We recently connected with Kevin Jin and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I currrently do make a full – time living through my creative work, working at Flighthouse in music marketing while also running cool side ventures with friends such as Sparky (production/marketing agency).

Getting my foot into the music industry wasn’t the easiest for me. 1) I didn’t have any family or close friends in the industry and 2) the music industry mainly resided in the US and being located in Canada’s market small market, there was limited jobs and opportunity.

So for the longest time, I did feel like I was at a disadvantage from others BUT that never held me back to chasing my passions and interests. I knew I had to create opportunities for myself, and one of the major leaps in my career into the music industry was starting music journalism/concert photography.

Through my initiatives of independently running blogs and covering shows, I’d connect with industry folks which would later build relationships and working on marketing campaigns for artist friends and eventually connect me to like minded individuals to start new ventures such as Sparky.

8 years later, I currently work full time running music marketing campaigns for all of the biggest major labels. Kendrick Lamar, Ice Spice, and Playboi Carti projects being a few standouts names on my resume.

If I could look back at it now, I don’t think I would of changed/sped up the process any way. My journey is special too me, and any mistakes or opportunities that came in front of me taught me character and skills that I carry on now.

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

My name is Kevin Jin, and I currently work in the Music Industry more specifically Music Marketing. I originally got my foot in the door through the creative fields, through taking photos of artists at concerts and running music blogs. Through building relationships and networking in the industry, this later led to artists, managers, and labels inquiring about marketing help and how to go viral/relevant which has led me to where I am now!

The one thing that differentiates me as a digital marketing strategist is my ability to understand marketing from all angles. This could be from the perspective of a consumer, a fan, and a casual listener. Finding ways to market music where the music can resonate with the individual through any medium is what I feel is most important in this day in age (i.e. gaming, meme culture, or dance culture).
I consider myself an early adopter to many things, and I feel like this has been a strong suit for my marketing career. I’m always being ahead of curve on newest trends, moments in culture and identifying creators/forms of content that can move the needle in the digital space. A perfect example would be taking advantage of Lebron James and Bronny James first time playing together on the Lakers and creating a narrative with an artist like Ken Carson, who’s music is tied to sports.
For this reason, I do feel that my knowledge and approach to the digital marketing space in music has attracted clients and individuals to work with me!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of working in music marketing is seeing the results of your work through the digital space and through music streaming.

I have the luxury to run music campaigns on social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts where I not only witness trends that I’ve helped market but also see the creativity of other people on the app and how they use the song in their lens.

The usage and growth on a platform like TikTok not only increases the visibility of the music but also the likability of a song outside of the digital space for the average listeners. I would like to think my job is to kickstart listeners in discovering new music, where viral tracks convert to listeners streaming songs on Spotify or Apple Music. Playlists such as “big on the internet” are a perfect example of the segway of music marketing into streaming.

It’s cool to see the parallels on how music marketing has a such an impact. I’m blessed to use my marketing skills to showcase some of the biggest songs in the world. From marketing a more Gen – Z focused artist like Flo Milli (“Never Lose Me”) to a more legacy act like Frank Sinatra’s “My Way”, music and marketing come together as one to attract like minded individuals and listeners.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What helped me build a reputation within the music industry would be being authentic to everyone you meet, and being resourceful as possible for clients.

The music industry is a very small industry, and showcasing my most authentic self to a client, an artist or creator is how I believe I built genuine relationships. People realize the individual I am and know that my intentions and interests are best for them. It’s easy to see if somebody is trying to take advantage of you, and if they find out don’t be surprised that word spreads.

Secondly working with clients I try to be resourceful as possible by providing any suggestions, information that could be of value to the client (i.e. pivots, trends, etc), and/or connect them with people that help them or I can vouche for. Whenever I meet or connect with an individual, I always approach that relationship as “I can provide value to this person in some capacity”. Overtime, I feel as this has really helped me show my worth but expertise as a music marketing specialist in the space and connected me to other individuals that need my services through word – of – mouth. Actions speak louder than words, and clients will recognize by the way you treat or approach working with them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevcjin/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevcjin/
• Other: Headshots – (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-6qTH0EbeZl0_aIS9Q7AL99jTcYJgR9k?usp=sharing)