Intern Wrap-Up: Ivan Grimblat

by Ivan Grimblat

I met Erin on a Zoom call thanks to my artist management class at Berklee, which taught me virtually nothing, but proved to be extremely useful. She was invited as a guest to talk to us (students) about her experience and how she had started her own company, Olivia Management. I was instantly drawn in and after she mentioned that she was looking for interns for her company, I decided to ask her where to apply and submitted my application.

It didn’t work out the first time, I guess there were more suitable candidates at the time, and I lacked the experience. I remember when I got the email saying they decided to move forward with other candidates, I got very dissapointed. By that time, I had probably applied to over 100 entry-level jobs within the music industry and about 50 music-related internships without any luck. They were all looking for someone with experience.

Even though I was frustrated, I decided to keep trying and started harassing Grace via email, reminding her that I was still looking for an internship in case they were looking for someone for the upcoming term. Until one lucky day, I got an email from Grace, offering me an internship for the summer.

Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to not only start the internship at Olivia Management, but another one, simultaneously. I also got offered another internship for the upcoming term, thanks to the experience I’ve gathered during the past three months.

Looking back at my experience working at Olivia Management, I have to say, I’ve learned a ton. However, it isn’t what I’ve learned these past few months that I treasure the most from this internship, but the way I’ve connected with the people I’ve met through this opportunity.

I’ll always remember Olivia Management as the place that opened the doors of the music industry for me and also as a really fun place that introduced me to an amazing group of people.

Special thanks to Erin, Merk, Grace, Maddy, Mallory & Evan for making this such a valuable experience, hope you all stick around!

Intern Wrap-Up: Evan Gilbreath

In April of 2023, I sat next to my broken radiator in the smallest dorm room (not even fit for a broom closet, if we’re being honest) staring at my computer and biting my nails prior to the daunting Zoom interview. Earlier that afternoon, as the crisp spring showers of London beat down on the canopy of my local Underground Station, I stood by the turnstiles waiting for the rain to pass and pondered if I would ever feel involved in the Nashville music scene again after being abroad. It was quite dramatic, I know, and the gloomy weather didn’t help my spiraling thoughts. However, I couldn’t help but feel disconnected from school, peers, and most importantly, the career field I loved.

But as I spoke with Grace Carey-Hill on the interview I soon felt at peace because I remembered how vibrant and kind some of the people in the Nashville music industry can be. It’s not everyday that you happen across a company like Olivia Management: a women-run artist management firm succeeding and representing iconic artists that add greatly to the musical fabric of Nashville.

Artist management was something I never pictured myself doing, but as I continued my college career, I knew I needed to broaden my horizons. Working with the amazing women of this company, along with the other interns, has led me to greatly consider artist management as a future career. The people at this company have taught me how to girl-boss (girl-bossing is purely a state of mind) my way through challenging tasks, embrace creativity, and most importantly, grab some good Mexican food together when the day’s plans goes awry. This field changes every day and you never know the obstacles you might run into. Olivia Management is committed to excellence, honesty, integrity, and genuine connection, and I don’t think there is any other group of people who illustrates these values as much as Erin, Grace, Mackenzie, and Maddy.

So, as my days at OM continue to dwindle down, I reflect on how grateful I am that I was able to gain these experiences. I am more confident in my future and I know that these amazing people have my back. These are the parts of college that I will never forget.

Cheers,

Evan

New Merch Drop: Featuring Sam Johnston

By: Mallory Williams

It has been an exciting couple of months for Sam Johnston. He has a few upcoming shows to look out for. If you missed his July 30th performance at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville, TN, you can catch him again in Nashville on August 31st, at Backyard Sessions at the Bobby Hotel rooftop at 7pm and again September 23rd at The Bluebird Cafe for AMERICANAFEST, as well as on September 19th at The Eighth Room at 8pm for the Olivia Management Night Party: AmericanaFest! He also just announced some out of state shows with the band Briscoe in Evanston, IL, Madison, WI, and Minneapolis, MN. You’re not going to want to miss these amazing live performances, and what better way to show your support than with a Trucker Hat!

This stylish trucker hat features a trendy green corduroy design with a Cannonball embroidered patch and a rope accent. This is perfect for hot summer days or just a fun way to accessorize your everyday outfit. We would pair this with any of our favorite Sam Johnston Tees also available for purchase here.

Purchase Here

Ruthie Collins is Touring the UK!

by Ivan Grimblat

Ruthie Collins recently announced her return to the UK with her 2023 “Cross The Pond” UK tour, and it’s going to be a good one!

