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 spoke to Shanté Collier-McDermott, Senior Promotions Manager at Ditto Label Services, artist manager to rising talent Ama Louise, and a freelance journalist whose bylines span CLASH, GRM Daily and beyond.
ShantĂ©âs journey into music wasnât defined by one role or route. Instead, she built her career by immersing herself in different corners of the industry, from press and plugging to artist development and editorial.
Early experience writing for music publications sharpened her industry instinct and opened doors to interviews with major names, while her day-to-day now balances multi-campaign promo schedules with the unpredictable (and rewarding) world of artist management.
Through it all, sheâs stayed adaptable - responding to an ever-evolving digital landscape with new tactics, platforms and priorities - and grounded in the power of real relationships and showing up with value.
đ Read on for ShantĂ©âs reflections on navigating a freelance career across roles, the importance of genuine enthusiasm in networking, and why getting comfortable being uncomfortable can take you further than you think.
Whatâs your current role in the music industry?
Iâm the â Senior Promotions Manager at Ditto Label Services, an artist manager for Ama Louise and also a freelance journalist across CLASH, GRM Daily and more.
What does your general day to day look like?
My day normally starts by checking for any support for the previous day, catching up on emails, and from then on in plugging, pitching and meetings galore.
Ultimately itâs just about juggling several campaigns, identifying their promotion needs and executing them. And as an artist manager, every day is different, but a lot of it is just providing solutions to problems, identifying new opportunities and making sure my artist is all good.
Since I am freelance, journalism normally has to slot into all of that somehow. I mainly focus on reviews and interviews, so I may make sure I listen to a project during the day so that in the evening I can write up my review. Or take a cheeky interview on my lunch break and allocate some time in the week to fine tune it.
What steps did you take early in your career to gain experience and build skills to get you where you are now?
Early on in my career, I made it a point to understand as many aspects of the music industry as possible. The industry is so volatile but having that core knowledge has carried me through. I also fine-tuned my communication skills and being able to build rapport is something I pride myself on.
What opportunities did you explore early on that were particularly valuable?
I got my first job via an agency called Talk To Dan and ended up in a role at the company for five plus years.
Writing for publications was one of the most valuable things I did early on in my career. It catapulted me into the midst of the music scene, broadened my musical knowledge and generally helped aid me hone in as a professional.
It helped me combine a passion with something tangible, for example at GRM Daily, I had done news pieces for a while before I had the credence to do interviews, but once I did, I was quickly interviewing names like Davido and it saw me level up massively.
It not only gave me the confidence to speak in those spaces but also taught me about rollouts and those post release things.
Has the opportunity landscape changed since then?
I think the landscape has changed vastly since. I also donât think those changes are just coming from the big machines or industry professionals.
When I first started writing, I was in group chats full of eager writers and people just wanting to get their foot in the door - over the years, Iâve seen that fire dwindle and change. I think that makes it harder to leverage opportunities.
However I do think there is generally less out there, especially when talking about paid opportunitiesâŠit all feeds back into each other. But it has brought light to new ways of connecting and finding these things, KNWN CLUB for example is a community for creatives that regularly share opportunities.
What advice do you have for building and leveraging a professional network in the music industry?
â I think enthusiasm and providing value are key for networking and building relationships. People appreciate genuine excitement and energy for their artist, music or product.
And similarly, if you can provide a service or something that shows your value, as fickle as it sounds, it will lead to people coming to you for that said thing.
Are there any specific internships, projects, or initiatives that you would recommend to newcomers looking to pursue a similar role?
I recommend any sort of internship, whether thatâs through a major label programme or indie. Many of the big labels like Warner, Universal etc all have internship programmes every year.
Interning at a label or music distributor is a good way to gain experience across the board, most jobs now are fluid so require skillsets or knowledge on other departments - so if you equip yourself that way then youâre on the front foot.
With that in mind, Iâd suggest marketing, A&R and promotions internships as they cover a lot of the key pillars of my roles.
How has the evolving digital landscape impacted your role, and where do you focus to stay ahead?
As the digital age has continued to thrive, the way I work has had to change.
One of my key areas of work is radio plugging, the rise of TikTok has affected impact dates, the data that radio looks at and generally has led to over-saturation. So it has been important to pivot in a way that allows what Iâm pushing to cut through the noise.
That sometimes looks like being more particular with what I work on or can be employing different arms of promo like podcasts or streamers.
What trends or changes do you see on the horizon for the music industry, and how can early career professionals prepare for them?
In the UK especially, there seems to be a shift back to live plots. So I think anyone working directly with artists should make sure theyâre exploring live.
I also think jobs are now becoming multi-faceted across the industry, so having skills outside of your role can better equip you - especially in the creative space.
Content will probably continue to be dominant but I believe there will be a shift back to traditional media forms like full length music videos soon.
Whatâs one piece of advice you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
â Get comfortable being uncomfortable.