and amps. Being in Nashville is great with all the awesome old vintage guitar stores like Gruhns and Carters. My favorite thing about music is live shows. I try to go to as many shows as I can because I love the energy and atmosphere of live music. There is definitely something special and unique about the way live music brings people together and brings emotions out of us. My favorite live show that I have been to was Tedeschi Trucks live at The Ryman.

What is your favorite part about Nashville?

My favorite part of Nashville has to be the amount of people that have all come here with the same passion for music. There are so many people in town to collaborate with musically, and that is really rewarding.

Why did you choose to intern here? 

I chose to intern here for a couple of different reasons. The first reason is that I took Erin’s Entrepreneurship class and I loved it. I really learned a lot of useful, practical skills and I loved her personal and honest teaching style. The second reason I chose to Intern here is because I have been managing my own band for the past three years, and I have really enjoyed doing it. I have learned a lot throughout the process, and I wanted to expand my knowledge and learn more about management! The last reason I chose to intern at Olivia Management is because I love that the company is a small boutique firm. I feel like these types of firms offer exceptional service to their clients, and I wanted to experience how that is done.

What would you like to get out of this internship?

I would love to learn as much as I can about the ins and outs of artist management, more specifically about how to help artists achieve their dreams and goals through strategic plans. I also want to get an overall better understanding and feel for the music industry, and how it functions. Overall I want to grow my skills and understanding not only professionally but as a person.

Intern Wrap Up: Finishing the Semester Strong

By Emma Martin

I can’t believe this semester is over! I have had so much fun interning at Olivia Management these past few months and have learned so much. Working with everyone at the company has been such an honor and a great learning experience. This was my first internship and I couldn’t have asked for a better company to begin my journey at.

What I Have Learned

One thing I have learned is that there are a ton of moving parts when it comes to managing artists, but the hard work is worth it. My favorite thing about this internship was working with everyone on releasing Jill Andrew’s album, “Thirties”. I loved seeing the beginning stages of marketing, press, planning her tour and then watching the album go out into the world. I think there’s something truly rewarding about starting a project from the beginning and then seeing the finished product be successful. I have learned so much about myself and how passionate I am about the projects I work on, especially when it’s for this lovely company.

Future Goals

I am so grateful that I am going to be interning here this summer! Hoping this summer brings new lessons that I will continue to learn more about scheduling tours, album press, marketing, and helping artists stay connected with their fans during this time of uncertainty.

Shoutout to the Olivia Management team

 This company and everyone here have allowed me to grow in ways I never thought I could and I can’t thank them enough for their support. I will take everything you all have taught me and remember it for future internships, jobs and just life in general. Erin, Maggie, and Mackenzie THANK YOU for everything you have done for me. Looking forward to continuing my experience here this summer! 

Intern Wrap Up: An Inside Perspective–Intern Style

By: Connor Kozlecar

Olivia Management = A Hidden Gem

To say that my time here with Olivia Management has been fruitful would be a terribly blatant understatement. The sheer volume of knowledge, experience, and love coursing through the veins of this office is almost too much to put into words but I will surely do my best to paint a picture of what this semester has been like and some wisdom I have gained through my experience. I’m so very fortunate to have had this opportunity, and I am even more blessed to be able to continue working alongside these wonderful women and welcome some new summer interns here in the near future!

-A Few Tidbits I’ve Grabbed Along the Way-

ASK

I like many others, have a natural-born curiosity for all things that I see, hear, read, etc. Although I’ve always felt that I have been vocal about my interests in most situations, I will never take for granted the atmosphere that Erin and the rest of the team have cultivated here. Along with being incredibly kind and open, each of them has been consistently available to answer any question you could possibly have. From semester one-on-one’s to just casual conversation, the relationships that I feel like I have built with these ladies are ones that I will cherish forever and I am confident that the knowledge I have gathered from them will continue to help me in my career moving forward. I advise you to take full advantage of any opportunity in any facet of life that you can to simply just ask questions.