Having released her latest album, Cold Comfort + last year, Ruthie played shows sporadically throughout the year. Her 2023 was off to a great start as she started uploading weekly demos of her songs to her Patreon channel for fans to hear some of her songs while in the early stages of production.

Her co-headlining “Cross The Pond” tour is set to bring fans even more unforgettable interactions with her as she and Matt Hodges visit over 10 cities all throughout October.

The tour starts on October 9 in Leicester and will finish in Wakefield on October 27, passing through cities like Manchester, London, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Get your tickets here!

AmericanaFest: Artsists We're Most Excited to See

by: Mallory Williams

AmericanaFest recently announced their 2023 lineup for this year’s showcasing artists. The Olivia Management staff is so excited to have three of our own artists, Sam Johnston, Jill Andrews, and Mary Gauthier perform in this year’s lineup!

Buy Tickets for Sam Johnston Here

Buy Tickets for Jill Andrews Here

Find Tickets for Mary Gauthier Here

Of course we are thrilled to support some of our other favorite artists in this year’s lineup, so I asked each staff member who they are most excited to see perform outside of the artists we work with.

Olivia Management’s manager, founder, and CEO, Erin Anderson, is most excited to see The Secret Sisters, Mipso, and Bahamas.

Mackenzie Fey, Olivia Management’s manager, touring, and marketing coordinator is most excited to see Sarah Jarosz, Bahamas and OM artist Sam Johnston. Evan Gilbreath, one of Olivia Management’s summer 2023 intern, is also looking forward to seeing Sarah Jarosz perform.

Maddy Hicks, Olivia Management’s marketing and logistics assistant is most excited to see Jaimee Harris.

Lastly, Grace Carey-Hill, Olivia Management’s touring and marketing assistant, is most excited to see Mary Bragg perform.

Below is a list of the full lineup for 2023. We hope to see you there!

History of Olivia Management

by Ivan Grimblat

Olivia Management was founded in 2012 when Erin Anderson (Manager/Founder/CEO/Girl-boss) left her job at Amazon and took the leap into her real passion.

She had been working for the previous two years in Artist Relations and Product Management for Amazon Music, helping build products on the back end and making it easier for artists, labels, and managers to manage their artists' profiles and presence on Amazon.com, as well as creating an artist relations program that brought artist into the Amazon offices to treat employees to performances and further Amazon's relationships within the music industry.

“Friends of mine in a great band were looking for a manager and it felt like the perfect time to jump,” says Erin.

Immediately after leaving her 9-5, she signed 3 more clients and started developing her business. She decided to call it Olivia Management after her great grandmother, Olivia, who was an entrepreneur “before the word was cool.” Erin hired Olivia Management’s first ever part-time employee about 3 years after starting the company and the first full-time employee a year after that.

Meet part of the team!

Click here to see who we represent!

Olivia Management now manages 8 artists and has two full-time employees, one part-time employee and between 4 and 5 interns every semester, helping Erin run and develop her business even further.

About 5 years in, Erin started doing independent artist consulting on top of full-time management, which she still does up to this day.

“It's a way that I can share what I am learning with my full-time clients with up and coming artists as well,” she mentioned.

There are some really fun new things in store for the team at Olivia Management, so stay tuned for upcoming announcements about new services and ways Erin and her team are planning to help artists.

New Merch Alert: Featuring Jill Andrews

by Mallory Williams

It has been an exciting year for Jill Andrews! During the last couple months, she has released singles such as “Connection,” “High Fives,” “Dark Days,” and her most recent release, “Wrong Place, Wrong Time.” The singles kick off the anticipated release of her upcoming album, Modern Age, which will be available August 18th. But no need to worry! Here are some new merch items available now for purchase while you wait!

First up we have a pre-order option for Modern Age as a Vinyl, for all you record lovers out there, and a CD! Please note that both Vinyl and CD orders will ship after the release date on August 18th.

Click here to purchase

Click here to purchase

Next up we have a black ringer tee featuring a minimalistic line art design of the Modern Age album cover. You are sure to turn heads in this classic, yet trendy tee, easily styled with sneakers and your favorite jeans for an everyday look or a fun blazer for a business casual vibe.

Click here to purchase

Next we have a Jill Andrews tote bag. Everyone needs a tote bag! Why not amp up your wardrobe by accessorizing with this fun, yet practical canvas bag, featuring a pink cassette tape printed with the words “Modern Age” surrounded by a colorful floral design! The bag also features 20" canvas webbed handles, so it will be strong enough to hold all of your daily essentials!

