Leanne de Souza
In this episode of People in Music, Brad from Energy Groove Radio interviews respected industry figure Leanne de Souza.
Currently the Executive Director for the Association of Artist Managers (AAM), Leanne has worked for over 15 years as a front-line artist manager in Australia, managing acts such as Thelma Pulm, The Medics, Kate Miller-Heidke, Stringmansassy, Katie Noonan Transport and Miles From Nowhere. Leanne also founded the Rock & Roll Writers Festival, held earlier this year in Brisbane.
Leanne has also penned some articles looking at the music industry’s attitudes towards gender inequality.
01:32 Leanne’s role at the Association of Artist Managers
03:12 What does an artist manager do?
04:42 What crucial skills does a person need to be an artist manager?
05:45 How does a relationship between an artist and a manger begin?
07:07 What sets a great artist manager apart from just a good one?
08:34 Do managers have creative direction over the music?
09:50 The importance of networking
11:30 Leanne’s start in artist management
13:17 Founding the Rock n’ Roll Writer’s Festival
14:38 What Leanne has learned from putting a festival together
16:18 Gender Inequality and the Music Business
18:37 The opportunity of gender equity
20:42 Recent research on gender inequality in Australia’s screen composer industry
23:13 How evident is it that there is a boy’s club in the music industry?
26:22 What role do educational institutions have to play in addressing gender equity in the industry?