As part of our Horizon series of interviews, we are connecting with the music industry’s current and next generation of leaders to gather candid advice and insights into their career journeys.
This week we caught up with Rowanne Chang, digital marketing manager at Deviate Digital - the full-service entertainment industry agency founded by Sammy Andrews - where she spends her days managing social media and paid advertising for artists, building rollout plans for releases, and diving deep into the data behind every campaign.
She’s self-described as data-driven in a role that also demands real creativity, providing authentically tailored strategies informed by detailed data analysis and relieving the ever-increasing pressures on artists and brands in the digital space.
Rowanne’s career beginnings are strong evidence of how getting stuck in can shape your path. She had a self-confessed career 180, studying law before interning at a music venue on the side and never looking back. A few years in live music, a festival production role, a postgraduate degree at Berklee College Of Music, and eventually a move to London.
Each step taught her something the next one needed, and she’s clear that none of it felt wasted, even when the direction changed.
What makes her perspective particularly useful is how she thinks about audience. She posts music she loves on her own social media every day, originally just for fun, but it’s grown into genuine industry relationships because people notice what you care about. In a role built around helping artists reach new fans, that fan-first instinct feeds directly into the work.
Her advice: don’t be afraid to change direction and don’t let mistakes derail you; learn from them and move on. Every step, every person, every experience has a way of paying off even when you may not see precisely how yet.
Read Rowanne’s Horizon Future Leaders Q&A 👇
What’s your current role in the music industry?
I’m a digital marketing manager at Deviate Digital, a full-service entertainment industry agency founded by Sammy Andrews.
What does your general day to day look like?
One thing I love about my job is that no two days are the same, which keeps it really exciting.
Day to day, I look after the social media and paid advertising for several artists.
That means planning and updating their social media schedules, catching up with the artists and their teams, brainstorming fresh content ideas and editing content across all platforms. On the advertising side, I build rollout plans for new releases and run campaigns that help artists reach new fans and grow their audience.
Even though I love working on fun social media content and trends, I’m quite data driven, so I spend a lot of time looking at how campaigns are performing and fine tuning them as we go. I also keep a close eye on platform updates, so our content always feels current.
Our agency is very hands-on with every project, so building strong relationships with our clients and staying one step ahead of each campaign is really at the heart of what I do.
What steps did you take early in your career to gain experience and build skills to get you where you are now?
I actually did a complete 180 with my career. I went to law school, but while studying I started interning at a music venue, and that pushed me towards the music industry after I graduated.
I spent a few years at a mid-size venue, then joined a festival production team. After that, I moved countries to do my postgraduate degree at Berklee College Of Music, which led me into running social media accounts for artists and, ultimately, moving to London for the next step of my career.
The industry moves really fast, so the biggest skill is staying curious about everything. That means keeping up with new music and new artists, learning from industry podcasts and conferences, and meeting new people. You never know what you’ll learn from the people you meet.
What opportunities did you explore early on that were particularly valuable?
Definitely my first internship! For anyone without music industry experience, my advice is not to be afraid to put yourself out there. Hand out your CV or start your own music related project so people notice you. It’s easy to be discovered on social media now, so showcasing your personal projects is extremely important.
I didn’t stay in the live industry, but the skills I learnt as an intern and the people I met helped me so much. One opportunity really did open the door to the next. Working around live events gave me a real understanding of how fans connect with artists, which still shapes how I plan content and campaigns today.
Has the opportunity landscape changed since then?
Yes definitely. I’d say when I started, most opportunities came through big venues, labels or personal connections. Apprenticeships and internships have evolved a lot since then. There are now far more indie labels and independent artists that people can work with, and they’re much more vocal on social media when they have a campaign or project they’d like to collaborate on.
That makes it easier for people starting their careers to get noticed, even without an existing network.
Are there any specific internships, projects, or initiatives that you would recommend to newcomers looking to pursue a similar role?
I'd recommend starting with social media, IQ Magazine, Music Business Worldwide and LinkedIn.
Take the time to work out what you’re interested in, then find the relevant people and keywords online. It’s also worth going to conferences to meet people in real life. People in the industry are always happy to help!
What advice do you have for building and leveraging a professional network in the music industry?
Be curious and put yourself out there. From my own experience, though, people mostly remember you through working together and building trust over time. Be kind, reliable and passionate about your projects and the people you work with, because people do remember. In this industry, people network by exchanging contact details, but more often they connect through recognising your work.
It may sound clichéd, but sharing what you love also helps you find the right people. I post music I like on my own social media every day. At first I only did it for fun, but more and more industry professionals have reached out to say they love my recommendations, and those conversations have grown into deeper relationships.
Once you’ve built those relationships, keep them going. I like to stay in touch by sharing a contact’s releases or news, recommending people for projects and checking in every so often, not just when I need something. That way, when an opportunity comes up, people think of you, and you’re happy to do the same for them.
How has the evolving digital landscape impacted your role, and where do you focus to stay ahead?
Being a digital marketing manager, I feel the changes a lot. Platforms, algorithms and audience habits shift constantly, so what worked six months ago may not work today.
Short-form video has become central and easier for people to discover music, but how to gather the data and convert the audience to fans has become the key. Paid advertising has become far more targeted, which means campaigns need to be planned around data as well as creativity.
It has also made the role more diverse. I now look after content, paid media and audience growth together, so I need to understand how they work as one rollout rather than separate tasks.
What trends or changes do you see on the horizon for the music industry, and how can early career professionals prepare for them?
Everything has become more data driven, so knowing where to find your superfans is key.
What I notice among the younger generation is that audiences are tired of promotional or overly polished content. People want personality and authenticity from their artists and they want to feel connected to build a community.
Artists now need to do far more than write music. For early-career professionals, my advice is to build skills in content, audience building and community management, stay adaptable and embrace new technology especially AI tools, but never lose sight of why you wanted to work in music. Passion, curiosity and genuine relationships will always matter.
What’s one piece of advice you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
It’s okay to make mistakes if you learn from them! When you care deeply about your work, it can be frustrating when things go wrong. What’s important is that you don’t let it get to you, learn from it and move on.
I’d also say don’t be afraid to try new things, even if it means changing direction. My own career has taken a few turns, and none of the effort felt wasted, because every step taught me something that helped with the next. The skills, experiences and people you pick up along the way have a way of paying off, even if you can’t see how at the time.