We were lucky to catch up with Khloe Churko recently and have shared our conversation below.

Khloe, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Most business owners start a business for one core reason – to be different. Entrepreneurs find a gap in a system or an industry and they find a way to do that job, or sell that product better. That’s how business evolves and how the world keeps changing.

Pink Noise MGMT originally was created because I saw a hole in the music business management world. I continuously would hear horror stories about bad business management. Everything from managing money poorly, not earning their keep, to making crucial mistakes that were costing clients money month after month. My musical friends could not get a hold of their business managers, they couldn’t access their money, they were seeing high turnover at these firms and could never truly connect with their account manager on a level that helped them grow.

I’ve been working in the music industry for over 10 years. I listened to my friends and colleagues on how they envisioned this side of the industry and I figured out how I can improve that. What sets Pink Noise MGMT apart is we are a small female owned and operated boutique business management firm. We are deeply invested and involved in our clients’ business. I treat every business like it’s my own. I always say ‘If you’re losing sleep over your business, so am I, and even if you’re not losing sleep, I still might be.” We are an extension of their business and personal life. We treat the relationship between us and our clients as a very personal relationship. I can tell a person’s life story from their bank statement. There are no secrets with a musician’s business manager. We truly value that relationship.

Our firm is present and on the artists’ side. We thrive finding missing money. We understand that a musician’s finances aren’t their focus. Creatives are supposed to be creative and we know it’s our job to come in and ensure their business finances align with that. There are a lot of missing royalties out there that are waiting to be found. In 2021, there was over 431 million dollars in uncollected songwriter royalties. We consider it a welcomed challenge to find those royalties for our clients.

All in all, we are accessible, knowledgeable, and we truly care about each individual band, musician, business, or songwriter we work with. We are constantly brainstorming new ways to help our clients make money, and find old money that’s sitting around waiting to be collected.

Khloe, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Khloe Churko and I am the founder of Pink Noise MGMT. I was born in Vancouver Canada to rock producer Kevin Churko, I grew up surrounded with talk of royalty payments, studio sessions and contracts.

After a move in 2005 to Las Vegas, my father opened “The Hideout Recording Studio”. This is where my career in music began. From manager of the studio to CFO, while managing my dad and other producers, I worked hard and I worked with integrity.

This led to starting my own business management firm Pink Noise MGMT. It is a boutique firm that allows artists and business owners to focus “on the music”. They get to create while I educate and inform my clients on the more daunting topics such as financial stability and monetary success. Some of my clients include; Kevin Churko, Kane Churko, Maria Brink, Hellyeah, Toque, Brent Fitz, Stanton Moore, Innovo Management, and Ari’s Take.

My “why” along with my core values are at the forefront of every decision I make. I strive to continue cultivating an environment founded on transparency, accessibility and honesty. I am setting a new standard in what can be a dishonest and incredibly tricky industry.

We’d appreciate any insights you can share with us about selling a business.

While unrelated to the music industry, I used to be a co-owner of a fried chicken restaurant here in Las Vegas. We owned it for about 4 years and recently sold it in 2021. I learned MANY valuable lessons throughout that process, Many of which I apply to my current company at Pink Noise.

The most important lesson I learned and was grateful was in place, is to be financially organized. It is almost impossible to sell a business for the correct value if you do not have proper profit and loss reports and balance sheets. It’s easy to say a business is profitable, but you need to prove that on paper. Luckily, I have the knowledge and skillset to do that, but many don’t. It’s important if you don’t know, recruit someone who can help.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Pink Noise started in February of 2020. 1 month before COVID. At the time, I had no idea what the future would look like. I threw $1000 in a bank account, and away I went with a couple clients I acquired through word of mouth.

Upon COVID, many musicians and music business owners were taking the time to sift through their business and their income sources. Many didn’t understand, and many wanted to audit companies for underpaid royalties. This created a huge growth spirt for Pink Noise. As a remote type of business, I can work from anywhere, and help clients from anywhere in the country.

As it sits almost 3 years later, my client list has grown exponentially. I don’t advertise, or cold call. I strictly acquire clients by word of mouth, or personal recommendation. This is the type of job you don’t want to hire a random person to do generally. You want someone who can speak to a business managers skill and talent.

My most effective strategy is communication, transparency, and being able to create a safe and open space for my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pinknoisemgmt.com
• Instagram: @khloechurko
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khloechurko/
• Other: Pink Noise’s instagram: @pinknoisemgmt