Click here to Purchase

Last, but certainly not least, we have a Modern Age Jill Andrews Line Art Screen Print! This 18"x 24" print will brighten up any wall space!

Click here to purchase

What's Derek Webb Up To These Days?

by Ivan Grimblat

A lot has been going on in Derek Webb’s music career the past few months. He started the year out strong with the release of his latest album The Jesus Hypothesis, which was released on April 7th. The Jesus Hypothesis marks Derek’s first Christian & Gospel album in 10 years!

But that’s not all! Since January, Derek has been touring the US to promote his new album. He’s been playing house shows in over 17 states including the likes of Texas, Washington, Oregon, Georgia, Illinois and South Carolina. He’s going to keep this run of shows going through June, by playing 3 shows in California, more precisely in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Jose.

You can get tickets to his shows here!

Not only that, Derek has also recently released the lyric video for his song “Sympathy for Paul” and the music video for his song “Boys Will Be Girls”.

Follow Derek on Instagram for all the latest news!

Sam Johnston: Artist Feature and Current News!

by: Mallory Williams

It has been an exhilarating couple of years for blues/rock artist, Sam Johnston. Beginning with his release of his album Cannonball in June of 2022 along with singles Broadway Blues, Spirits and Jesus, For a While, and Congratulations!

Sam was recently featured on an episode of the Music Row Hideout podcast on Spotify where he speaks about his backstory and all things music. He goes into a bit on what influenced his sound as an artist and the experiences that impacted him along his musical journey. He also played his single, Spirits and Jesus live while on the podcast. Give it a listen!

If that’s not exciting enough, Sam has a few shows coming up! He will be performing live in cities such as Nashville and Decatur! Catch him in Nashville at The Eighth Room on May 31, in Decatur at Eddies Attic on June 3, and again in Nashville at Backyard Sessions on August 31. Stay up to date on all his current show listings here!

Purchase tickets here!

Jill Andrews: New Music and Upcoming Shows!

by Ivan Grimblat

It’s going to be an exciting next couple of months for Jill Andrews. After releasing “Dark Days” and “High Fives”, Jill has most recently released “Connection”. “Connection” is the third single from her upcoming album release, and it details Jill’s experience being in a modern long distance relationship and her view on how different things would’ve been had it happened 10 years before.

Jill has recently also announced the release date for her upcoming album “Modern Age” which will be hitting the shelves on August 18th.

You can pre-save and pre-order the album here!

That’s not all the great news for Jill Andrews fans, her upcoming tour is also starting on August 18! Extending all the way until October 8th, Jill will be performing in cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, Carrboro and Johnson City, before heading to the UK.

Check out all her upcoming tour dates here!

Intern Wrap Up: Maddie Humble

by Maddie Humble

Words truly can’t describe how much my time here at Olivia Management has meant to me. I came into this internship unsure if artist management truly was what I wanted to do after college. Now, I am walking out KNOWING that this is truly what I want to pursue.

I mainly want to thank Erin. Watching her with her artists and seeing how much she loves them and pours herself into them has inspired me. Being able to see just how hard she works day in and day out but also staying calm and kind within the midst of it all gives me so much hope for the future of the music industry.

I have made a friend in her as well as Merk, Grace, and Maddy whom I look up to more than they can ever know.

With this being said, I am planning on starting my own artist management company in the future as well as starting out by managing a few of my friends who are artists. I also plan on continuing my path as an artist on the side as well.

I can’t believe my time here at OM is coming to a close, but I can’t wait to see what else the future holds!

I wish nothing but the best for OM and look forward to all that it will accomplish as the years go on.

Peace and blessings to you all!

Intern Wrap-Up: Lauren Campbell

by Lauren Campbell

Looking back, I am grateful for the ways that Olivia Management has pushed me to grow and apply my skills in unexpected ways. Let me explain:

When I applied to the OM internship in the spring of 2022, I never expected to be working here a year later. I have never taken a class on the music business, written a song, or anything that I imagined was a prerequisite to working in the music industry. Still, Erin took a chance on me, and I am grateful. I have been learning non-stop about the entertainment industry since my first day at OM, so it is bittersweet to recount the end of my time here.

