We were lucky to catch up with Grace Parsons recently and have shared our conversation below.

Grace, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I believe pursuing a career in any entertainment or creative form is deemed “risky”; mostly so from the peanut gallery in a negative light. But to the artist-the entrepreneur…the dreamer- the risk of chasing a possibly unattainable dream is the only fathomable purpose one feels.

I felt this exact way when I discovered my passion for music could be turned into a career. It was my freshman year at Purdue University in the first semester; I had yet to declare my major. Overwhelmed by the pressure to choose what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I had begun my research. “I wish there was a job you could sit around and just listen to music!” I thought to myself as I laughed. So, why not type that in the Google search bar? I had prior knowledge and experience in the music industry, but very little. Soon enough, I had my heart and mind set on becoming an A&R in the music industry. And not one thing, person, or opinion was going to stop me.

I spent my college summers interning or volunteering wherever I could to gain experience. One of the more sketchy risks I took was accepting an A&R internship for a publishing company in LA. I didn’t know much about the role or company, didn’t know where I would live or how I would financially afford it, etc.. But I knew I was going to find a way there…and I did. Fast forward to my ‘after college graduation plans’, I was ready to take the same risk. Like many, I moved to Nashville without a job offer. But I had, and still have, an unwavering amount of blind faith that things will fall into place as they should. Most importantly, I believe in myself. It took me a while (approx. 2 years) to land a full-time job as a Project Manager/A&R at an artist management company. Those in the industry, or similar, know it is side jobs and “unpaid experiences” until then.

I am still early in my career with so much more to learn; I hope and plan to take many more risks in my lifetime. There are a lot of goals I still have yet to reach, but they can only be achieved through risk. The reward, even if it is failure or redirection, will always be worth the risk if you continue to never give up.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Grace Parsons, but most call me GP. I am a young music business professional working as a Project Manager/A&R in Nashville, TN. Areas of focus: A&R, marketing, artist management, publishing, brand partnerships, and influencer/social media marketing.

If I could give my younger self and others starting in the business two pieces of advice, one would be: seek out a mentor and support system and don’t be shy to lean on them. Often in this industry you will hear “if you even possibly have anything else you want to do…go do that”. The reason being the music industry is not for the faint hearted. It will definitely test you, and you will need that dedication and passion to push yourself through. I say that only to stress the importance of having good people in your corner. I didn’t go to a music college, so I didn’t know too many people in the industry yet when I came to Nashville. I made tons of connections, but at first, was too shy and did not want to be bothersome to seek out a consistent mentor. It would’ve been nice to have a seasoned professional to bounce things off of starting out. With that said, always be sure your morals align with your mentor’s/employer’s and don’t be afraid to go against the status quo. Stay true to yourself. Fortunately, I have a wonderful support system that has cheered me on and been a shoulder at times I thought I was going crazy! I am very thankful for my friends, family, and peers in the industry that have helped shape who I am and carved my path with me and continue to do so.

Second piece of advice: “do the job before you have the title”. I believe I heard this from one of my friends in the industry and it really stuck with me. Before I landed an actual job in the industry, I was interning, part-time, shadowing, and doing my own work to shape my A&R/artist management reputation. I often thought “…can I just call myself an A&R?”. And that way of thinking really invalidated all of the hard, badass work I was doing without a contract at “XYZ” company. As simple as it sounds, you don’t need permission to start doing the work. Whatever your desired title is, begin researching and executing those actions. Tip: it’s okay if you appear unexperienced. In my first A&R internship, I made a lot of imperfect pitches, but I’m still here!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I would say there are many missions that drive me career-wise. First and foremost, my general mission in life is to find longevity in happiness, wealth, and health- like many I’m sure. I have always been a very career-oriented woman (thanks to my mom), so I always knew I had to focus on finding my passions and turn that into my every day life…for profit. My biggest passion: music (thanks to my dad).

It’s funny the comments you get when you tell people you’re in the music industry or trying to break into it. “Ooff, tough industry…that’s a shady industry…you’ll have to handle the boys club”. Usually, in a deprecating tone with facial expressions to match. And the truth is: Yes, the industry can be those things, as can any industry, but that only gives me all the more motivation to change it and shine light on the good parts. So, to save time I will mention areas I hope to create effective, positive change within the industry (for executives and artists/creators): more female CEOs, executives, etc., better work/life balance, prioritize mental health, fair and just contracts/agreements-more transparency, fair payment structures, build a safer environment for females to be seen and heard, and put the music/artistry first). Obviously, there are more and each area has many layers to it.

I am in this industry because I love A&R. I love: discovering and developing artists, producers, songwriters; strategizing creative marketing plans specific to the artist; guiding an artist to discovering their sound, brand, and what they want to tell the world; collaborating or assisting in creative direction for concepts, music videos, visuals, songs, albums, tour design, etc.; and matchmaking creators. I feel it is my calling. And I can’t wait to continue learning more! My passion and my mission are one and the same: fill my every day with joy and leave something better than you found it.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

One of my favorite marketing campaigns is one I am actually spearheading right now! One of my childhood best friends, Julia Kahn, is an artist. We have been so fortunate to go through the journeys of life and the music industry together. Julia’s debut EP “Heroine’s Journey” is being released on November 11 and we both wanted to give it all the push we could. I began to put my marketing brain to work.

Julia has been running a full marketing campaign for the EP, but I had an idea that sparked so loud in my mind that we had to do it in addition. The concept: stickers with Julia’s lyrics and instagram handle, customized to her branding, that would be placed around cities all over the country. Very simple, nothing flashy. The key point: just lyrics and instagram handle. Nothing else. As we have heard time and time again in the marketing world, “Gen Z hates ads and doesn’t respond well to traditional ads”. Luckily, Julia’s lyrics are filled with empowering and hopeful words. This leads to the purpose: spreading positivity and light without a noticeable marketing gain. To paint the picture, a passerby goes to press the crosswalk button and above it is a polaroid-like sticker reading “we need you here” with Julia’s instagram handle and a somewhat blurred press photo (to keep it mysterious-as if it’s just street art). We hope that the lyrics will evoke an emotional response to either take a picture and post it on social media (with her tagged), search the @ to follow/become a fan, or simply have name exposure with positive connotation. Even if none of those things happen, at least Julia’s lyrics are supporting and uplifting the general public. The world can always use more love and light.

We designed four different stickers. What I like about the lyrics we chose is that they are universally felt regardless of demographics. Julia knows her focal audience, but if we can draw in outliers that is always great. So, how are we getting the stickers around different towns from Nashville? Family and friends. We are so blessed to have friends and family willingly wanting to go slap stickers around their town (respectfully)! City coverage spans from Portland to San Diego to Austin to Colorado to Chicago to Daytona to NYC and many more cities in between.

I am really proud of myself on the execution on this project. And I’m so proud of Julia’s intentional and moving artistry. When my creativity and marketing brain come together I am always happy! If you see any of the stickers in your city, be sure to snap a pic!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graceparsons/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-parsons-3268b3167/