Go All In

Wherever you’ve interned before, or wherever you plan to in the future; no matter how daunting or simple the task, put everything you have into it. It will pay off. Through a few large projects that I have had the pleasure of tackling I’ve learned that if you take your time and go above and beyond what you think is sufficient, the payoff is so much sweeter and wholly more rewarding. Do more than what is expected of you. Go all in. All the time.

YE OLDE ZEN ZONE

My favorite project

Play to Your Strengths AND Your Weaknesses

As an intern, you should not only help everyone out by capitalizing on your strengths, but also be clear about what you struggle with and what you would like to get better at. As someone who fears failure like no other, this is a struggle for me. As you continue to develop work relationships and grow more comfortable with those that you work with, be clear about what you need help on. No one will ever get mad about you simply asking for help. On the contrary, if you don’t know what on earth you’re doing and you mess up really badly, that is absolutely no bueno my friend.

Roll With the Punches

Nothing ever goes exactly to plan. We’ve all seen this in 2020 so far.

And so what? That’s Life.

Choosing to continue working through our current situation was the best decision I’ve made by far. Surely this group could handle their own and more without a few interns. It’s the apparent effort made by you to the people that you don’t necessarily owe anything to that sets you apart. Instead of finishing my semester solely focusing on school, I, along with our other two lovely interns Jackie & Emma locked arms and continued simply because we love what we do and who we work with. I’m a big proponent of “getting what you give,” if you will, and I would give my left arm for this company for how impactful they have been on me and my college career. I’ve had a handful of personal things happen in my life this semester, as they do, and what has kept me grounded and moving forward is the internal obligation that I feel like I have for everyone that works here to hold up my end. I will always thank them for that.

Enjoy it

Being an intern is fun, so enjoy it! Especially when you’ve got the backbone that they do here at OM. Don’t get too caught up in your own world, and just enjoy yourself and the experiences that you get to create as an intern.

A Wonderful Memory

To Erin, Maggie, & Mackenzie

I cannot express how thankful I am to be a part of this team, and I am more than excited to continue here through this summer as an intern with Emma. Nothing but wonderful things to say about my coworkers and the wildly creative, motivating, and lighthearted space that they operate in. Thank you SO SO much for the best semester I have had at Belmont.

See you soon!

Intern Wrap Up: Life Lessons with an Intern

By Jackie Minton

The end of the semester is here, yet again. You would think by now I’d have learned to get used to this rhythm (after being in school for close to two decades!) but alas—I have not. It always seems to catch me by surprise! Over the handful of months I have spent here at Olivia Management, however, I have learned quite a bit about the industry, working with a team, and well, myself. Here are a few nuggets of wisdom I have gleaned from my time as an intern. I hope they are good lessons (or reminders) for you, too. 

A photo from my visit to the Library of Congress this semester, Spring Break 2020.

Organization is a worthy struggle.

The Olivia Management team has inspired me to reevaluate how I work on tasks. They spend a notable amount of time, energy, and brain power on the front end to set up processes that help their world go around in the future. From watching their approach first hand, I have learned that if a task seems overwhelming, it probably simply hasn’t been processed into manageable steps. Organizational work at the beginning may seem tedious, but it is worth the reward!

Don’t put up a wall where there isn’t one.

Why can’t a coloring book be a merch item? Why have we drawn lines where there needn't be any? Creativity is just as necessary, if not more so, on the business side of things. I hope to take this perspective into my own career as an artist and as an entrepreneur.

One simply does not stop learning. 

Not only does the music industry grow and change everyday, but so do our goals. Admitting that there is more to learn, is only the first step. Make time to research what interests you, listen to podcasts that inspire you, and seek out knowledge from those closest to you. Don’t be afraid of the unknown! That open landscape is an exciting place full of possibilities.

Humility is powerful.

Olivia Management’s founder Erin Anderson quietly teaches this invaluable lesson to all of those close to her. She makes a point to listen, consider others’ perspectives, and voice gratitude, not simply for her clients, but for everyone that walks through her office door. Being on the receiving end of her respect (even as an intern) was such a powerful reminder for me: humility doesn’t simply move mountains, it moves hearts. Living in the light of humility is a grounding gift, not just for yourself but for all you encounter. 

Saying goodbye is never easy.

