As part of our Horizon Future Leaders series of interviews, we are connecting with the music industryâs next generation of leaders to gather candid advice and insights into their career journeys.
This week, we caught up with Josh Daniel, Head of Interval Records and Chief Commercial Officer at Generator, the national talent development organisation based in Newcastle. Josh also wears the hat of a talent manager, looking after both a Grammy-nominated writer/producer and an up-and-coming pop/afrobeats artist.
With a unique vantage point spanning his experience as an artist, manager and label executive, Josh brings a rare 360-degree insight to his work. Heâs passionate about nurturing long-term artist development over chasing quick wins, championing forward-thinking management models and opening doors beyond Londonâs industry stronghold.
Joshâs career journey is marked by entrepreneurial grit and learning through doing; dropping out of college early, launching his own business at nineteen, and leveraging every experience to build a multifaceted role where initiative and drive can rival and often surpass qualifications.
đ Read on for Joshâs candid reflections on balancing artist and label perspectives, the evolving opportunity landscape, and why trusting the process (even in an unpredictable industry) is key to long-term success.
Whatâs your current role in the music industry?
I am currently the Head of Interval Records and Chief Commercial Officer at Generator. Generator is a national talent development organisation based in Newcastle and Interval is our joint venture record label with EMI North.
I'm also a talent manager - I look after a grammy-nominated writer/producer and an emerging pop/afrobeats artist.
What does your general day to day look like?
Well every day is definitely different, but thatâs part of what makes it so enjoyable. For the most part I work closely with talent, so it can be anything from A&R meetings looking at new artists to sign, working release campaigns on our label roster, or managing/procuring strategic partnerships for Generator.
Artist management doesnât really have set hours, so that often runs round the clock. We could be planning sessions, live shows, negotiating deals with brands or labels, shooting content etc. Itâs super varied.
The artist I manage is signed to a US label currently too, so we tend to switch onto that time zone once the evening arrives in the UK. Itâs pretty full on but I love it.
What steps did you take early in your career to gain experience and build skills to get you where you are now?
I actually started as an artist and songwriter but Iâve always been entrepreneurial and started my first business at nineteen.
Being an artist helped me understand how an artist thinks and feels, which gave me a USP when I became a manager.
Being an artist and manager also gave me a USP moving into a label environment, and my business experience underpinned everything. I dropped out of college before I finished my A levels and didnât study business, but just learned by doing - and failing too!
What opportunities did you explore early on that were particularly valuable?
I studied everything I could about the music business from the get go, even in areas that werenât overly relevant to me in the beginning. I never let people take meetings for me or read contracts for me when I was an artist for example, I wanted to know the business inside out and understand the mechanics to a T.
It laid the foundation for everything that followed and helped me decide which areas of the industry I was actually interested in pursuing.
Has the opportunity landscape changed since then?
I think opportunities-wise the landscape is still buoyant despite various labels downsizing in recent years and the industry being more competitive than ever.
There are more opportunities available nationally now and a general shift toward the industry being less London-centric which is super encouraging, and the development of technology and AI means there are huge opportunities for start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs to explore innovative takes on traditional models.
Are there any specific internships, projects, or initiatives that you would recommend to newcomers looking to pursue a similar role?
Rather than recommend a specific internship Iâll say this: experience and qualifications are always valuable when it comes to applying for roles or internships, but if you havenât been able to get any direct experience then make your own.
If youâre great at marketing, make a deck or a one sheet for one of the labelsâ artists and send it to the decision makers. It would certainly pique my interest if the work is great. I care more about ability, initiative and drive than whether or not your CV has a degree on it, so think outside the box and it could open doors for you.
What advice do you have for building and leveraging a professional network in the music industry?
Regardless of seniority everyone is human, it sounds simple but it goes a long way being polite, friendly and respectful. Get to know someone before you ask their job title or what it is they can do for you. I also always do my best to help others even when I stand to gain nothing.
When you leave a good impression, show support for others, and people remember interactions with you fondly, theyâll think of you when the opportunities come up, even recommend you to their network too. The industry is so much smaller than youâd think and word travels!
How has the evolving digital landscape impacted your role, and where do you focus to stay ahead?
Itâs interesting because we had already entered the streaming era when I started out as an artist, however the social media and marketing landscape looks totally different now - TikTok didnât exist then, and Twitter was the biggest platform, Instagram was brand new.
I think itâs important to stay aware of the social media / direct-to-fan landscape and continue to find engaging and innovative ways to tell an authentic artist story, bespoke to each platform. When you get this right it can be really powerful for an artistâs trajectory.
What trends or changes do you see on the horizon for the music industry, and how can early career professionals prepare for them?
I think the recorded music industry is already reverting back to more traditional A&R strategy and medium-long term development arcs, moving away from quick wins and TikTok virality. This is certainly how weâre approaching things at Interval Records.
In terms of preparation, itâs a case of understanding that these things do take time and that behind every overnight success thereâs usually five to ten years of hard work that people havenât seen.
Without this perspective it can sometimes feel disheartening and like what youâre doing isnât working, but you have to be patient and maintain unwavering belief in the talent you partner with.
From a management perspective, the role is so much broader than it once was, itâs HARD, asks a lot of you and it can often be tricky to earn anything when artists are developing or emerging.
For this reason I think weâll start to see a bigger rollout of forward-thinking management business models. Sometimes we just continue doing things a certain way because itâs how theyâve always been done - ie the 20% commission model - but we definitely need to prepare for new models that are more aligned with the asks of a modern manager.
Aspiring managers should look into the MMF âEssentials Of Music Managementâ book, as there are a bunch of alternative solutions in there. Understanding what they are fully will help you confidently bring them into conversation with your roster. Know your value!
Whatâs one piece of advice you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
To trust the process, to stay centred and not ride the highs too high and not crash out when things arenât going great.
Itâs such an up and down industry, Iâve faced more ânosâ than âyesesâ in my career and I donât think I was ever fully ready for that, you even take it personally in the beginning. Now the whole journey makes sense and everything had to happen exactly the way it did or I wouldnât be here!