Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shelby Rubin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Shelby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

After graduating from NYU’s Masters in Music Business program in May 2021, the pandemic was still wreaking havoc on the music industry and the job market was incredibly competitive. I began doing side projects as a way to pass the time between school and a full time job, rounding out my resume, often helping my classmates with marketing for their newest release. It wasn’t until I had a number of people asking me for assistance that I realized there was a gap in the market for social media and marketing assistance for independent musicians at an affordable rate. In today’s day and age where A&R’s are often looking for musicians that already have an established fan base, the organic growth on social media and the power of marketing have never been more important to the artist ecosystem as a whole. I primarily got started working with TikTok, utilizing my undergraduate film production knowledge of video editing and storytelling, then moved to Instagram, then YouTube and now even Twitter! To date, my clients have all seen massive growth just within the first two weeks of working with me and I’m very proud of the growth they have all had!

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

My name is Shelby Rubin and I’ve been a music lover for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I had no idea I could work in the music industry but when I went to college orientation I saw the on campus radio station and decided to sign up as an extracurricular. Little did I know I would change my entire undergraduate major to Telecommunications to become an on-air radio host. When it came time for me to graduate, I decided that I wanted to be more involved in the industry, so I set my sights on grad school, particularly NYU’s Masters in Music Business Program. I started at NYU in the fall of 2019 and earned my degree in May 2021, completing internships and learning as much as possible along the way. In addition to running my business, I also work full time at Downtown Music Publishing as a Global Client Services Coordinator!

When I decided to start Major Tom Entertainment in 2021, I set out to create affordable marketing services to independent musicians including social media management, website development, and press kit creation. Today, I continue to focus on these elements while also looking into expanding into artist management and scaling my team of one.

While I’m certainly proud to own my own business, I’m most proud of my clients for navigating the intimidating landscape of social media like champs! We have been able to grow their following while maintaining the authenticity of their projects which is an incredible feat and something I champion in my work as well.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Interestingly enough, this was one of my biggest questions when I first began. Sjure, I knew about marketing but how was I going to find those interested and in need of my services. I initially started through friends and family, facebook pages geared toward my target market, and even linkedin. Today, my greatest source of new clients is word of mouth! I still will respond to various posts on facebook groups and the like, but the bulk of my leads come from existing or previous clients!

Have you ever had to pivot?

My whole business was created out of a need to pivot. Graduating in the middle of the pandemic made finding work incredibly difficult, but social media was booming. I was able to spend time acclimating to the marketing strategies of social media and short form video while I was waiting for my interviews or sprucing up my resume (or watching one too many episodes of Schitts Creek!). Expanding my horizons to owning a business wasn’t something I had ever really thought about doing until I was already put in a position to do so simply because that was the only offer on the table at the time. I shifted to this new entrepreneurial lifestyle as a result of a major life pivot.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.majortomentertainment.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/majortomentertainment/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MajorTomEntertainment