Welcome back too our weekly throwback of The Indie Files, we have the founder of Nrthrn Baby Nicola Coaker who I was lucky enough to interview earlier this year all about creating her own music label in the North East and what that journey has entailed, this is what she said...
- What made you want to own your own record label?
The lack of representation and development opportunities for rap, R&B, afrobeats and amapiano artists in the North East. I think there's a lot of support for indie/rock bands but this other world of genres is still relatively untouched. There's so much talent in the North East and with a bit of marketing support, branding development and good engineers, I knew that this could take them to the next level.
2. What does the job entail?
Varies day to day. We're going through a slight restructure at the moment and are focusing more on marketing support, events, and community work as opposed to management and distribution deals. Today, for example, I'm working on a PR campaign for a local artist, have a few meetings with other local business owners and then have our emerging artist sessions in North Tyneside where we work with young talent to develop their songwriting and performance skills to take them to the next stage.
3.What is it like being owning a record label in the North East music industry?
It's really fun. There's so much talent in the North East and it's so lovely to be able to work with these talented individuals each and every day. I also love that in the North East, everyone is super supportive of each other. All I've ever wanted to do is support people with their dreams. I was once the music obsessed girl who sat in her bedroom in Middlesbrough wondering how to break into the industry, and felt like I had to move to London, but now I want to show people that it can all be done from the North East.
4.Do you find that the job is worth doing?
Yeah definitely! There's a lot of artists with a lot of talent and a lot of dreams. Being here to help them connect the dots, and give them knowledge that I've learnt across the years is so rewarding. I love working with artists who live and breathe their music.
5.What makes you want to sign an artist/band or help an artist with their career in the North East?
This has changed across the years, but I'm a firm believer in this quote - hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. You need to put the work in to see results and artists that put in the work are always a lot easier to work with, because they understand what goes into making something successful.
6. What would be your advice to those who want to work in the NE music industry or work for a record label?
Put in the work. I'm a big believer in building your own table when there isn't a seat at the table for you. Do your research, get the experience and put in the hours. To be able to run a record label, you really need to know the ins and outs of the industry, and the only way you'll get this experience is through networking, work experience and research. If you have a friend that's an artist, see what you can offer them. Work with them to develop them as an artist and use this as a case study.
Check out the interview on The Indie Files via this link: The Indie Files Nicola Coaker Interview
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