As part of our Horizon Future Leaders series of interviews, we are connecting with the music industry’s next generation of leaders to gather candid advice and insights into their career journeys.
This week, we caught up with Camille Lummis, Copyright & Catalogue Manager at Involved Publishing.
Camille’s route into publishing combined academic grounding with real-world experience. After studying Music Business at Loyola University in New Orleans, she built her skills through internships and a formative first role at Kobalt, where a strong training culture and exposure to the inner workings of publishing laid a solid foundation.
Now at Involved, Camille wears many hats - supporting songwriters, streamlining admin systems, and keeping a sharp eye on royalties and registrations. Her advice is grounded in both breadth and depth of experience and shaped by a clear passion for helping writers thrive in an ever-changing industry.
Read the full Q&A with Camille below 👇
What’s your current role in the music industry?
I’m the Copyright & Catalogue Manager at Involved Publishing, an independent music publisher under the same umbrella as electronic music labels Anjunabeats, Anjunadeep and Anjunachill.
In my role, I connect with songwriters who might be a great fit for our roster, but more importantly, I ensure that our existing writers are supported. Ultimately, the goal is to protect and maximise the value of our songwriters’ work.
What does your general day to day look like?
My time is split between handling song registrations, tracking and analysing royalties, and optimising our administrative processes to ensure everything runs smoothly. I spend a lot of time working within our catalogue management platform, Excel, Monday.com and Tableau.
A big part of my day is also dedicated to communicating with writers - whether it’s exploring potential partnerships or answering any publishing-related questions they may have.
We’re a small - but mighty - team at Involved Publishing, so we tend to collaborate a lot between departments, which is something I really value and enjoy in this job.
What steps did you take early in your career to gain experience and build skills to get you where you are now?
I knew I wanted to work in the music industry in some capacity from a young age, so I decided to study Music Business at Loyola University in New Orleans.
My time there provided me with a strong foundation, but equally, the experience I gained through internships and interviews helped me understand the different dynamics within the industry and ultimately shaped the direction of my career.
I also took advantage of the detailed and incredibly well-structured orientation and resources in the first company I worked for, Kobalt. Coincidentally, they are Involved Publishing’s administrator, so I still get to work with some of my old colleagues.
What opportunities did you explore early on that were particularly valuable?
Rather than specific opportunities, the most valuable skill I developed early on was learning to work effectively in a team, especially when things don’t go as expected.
From university projects, where we had to release and market a product for a new artist, to my early professional experiences collaborating on departmental projects, I learned how to navigate challenges and adapt when people didn’t bring what I had anticipated to the table.
How you respond to these situations is incredibly important.
Has the opportunity landscape changed since then?
I think we can all agree that the music industry is constantly evolving, and with that, new paths and opportunities are always emerging. Who’s to say which platform, company or technology will be the next to revolutionise the industry? AI, for example, certainly wasn’t such a hot topic when I began my career.
Are there any specific internships, projects, or initiatives that you would recommend to newcomers looking to pursue a similar role?
I would recommend attending one of the MPA’s ‘The Publishing Effect: A 101 Of Music Publishing’ courses. It’s a two day event with great panellists and speakers from across the industry.
For someone that wants to strengthen or refresh their publishing knowledge, it’s a great place to start. It’s also a good way to meet people from various companies and get in a bit of networking.
What advice do you have for building and leveraging a professional network in the music industry?
For those who, like me, find networking daunting, the hardest part is simply committing to attending industry events. I’ve learned that once you’re there, it’s never as intimidating as you expect - it’s a great opportunity to meet interesting people and build valuable connections.
The more events you attend, the more familiar faces you’ll see, and the less daunting it becomes! My advice would be to step outside your comfort zone because, ultimately, this industry is small, and it’s built on relationships.
How has the evolving digital landscape impacted your role, and where do you focus to stay ahead?
Especially in copyright and catalogue management, there are so many more ways now to make your workflows more efficient. There’s an abundance of new platforms and tools, many that I’m sure I’m not even aware of yet, that you can utilise. Some designed specifically for the music industry and others that enhance organisation and data management.
What trends or changes do you see on the horizon for the music industry, and how can early career professionals prepare for them?
We might all be tired of hearing about AI at this point, however I do think it’s the biggest change we’ve experienced in the industry for a while - comparable to the introduction of MP3s and file-sharing.
It’s something that the industry can’t afford to sleep on – we need to grow side by side with these new technologies instead of playing catch-up. I believe it will be important to strike a balance between implementing guidelines and legislation to protect creators while also utilising the benefits of AI.
Additionally, it will be imperative for both businesses and individuals to consider the environmental impact of such technologies, and I hope that in the future we’ll find ways to make it more sustainable.
What’s one piece of advice you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
Never be afraid to speak up – whether it’s expressing an idea in a meeting or backing yourself in an appraisal. I believe in any industry, more often than not, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. The worst thing they can say is ‘no’.