(Especially when the people you’re saying goodbye to are amazing!) I’m thankful for my time with this incredible team and am dually excited for the interns to come that will get to learn from and contribute to Olivia’s future! I look forward to seeing all that is yet to come, both for them and for me.

Photo by Sophie Flemings.

Signing off with a grateful heart - Jackie :)

Olivia's Digital Tool Box: Featuring Airtable

By Jackie Minton

When trying to work in a disorganized space, I feel a bit like a fish out of water. Unsorted papers look like abandoned intentions taking up my desk and piano bench. Bring that disorganization into the kitchen and my anxiety can take root when it comes to simply looking for that matching Tupperware lid. If you’re anything like me, a clean workspace is a must. 

However, having a clean physical space isn’t the only key to peaceful and productive work these days. With working from home becoming the new normal, an organized area now includes the digital plane. Today, the Olivia team is going to share our secret weapon to making a few hours of elbow grease look like an incorporated production.

Photo by Robert Bye from Unslpash

Meet our friend, airtable.com.
Whether you’re looking for a system to organize your personal passwords or a sophisticated way to track project deadlines, Airtable can help make your organizational dreams come true. The best part about this trusty tool is that a free account comes with unlimited data bases to dream, build, and track your information.

Here are a few ideas of ways you can use this powerful tool to maximize your digital workflow!

Centralize Passwords

Get your personal information out of the notes on your phone and into a singular location you can reach from anywhere. Include links to your account’s website to have one place to click through. We use this to keep track of all of our artists’ info from PRO accounts to social media.

Log Contacts

Whether it’s from your last business lunch or the booking contacts for your upcoming show. Log contacts and tag them by company and event needs. 

Create a Business Calendar

Or 5! Airtable has a great ability to house different calendars with various sharing parameters, and the ability to overlap calendars in your personal view.  Make a calendar for your social media plan, your travel schedule, or your upcoming co-writes. 

Sort Your Work Spaces

No matter what business you are in, it’s likely that you have to wear a few different hats to make your job happen. In the music business, we know this best! Venue details, marketing operations, and even managing a blog ;) are all small parts of the big picture we paint every day we come into work.

What parts of your process need some digital additions to the cyber-office space you’re building? Don’t be afraid to dream big!

Photo by Nastuh Abootalebi from Unslplash

Disclaimer: Airtable did not approve nor pay us for this article, but they should have.

Happy 8th Birthday Olivia Management!

Eight years ago today, Erin Anderson founded her artist management company Olivia Management! The company has come a long way from when it first started, and it has grown so much over the years. Since she has started the company, she has helped grow the careers of many artists and left her mark in this corner of the music industry.

An article by Forbes says that about 80% of small businesses fail and about only half of them survive past 5 years. Olivia Management has made it to its 8th birthday and that is something to celebrate! Our current roster is something to be proud of, and Erin has cultivated a crew of good humans that make great music.

In the past year, multiple artists have released new albums.  Jill Andrews released her album Thirties, successfully ran a weeks worth of live streams spanning her entire catalog, and plans to go on tour in support of her new record in the fall of this year. Ruthie Collins, signed to Curb Records, just released her new album Cold Comfort to much critical acclaim, including mentions from Billboard and American Songwriter. Derek Webb released his album Targets in February, and has run several different series of online shows, as well as launched a Patreon. Smooth Hound Smith released their album Dog in a Manger in the summer of 2019 and just finished an incredibly fruitful European tour that wrapped up right before the pandemic hit. Hush Kids’ highlight of the past year was hitting the road for their first tour, which ended with an invite to perform on the Cayamo cruise this past February. It has been a very busy, but successful, year at Olivia Management.

When asking Erin about her proudest accomplishments in the past 8 years of Olivia Management, she responded:

“I would have to say having an artist nominated for a Grammy or having an artist play the Ryman and Red Rocks, or having an artist win an Americana Award (because all of those things were highlights for SURE), but honestly, it’s that I’ve gotten to be a part of so many amazing records. Especially right now, when music is so important to us all to get through this time, I am so proud of the music we’ve helped bring into the world.”

Here’s to 8 more years of success and 8 more after that! 

