Are you a Courtney Barnett, Arcade Fire or Adele fan? If their management teams and labels hadn’t played their cards right, you might not know about these now-huge indie acts. Bringing an artist to an international market can be expensive and risky.
“If you really want to make a career in music, and you want to make a living, you have no choice but to go overseas.” That’s Nick O’Byrne, manager at Look Out Kid in Australia, talking about his country’s small music industry. O’Byrne works with Courtney Barnett and played a big role in bringing her music to the U.S.
According to O’Byrne, as well as Tegan and Sara’s manager Nick Blasko (of Amelia Artists) and Rough Trade label manager Anna Bond, devising a successful marketing strategy in the U.S., or any foreign territory, comes with its own unique challenges and payoffs.
