What Type Of Person Thrives In The Music Industry, According To A NAMM Associate Marketing Director
Luke, Associate Marketing Director at NAMM, identifies those who thrive in the music products industry as "entrepreneurial," strong networkers, and possessing a genuine passion for music; success hinges on understanding the "mind of a creator," a critical factor given the industry's product-led nature and diverse customer base, exemplified by the significant house of worship market.
Entrepreneurial, Networking, Technical Understanding, Passion for Music, Customer Empathy
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Luke Walton
Associate Marketing Director
NAMM
USC 2013, SDSU 2020
MBA, SDSU
Fine Arts, Music
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Communication and Marketing
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Entrepreneurial spirit and networking skills are essential for success in the music products industry.
2. A deep understanding of music and the technical aspects of musical instruments is highly beneficial.
3. Connecting with customers on a personal level, ideally by being a musician or creator yourself, is crucial for success in this product-led industry. Understanding the needs of diverse customer segments (e.g., church bands) is key to sales and marketing success.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in the music products industry?
I think the people that thrive are the most entrepreneurial, the most open to networking and connecting. The people that get it for the right reasons, I think all those things combine. I think there's an element of understanding the technical that really, really helps.
I've seen some people that have come into the industry from non-endemic sectors, and they've done well. That's usually for short periods of time. Somebody might come from action sports, or somebody from Coca-Cola, joining the marketing teams. They'll have good ideas, they'll bring new energy.
But if you're not a musician, if you're not obsessed about what you're doing here, why are you even in this space? I also think there's an element of not being able to connect to your customer because you're not your own customer. That fundamentally becomes detrimental over a longer period of time.
It's a product-led world, and products in our space are led by creators. If you don't understand the mind of a creator, even with all the different shapes and types, one of our biggest sectors is house of worship and church performance. This is because it's one of the only places people perform every single week for millions of people.
Not understanding the needs of a church band, for example, will be very difficult when trying to sell a guitar. You're missing out on one of your primary sectors. The people that thrive are those that get to know all those types of customers, and even better yet, are one of them.