I study English at Belmont University, and my professors often tell their students that the analytical and creative problem-solving skills we learn in the major courses are universal needs in any business. I knew my professors were right, but I had only worked in traditional English-related spaces before I worked for OM. I enjoyed those experiences immensely. Still, I felt like I had not taken a chance on exploring other career paths, which I desired to do before I graduated college.

I came across OM at the perfect time. I was at a Belmont University internship fair, and the art at the OM table caught my eye. Artists like Jill Andrews, Madeleine Kelson, and Ruthie Collins have such vibrant and earthy art that communicated to me that OM represented a lot of Folk/Americana artists, which is my favorite musical genre. This seemed the fresh opportunity I was looking to experience.

I approached the table and was greeted by OM employees Grace and Mackenzie. They told me about how OM is a women-led musical artist management company that stands for growing the opportunities and audiences of independent artists in Nashville.

Truthfully, I had no idea what artist management consisted of before speaking with them. Grace and Mackenzie had nothing but positive things to say about their employment at OM and their boss, Erin. I had a good feeling about them, and I decided to apply.

My first day at OM in January 2023 marked my first time working in the entertainment industry. I arrived at the office space, nervously anticipating the training session to prepare me for this new opportunity. Immediately, Erin set high standards for how interns were expected to behave and work. The office space accommodates six people, so unlike some internships, I always had a direct line of communication with the person sending me tasks to complete, and had someone check to see if I was meeting the standards. This effective communication is one of the major benefits I experienced at OM.

Outside the office, some of my favorite tasks included hanging up artist posters at various restaurants and stores around Nashville and helping with merchandise and tickets at artists’ concerts. I never thought I would get to explore Nashville or go to concerts for work. Yet, OM made that possible for me.

Now, I’m leaving OM with a new appreciation for the processes that unite an artist with their audience. Fans may never find their favorite songs without people like Erin, Grace, Maddy, and Mackenzie. It is an important job, and I am happy to have been a part of it!

Intern Wrap-Up: Jacob Welsch

by Jacob Welsch

This is only the beginning. As I wrap up my second semester at Olivia Management, I couldn’t be more grateful to the women here who have made my experience truly unlike any other. The past week as my last semester of college is coming to a close, I find myself questioning if I made the most out of my four years in college and if I feel prepared to begin my career in the music industry. If this question was asked this time last year, my answer would be completely different.

When I applied to Olivia Management this time last year after hearing such amazing things from past clients and interns, I knew immediately that Olivia was the place for me to take my next step towards a career in the music industry, and that these were the people I wanted to learn from in my last year of college. Joining the team in August of 2022, I came in timid and shy, but I knew I had no choice but to put my best foot forward. Erin, Merk, Maddy, and Grace did not hesitate to make me feel welcomed and apart of the team within my first week here. They took a leap of trust and ensured that I was given all the necessary tools to contribute to their culture and commitment to excellence, honesty, integrity, and genuine connection. Never would I have imagined I would be sitting here a year later writing my intern wrap up with a great realm of knowledge, and a web of genuine connections that I know I can lean on for years to come.

So again, this is not a goodbye, and Olivia Management will definitely be seeing more of me in the future as this is only the beginning. I will certainly miss coming in everyday and surrounding myself with women who are changing the music industry for the better, and constantly keeping me on my toes when it comes to the quick jokes, harmonizing to our favorite artists, booking shows, and hyping each other up when we do something great.

All my love to Erin, Merk, Grace, & Maddy.


Intern Wrap-Up Blogs: Brandon Gorman

And that’s a wrap on my time at Olivia Management.

This room with its 4 desks, mini fridge, twill sofa, and countless reminders of Harry Styles’ existence, has been a place of comfort these past few months. I came here a bottle of nerves, with worries that my lack of experience, personality, and age would finally show that I don’t have the capacity to work in this industry. But from the moment I walked through the door, my fears became a thing of unnecessarily laughable anxiety, that I can look back on now fondly while writing this.

My Tuesdays and Thursdays were filled with work for some extremely talented artists. It was this work that I and the rest of the staff did, that shows to build an artist you need a strong team behind them and that’s what OM is, a strong team.

From top to bottom, from Erin to interns, it is a unit that puts quality over everything, making sure the details are right. If you meet Erin you will understand why this is so instilled in the cast at OM. She is a self-starter, who knows that every facet of an artist’s career matters. Blend this with countless years of knowledge and experience, and she has created a business that gives people like me an opportunity to get their foot in the door.

I could write for hours on my experience here and on the moments that I will miss, but I feel those are better left for me to reminisce on.

