We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melanie Wilson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melanie below.

Melanie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

When I first decided to start the company I was aware of other agencies in the genre. I knew from my experience in sales and marketing over 25 years that in order to stand out you need to offer service that distinguishes yours from the rest. To be fearless about doing it differently. I figured the best way to be different was to engage the artists, do a lot of research and find out what was that difference from the norm that I could offer as part of my agency landscape. Some of those items I decided i would need to focus on are availability, positive communication and flexibility in services.

My husband is an artist, so I had a first hand person to bounce ideas off of and learn from about what all of the most important aspects might be coming from a service provider like my agency.

Melanie, 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?

I was brought up on a love and appreciation of good music from a very young age. My Mama taught my sister and I how to jitterbug right in the middle of the living room and played record after record on Saturday nights while we just listened, sang along and danced. I remember a pan of warm brownies nearby, candles lit, and a well tuned whistling Daddy off in the distance. Those are precious memories for me.

Back then we listened to a lot of folk and classic country music, which is why I think I so easily developed such an undeniable love and appreciation for Roots and Bluegrass. I’m a 70s baby, and my vinyl record collection is heavy with Linda Rondstadt, Emmy Lou Harris, and Melanie, who yes, happens to be by namesake.

I had been working as an Associate Broker and Sales & Marketing Director for almost 25 years in two different states, when my husband, Steve Wilson and I were reunited on Facebook, after having dated in High School many moons before. We fell in love, again, blended our families and subsequently moved from Upstate NY to Westminster, SC.

It was Steve who truly introduced me to this music as he is a banjo player, custom banjo builder and recording Engineer and Producer. The move South was in part for warmer weather, but mainly to chase our bluegrass dreams.

Soon after moving down here Steve recorded an EP that was meant to showcase the sounds of his newly crafted custom banjo ‘The Guardian’ in the five different keys of the songs. I began to publicize the collection in my free time and before we knew it there were radio interview requests coming in and folks asking where the band would be playing. He had only gathered friends, local musicians, together to record the project at home so there was in fact, no band. But it didn’t take long to form one and soon there was new meaning for ‘Wilson Banjo Co.’ They were soon signed to a label and have been putting out incredible music for Pinecastle Records since 2017.

I never looked back from there. In fact one of my team members, Edgar Loudermilk, was the first to encourage me to follow that course, having noticed what I was accomplishing with Steve’s music release. I still work with Edgar and his band, getting the word out about their music to the masses.

I really love my job. I have always been a very creative person, I enjoy solving problems and fashion myself a people person. I like the campaign development, the sale, the support for something I believe in and most of all, sharing in the happiness of an artist when they achieve their goals and begin to realize their successes.

The agency is run on a team mentality. As many things as we can do to support each other, we do. Team members help others with booking leads, studio needs, or just lifting each other up or sharing one another’s achievements and new music. During annual events, like the International Bluegrass Music Association conference, we always have a get together or team performance that’s open to the public. It’s kind of like a family reunion of sorts and is so much fun.

One of the things that attracted me to this genre was the close knit relationships built between the artists as well as the artists and their audiences. Though I can’t speak for all, Wilson Pickins artists strive to maintain that connection amongst ourselves and with those who got us where we are today.

Another way I have always tried to show appreciation, is with gratitude to our industry peers that help us in gaining awareness for the music. People like the radio stations and hosts, the festival and venue promoters, the associations, print and online media, songwriters and so many more.

It makes me very proud in the moments when my efforts are recognized by my clients and peers. It could be a quick text to say thanks for that or that I am appreciated, those simple things mean so much more than anyone knows. There have also been a few big moments that i cherish as well like my IBMA and SPBGMA nominations, being accepted into and attending IBMA Leadership Bluegrass, and being inducted as a Daughter of Bluegrass. And of course right up there would be having someone record one of my original songs and hearing it on the radio. As a songwriter, that fills you with an indescribable pride.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been by reputation and referral. I’ve never found myself in a position to have to pursue new clients. The company started in 2014 and I’ve had a great deal of success in client retention.

I have received referrals from record labels, other artists. DJs and even personal friends. Even if I don’t have time in my schedule to work with someone, I always take time to answer any questions they may have and point them in the right direction.

Though some would disagree with this type of “free” consultation, I try not to worry too much about being taken advantage of for my knowledge, my time, or gaining access to my business model. I just take joy from from helping others succeed. Our genre of music is a relatively small fish in a very large ocean and competing too heavily is something self-destructive that we just can’t afford.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’m sure a lot of people answer this question much the same. The time in my career when I have had to pivot, back up and punt, shake things up, would definitely have been during the dark days of the Covid shutdown.

The entertainment industry may have been one of the most overlooked and hardest hit during the shutdown. The artists and their entire financial support systems imploded when there was nowhere to play, no way to go out and earn an income and no way to flex their creative muscles. Promoters and venues, recording studios, their engineers and producers, publicists and agents also all suffered from lost income.

There was one, bright shining light that got us through it and that was radio. Hosts, who largely worked alone were still able to broadcast, which meant we were all still able to tune in to those friendly and familiar voices and the music we loved every day. A lot of the hosts set up home studios to broadcast from also.

We implemented an increase in radio interviews during this time. Working closely with show hosts, we ramped up the exposure for the team by scheduling more frequent radio interviews, checking in with folks to chat about sometimes more than just music, even just how was everyone holding up and what’s in the horizon? The next thing we boosted was social media presence, whether it was live stream concerts or just current events and relevant posts. In addition to live stream concerts. which caught on quickly all over social media as everyone knows, we added tip jars to the band websites and their performances online to hopefully bring in a little money for them. We also encouraged the fans to purchase music or band merchandise, perhaps for their loved ones for birthdays and Holidays. Anything they could do to pay it forward to the artists for their hard work that was cut short in coming to fruition by not being able to finish up their projects on time in the studio or perform on stages across the country.

Any direction we could turn to keep the artists in creative and performance mode would keep them mentally healthy and if there was a way to figure how how they could turn even the smallest profit we would try it. We assisted them in pursuing government grants and kept up to date on anything like that for them that we could find information on as well.

Since Covid, my husband and I have decided to pursue some additional dreams within the industry as well, such as the first ever Grits ‘n Grass Mountain Music Festival taking place near our home in July, and partnering with a new record label owner, Kim Robins of Ram Cat Music. We really just want to continue in every way we can to grow and sustain the music that we love.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wilsonpickins.agency/home
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/wilsonpickins
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wilsonpickinsbg
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-wilson-b098b7b7
• Twitter: @wilsonpickinsbg
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@WilsonPickins
• Other: https://ramcatmusic.com/

Image Credits
Brian Auburn – photo 1 Melanie