Rethinking Routine

by Mackenzie Fey

If you’ve been following along in the last couple of blog posts, you might’ve seen me fish out some tips for working at home and making yourself a pro at this. These tips included starting your days with intentionality, spacing things out mentally and physically, and the importance of taking breaks. All of these things emphasize keeping things as normally as possible within the confines of an abnormal time. There’s nothing wrong with this! For people like me, I need to maintain that mindset to continue being productive and get the responsibilities I have taken care of. But this came to a realization that during these abnormal times, it’s okay to have things be just that. Abnormal.

Don’t get me wrong! There is so much value in routine! Right now, however, times are evolving and changing. Nothing is how it was a year ago. I mean, not even a month ago! What’s the harm in evolving your own routine? Doing things a little differently and reminding yourself it’s okay to be imperfect and skip out on getting into normal people clothes on Tuesday morning and just staying in your pajamas. It’s actually kinda fun! This can even look like finally picking up that brush and paints you got forever ago and never actually used it. It could be listening to an artist or genre you haven’t taken the time to listen to during your work hours (see below!). Go ahead and eat cereal and a donut for dinner. Try a new tv show on a Monday night at 11pm. Now’s the time!

Having a hard time deciding what your new non-routine could look like? I can help with that:

Today, Ruthie Collins released her sophomore album Cold Comfort featuring singles like “Dang Dallas” and “Bad Woman”. It has everything you’d want in an album: truth, heartbreak, enchanting melodies, storytelling, incredible production, and a song that can relate to any one of us. Check it out at this link here and give it a listen! Try it out, you won’t regret it.

To further break up the “normal”, tune in tonight at 7pm central to hear the new album live from Ruthie’s couch in New York! Join us on her YouTube channel tonight at YouTube.com/RuthieCollinsMusic.

Work from Home like a Pro

by Mackenzie Fey

Some Tips for working in your new home office

If your kitchen table has seemingly become the hub for all things eating and working, tune in! This post is for you. These days, working from home is becoming the new norm. Your living and relaxing spaces are now coinciding as the same space as your concentration and effort. Check out a few tips on how to make all this crazy a little bit more manageable!

Photo from The Lighting Judge

Tip 1: Start your days off intentionally!

A long time ago (well, not really all that long ago), commutes to work were actually a thing. This could’ve consisted of getting up, starting the coffee, a quick workout and shower, the list could go on and on. Now that our “commute” is from our bedroom to the livingroom, we’ve seemingly gained a few more minutes to spare. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of waking up 5 minutes before you’re supposed to hop online. In experience, this can lead to lack of effort and motivation. Efficiency isn’t as high as it could be, well, because you woke up 5 minutes ago. You’re brain’s not fully awake! It’s possible that setting up your mornings a little bit earlier and setting up a slight routine will help, even if it isn’t much. For me, it’s getting up and still pretending that I’m heading into work. This includes getting dressed (yes, even jeans sometimes) and heading downstairs for a light breakfast and coffee. It starts my days off a little bit more motivated and gets things going!

Tip 2: Spacing things out

Spacing is everything for me. I tend to correlate my physical spaces to my mental spaces. If I’m relaxing, reading, and sleeping in my bedroom, that is no place for me to try and dive into work or homework. I have designated spaces for work, for hanging out, eating, and so forth. If I overlap my work spaces with any other, I find I can never really turn that work “switch” off. My brain really has a hard time differentiating what mode I’m supposed to be in at a given time. When your normal hours of work are over, turn off your computer and hide it away. Outta sight outta mind, I guess!

Tip 3: Take Breaks!

You do this at work, why would you not do this at home?! Avoid cabin fever and restlessness by taking your lunch and eating it outside, away from the screen. Walk to the corner and back with your dog for a quick 10 minute break of movement and fresh air. Do this a few times throughout your day. Maybe even call some family or friends for some outside of work social time and see how they’re doing. It helps, I swear!

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Okay, let’s be real. None of this is purely factual or scientifically researched on our end of things, but more of what seems to help us at Olivia Management that might just help you! Take what you’d like, leave what you’d like. At the end of the day, we’re all just trying to get through this as quickly and safely as possible! Stay well, and wash your hands, y’all.