So, thank you OM for helping give me confidence that I can be in this industry. Thank you for teaching me to focus on the details and that the little things matter. Thank you for the open arms and making me feel at home

Erin, Merk, Grace, Maddy, and my intern buddy Jacob, good luck with everything in the future and hopefully this is just a see you later.

Staff Picks: Most Anticipated Summer Concerts

By Lauren Campbell

The flowers bloom, the sun shines, and summer concert dates are being sent out to fans.

Here at the OM office, music consumes our profession and pastime—and nothing is better than summer concerts. Here are our most anticipated shows:

Erin - Musicians Corner at Centennial Park from May to June

Musicians Corner is a summer stable during the spring/summer months in Nashville. Through May and June, Musicians Corner rallies the Nashville community around good music, food, and community—and free admission!

Maddy - Taylor Swift at Nissan Stadium on May 5

Swift famously combines setlists from all ten of her albums into one show—or rather, three sold-out stadium shows (that’s nearly 210,000 people in one weekend). Even if you got stuck in the queue or spent a whole paycheck on a ticket, it’s basically ten concerts in one, plus a stellar opening show from Gracie Abrams or Phoebe Bridgers…so all’s well that ends well.

Merk - Ed Sheeran at Nissan Stadium on July 22

Speaking of selling out stadiums…Ed Sheeran will be touring around the US this summer. Sheeran used to open for Swift, and is now one of the most successful singer/songwriters in his own right. The “+-=÷x” tour seems to be his take on the “eras” tour. For the past decade, Sheeran has been releasing albums named after mathematical symbols, and his - album seems to be the finally.

Grace - Sabrina Carpenter at the Ryman Auditorium on May 2

Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album emails i can’t send has got fans raving about her newfound bravado on the pop charts. Our favorites are “because I liked a boy” and “nonsense,” naturally.

Maddie - The Chicks at Bridgestone Arena on July 27

Thirteen-time Grammy award winners the Chicks have been around since the 90s, and they are back for an arena tour in Nashville. I mean, “Wide Open Spaces” has been a playlist staple on every burnt CD (or, now, Spotify account) since it came out in 1998. Now, the iconic track can be heard live at the Chicks tour from June to August.

Lauren - Vance Joy at Ryman Auditorium on September 1

Admittedly, not quite a true ‘summer’ concert, but I’ve been kicking myself for a solid year after missing Vance Joy’s pre-album release show of In Our Own Sweet Time at Ryman for the summer 2022 concert circuit. I’ve been playing “Missing Piece” and “Don’t Fade” on repeat ever since.

Spring Flicks

by Brandon Gorman

With spring fully in motion and winter a shrinking speck in the rearview mirror, I decided to ask the team at Olivia Management what movie gets them in the mood for the longer days and blooming flowers of spring.

Erin - The Wizard of Oz

Grace - A League of Their Own

Merk - Emma

Jacob - A Bug's Life

Brandon - Call Me By Your Name

Maddy - The Sound Of Music

So there you have it, hopefully we have given you some movies that make you want to get outside and smell the roses.

What We're Listening to in The Office

by Maddie Humble

If you ever stop by the office, you can almost always find us playing something in the office. From Selena Gomez to our own artists, you can find us playing a plethora of music genres that we enjoy.

Here are the albums we’ve been listening to this month:

Selena Gomez’s “Revival” album has been on full blast in the office this month. Clearly, we’re team Sel. Some of our favorite songs from this album include Kill Em With Kindness and Same Old Love.

The next album that we’ve been listening to is one of our very own artist’s, Sam Johnston. His album “Cannonball” has been a favorite of ours. One of our favorite songs from this album is Runaway Train.

We have also been listening to quite a few 70’s artists. Abba has probably been the most popular band we have listened to thus far from that era. We personally suggest the songs Angeleyes and Chiquitita on this album.

The 1975’s newest album has also been on repeat in the office. Songs like Oh Caroline and Happiness keep the good vibes going throughout our workday.

We would be lying if we didn’t admit that Jill Andrew’s “Thirties” album isn’t playing nonstop in the office. We LOVE this album. Our personal favorites from this album are Call It Even and River Swimming.

Finally, the last album we’ve been listening to nonstop is John Mayer’s “Battle Studies” album. Grace especially has loved this considering she is a major John Mayer fan. Our favorites from this album are Edge of Desire and Assassin.

We hope this gave you all a little more insight into what we’ve been listening to! Hopefully, you can add some of these to your own playlists.