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 Ruby Wasmuth, Business Affairs Manager at Faber Music.
Ruby’s career shows the value of starting with a broad foundation before specialising. Her journey began when her university tutor connected her with Manners McDade, a small company where she gained hands-on experience across multiple departments and received invaluable mentorship.
This wide-ranging understanding of the industry and further MAs eventually led her to focus on her passion for composer management and business affairs at Faber Music.
Today, Ruby brings that broad experience to her work, helping musicians navigate contracts and business decisions with practical knowledge and confidence.
Read the full Q&A with Ruby below 👇
What’s your current role in the music industry?
My role at Faber Music is in business affairs, which involves handling contracts and legal matters for our commercial rights - our imprints Faber Alt and Manners McDade - as well as for our roster of film and TV composers.
Outside of Faber, I also co-manage the vocal ensemble Institute Collective alongside our musical director.
What does your general day-to-day look like?
Most of my work revolves around music-to-picture, as that’s my background - I spent the first few years of my career managing media composers for Manners McDade, which was acquired by Faber Music in 2023 - so I specialise in commissioning agreements and sync licensing.
Most of my time is spent negotiating agreements, and advising our team and clients on legal matters relating to their rights and services.
On the choral management side, I spend a lot of time strategising with our MD, managing our members, and handling clients, rehearsals and bookings.
What steps did you take early in your career to gain experience and build skills to get you where you are now?
I did a BA in Music Industry Management at Canterbury, which was a great course that gave us hands-on experience running an in-house record label and organising events for our music students. More importantly, it connected me to Manners McDade via my music publishing tutor.
Working for a small independent company at that stage of my career gave me experience in different areas of the business - we were such a small team at the time that I was involved in helping all departments.
Learning and gaining expertise in different areas allowed me to find and focus on the area I wanted to develop in the mid-term - composer management - and eventually grow into a business affairs position.
I have a thorough understanding of different areas of the music industry, which enables me to support musicians with confidence and reflect my practical experience in contracts.
What opportunities did you explore early on that were particularly valuable?
Again, working for a small company allowed me to work directly with our writers and be trained by our company founders.
I'm also someone who really enjoys learning, so shortly after I started managing composers, I completed a Master’s in Film Music to bridge my knowledge gap between film and music, focusing my research on hybrid electro-acoustic film scoring.
A few years later, I completed a second Master’s in Entertainment Law to equip me with theoretical knowledge to complement my practical expertise and move into business affairs at Manners McDade.
I wouldn’t say the academic route is best for everyone - spending three years gaining hands-on experience is equally valuable, if not more so, for more creative jobs - but it was incredibly useful and enjoyable for nerdy types like me!
Has the opportunity landscape changed since then?
Absolutely - it's a highly competitive landscape, with companies being squeezed by rising costs and the market becoming saturated, so it’s definitely tougher to break in at the moment.
Are there any specific internships, projects, or initiatives that you would recommend to newcomers looking to pursue a similar role?
The Music Publishers Association has a fantastic newcomer award - the Richard Toeman Scholarship - which offers funding for training as well as great visibility and networking opportunities for the winner.
Many music companies, including Faber Music, participate in universities’ year-in-industry programmes. Many of these placements lead to employment, so they are fantastic opportunities.
Most industry body organisations have mentorship programmes, and finding a suitable mentor can be invaluable in terms of gaining expertise and connections.
What advice do you have for building and leveraging a professional network in the music industry?
Be kind, helpful and engaged - show a willingness to pitch in and learn from others. Do your research on the companies and people you’re trying to connect with so you can demonstrate a genuine interest in their work or the artists they represent.
How has the evolving digital landscape impacted your role, and where do you focus to stay ahead?
As we all know, it’s increasingly hard for artists to make a living from their music. Streaming is not a sustainable income source for the vast majority of performers and writers.
Many have portfolio careers, and we diversify as best we can to support the various areas of their careers, including publishing, composer management and label services.
What trends or changes do you see on the horizon for the music industry, and how can early-career professionals prepare for them?
AI is a big topic of conversation, and we’ll soon be seeing more legislation brought in to define this new technology and regulate its use in copyright. As a company and as an industry, we are and will continue to be very vocal about how best to license AI usage in order to protect our creators’ rights.
It's still a bit of an unknown, so I would suggest staying up to date with industry headlines and making an impression by showing an interest and an informed opinion on these subjects.
What’s one piece of advice you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
I was particularly lucky to be mentored by a small music company, so I was very well supported and advised. However, even now, I have to remind myself to trust and back myself.
Imposter syndrome is very real, and we all suffer from it to some degree, particularly in the creative industries. Be your own biggest advocate!