Director of Artist & Label Strategy

Stem empowers artists and their teams to thrive while retaining full control over their music careers. Through a comprehensive distribution offering, including artist-development services and data-driven insights, Stem arms artists with the tools & resources needed to flourish creatively & commercially. Widely-known for its intuitive interface, Stem provides a seamless experience, allowing artists to effortlessly track, split, and disperse revenue to multiple recipients in real-time. By working collaboratively with its users on their overall career strategy and financial literacy, Stem’s commitment goes beyond distribution. The experienced professionals at Stem work closely with artists, serving as an extension of their team. Leveraging a vast network of artist marketing resources, Stem offers personalized guidance and support with artists and their teams in the driver's seat. Utilizing Stem’s bespoke servicing and data-driven approach are artists and labels of every genre and size such as Brent Faiyaz, Soulection, LANY, Three Six Zero, Catch & Release Records, Neon Gold, and many others. Recognizing the innovation and lucidity of this ecosystem, Billboard deemed Stem one of their Top 20 Distributors, Fast Company hailed Stem among its “Most Innovative Companies” in 2021, while BuiltIn named it one of the “Best Places To Work” for the last 5 years.

Stem is a dynamic digital distributor whose artists & labels leverage user-friendly technology, data-informed artist marketing strategies, and human-touch to launch, develop, and nurture records. Moreover, Stem exists to help artists & labels navigate the business behind their music. We reduce complexity, create clarity, and provide more opportunities for artists to exercise control. 

Our growing Artist & Label Relations team is seeking a Director, Artist & Label Strategy with solid professional experience. As Stem’s Director of Artist & Label Strategy, you will manage a portfolio of priority artists and labels to ensure that our clients are consistently receiving expert guidance & maximum value from Stem’s products and services. You are proficient at marketing recorded music in the digital landscape, and can shepherd your clients successfully through their release cycles. You will build and leverage a broad network of strategic and creative resources to generate impactful opportunities for your clients. You’re adept at interacting directly with artists, artist teams, and label executives, at various stages in their career and various levels of seniority. You have an understanding of how to use data to inform budgeting and marketing decisions. Your experience with technology will allow you to seamlessly shepherd your clients through the Stem platform.

A successful Artist Strategy leader at Stem will set realistic expectations with our clients, deliver on those expectations, add meaningful value to our client’s projects, and ask the necessary questions to ensure that we are taking the actions required to retain their business.

This role is full-time and fully remote, with occasional in-person get-togethers in Los Angeles for which we cover travel / lodging for out-of-town employees. We are prioritizing candidates primarily based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Our team:

Stem Disintermedia is led by a driven & collaborative team from diverse backgrounds, including senior professionals from Spotify, UTA, Hired, and Apple Music. Our group of investors and strategic advisors includes former COO of Venmo Michael Vaughan, Carta CEO Henry Ward, Quality Control Music (Cardi B, the Migos and Lil Yachty) co-founder and COO Kevin "Coach K" Lee, and QED Investors partner Frank Rotman. Our employees include musicians, parents, activists, artists, and more. We’re united by our shared values, commitment to exceptional partnership, and fierce belief in Stem’s mission.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package including equity for all full-time employees. We maintain salary brackets for all career tracks to ensure equitable salaries across the company.
• 100% premiums covered for employee medical, dental, and vision (60% for dependents)
• Company 401(k) match up to 4%
• Unlimited paid time off
• FSA
• Life insurance 
• Student loan paydown program
• Excellent parental leave policies

What you'll do:

• Manage a portfolio of developing & established artists & labels via direct lines of communication
• Build and maintain a network of strategic and creative relationships, including but not limited to advertising, influencer, and social media agencies; content creators; publicists; radio promoters; A&R resources; sync licensing companies, brand agencies, and international strategists
• Leverage the aforementioned network, and your own experience, to identify and generate opportunities to increase project exposure and revenue for your clients
• Provide clients with strategic guidance around managing their marketing budgets
• Assist clients in establishing their release timelines and the flow of related marketing assets
• Collaborate on DSP pitching strategy with Stem’s Manager of Editorial & Commercial Strategy, helping to set client goals and manage client expectations
• Work with artist & label teams to establish creative and commercial project goals
• Proactively identify client issues and potential churn, take preventative action
• Become a subject matter expert of all Stem features and services and evangelize across your portfolio of clients.

Our ideal candidate has:

• At least 4 years of progressive marketing experience in the music industry in an artist-facing role, with at least 8 years of entertainment industry experience total
• Knowledge of the Nashville market, including country and rock genres 
• Has had experience working for a record label (major or established independent)
• Comprehensive understanding of emerging and established streaming and social platforms
• Comprehensive understanding of the recorded music business and general understanding of tangential music industry pillars including music publishing and live music
• Familiarity with the digital music distribution landscape
• Established network within the artist, industry and gatekeeper communities, with an emphasis on the Nashville market
• Understanding of commonly used digital marketing practices including advertising, influencer marketing, and content creation
• Exceptional organizational, interpersonal, communication, and time management skills as well as the ability to prioritize, multitask, and focus while working under ambitious and demanding timelines.
• Proficiency in digital productivity landscape including Microsoft Office & Google Suite, presentation building and various research/analytics tools.
• Curious about the evolving music technology landscape, entrepreneurialism in music, and artist independence.
• Ability to work collaboratively on a team and be a “team player” 
• Ability to confidently lead meetings and conversations with artists and their teams
• Possess a pro-active and entrepreneurial approach to task management 

It's a bonus if you have:

• General understanding of recorded music agreements and legalese
• Experience using Adobe Photoshop (or similar software)
• Experience using Final Cut Pro (or similar software)
• Digital advertising certification

Don't match every skill listed? Almost nobody does! Think you're a good fit anyway? Please let us know.

**Stem is an equal opportunity employer, and more than that, actively strives to build and nurture a diverse, inclusive, and equitable team. We celebrate differences and screen for shared values rather than culture fit. We are committed to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment.**