Author: Calvin R. Evans
Published: November 18, 2005
Tool: [ email ]
Manhunt: Today I am talking with Monica Britton. Monica what's up?
Britton: Hey what's up?
Manhunt: First of all I want to let everybody know that I have known Monica since high school.
Britton: Yup.
Manhunt: Good gracious! Big shout out to Westbury High School Class of 1987.
Britton: That's right!
(Manhunt laughs)
Manhunt: So for all of ya'll that are reading this, I am giving you all a personal shout out, Ok? (Both laugh)
Manhunt: But I wanted to talk to you a little while to find out about your background in the music industry. If I am correct, you are the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Manager for EMI?
Britton: Correct, EMI Music Marketing.
Manhunt: Great, Ok. And how did you get started in the music industry?
Britton: Well, I've been around music all of my life. My mother was a district manager, one of the only black, as well as female, district managers for a record store chain here in New York called Record World, which is now defunct. She had been working there for 25 years. My father was a writer and a producer for a group in the seventies called Crown Heights Affair.
Manhunt: Oh wow! (Exasperated) I didn't know that! (Sighs) Man!
Britton: See, you learn something new every day (giggles).
Manhunt: Everyday!
Britton: He was a writer and producer and I remember going to shows with Crown Heights so I've always been around music, between working at Record World when my mom was the DM or going to stuff for Crown Heights Affair with my dad it was always something that was in me so of course when I grew up I was interested in music. Ironically, I used to tell them that I wanted to be a newscaster and somehow I fell into music.
Manhunt: Wow. See now I could ask you a real Brown Sugar question right there like, "So when did you first fall in love with hip-hop?" (Both laugh) But I'm going leave that alone.
Britton: Please do (both laugh again).
Manhunt: I love that movie by the way.
Britton: Yes. That is my movie.
Manhunt: Is that not the bomb? That movie is just...wow! But anyway, what are your day-to-day responsibilities as a marketing manager?
Britton:
Well I have a staff that report to me, a staff of about six people that are field people called Artist Development Reps.. Those are the people who go out into the record stores and to lifestyle chains or non-traditional record retail, coffee shops, car washes, clothing stores, wherever, and they try to do marketing initiatives. So the Artist Development Reps do that, and then the Urban Marketing Reps. do the same thing but just work with urban independent retail for the most part. And they are all trying to market our releases letting the consumer know that they are out there. So that staff of six reports to me and they are based from Boston to Northern Virginia.
Manhunt: Ok.
Britton: Then presently I'm supposed to be trying, outside of managing that staff of people, I'm supposed to be working with our sales reps that go into retail stores and sell our product and come up with marketing initiatives for the stores to sell through our product at these locations and also try to do non-traditional record retail marketing myself. So there's a myriad of things that I do.
Manhunt: Ok. So, in terms of the work that you are doing with the sales department, your marketing strategies are based upon findings that they discover in their research?
Britton: (pause) Yeah, knowing what it is our labels are anticipating for release, what they are trying to get across to the record retailer and also trying to partner with the record retailer to try to get them to take our product and what interesting and out of the box things we can do to make ourselves stand out.
Manhunt: All right. Now I know that most people who are involved in the music industry start off interning. I know you interned at radio station, WDRE?
Britton: Correct, WDRE in New York, which turned into WLIR and I not even sure what is now.
Manhunt: Really? What did you do there?
Britton: I was an intern there for three months and then I was hired as the sales assistant, so I basically provided assistance and support to the sales department.
Manhunt: Cool!
Britton: Then I left from there and I went to Columbia House, the CD and tape company that gives you 7,000 CD's for a penny.
Manhunt: Yeah (chuckles).
Britton: And I was doing data entry; pretty much assisting with building their magazine that they send out to their customers. So I entered that information into the computer system, and I stayed there for about a year and a half. Then someone who I worked with at WDRE who left to work with Columbia Records, he and I didn't talk much at the station but somehow, I don't know if he admired my work ethic or whatever, but he and I kept in contact and he was the one who got me the job at Columbia House.
Manhunt: Ok.
Britton: So like I said, I stayed at Columbia House for a year and a half, then my hairdresser at the time, her husband had worked at EMI. And she and I didn't talk much but she noticed that I was always read music magazines when I came in. So one day she asked me what I did and I told her, and she told me what her husband did. And she told me that there was a position open and asked would I be interested and I was like, "Definitely!" and I ran down there with my resume the next day.
Manhunt: Being at the right place at the right time always helps.
Britton: Exactly.
Manhunt: That's real good. The only thing that I don't like about Columbia House is if you didn't respond to the card they sent you for the featured CD for the month, they would send you the disk that nobody ever wanted. Then you had to call them and tell them you don't want it and they would scold you because you didn't respond. But I still have a Garth Brooks CD from like 1990 that they sent me. (Britton laughs) I was like; Ok ya'll got me on that one. But they're cool anyway. (Chuckles) So, as a woman, was it difficult for you to advance in the music industry?
Britton: No, I don't want to say that that's the case. I think that if you look in general there are some powerful women that I looked up to, obviously Sylvia Rhone who is now at Universal, formerly of Elektra, Jackie Reinhardt who was at Universal at one point. There have been women around. I didn't feel that because I am a woman that they were holding me back from doing anything. When I started out here at EMI I was a Field Marketing Rep. going out to record stores myself doing inventories and putting up displays, getting on seven foot ladders and hanging from the ceiling trying to put stuff up, carrying posters, flats and CD's around riding the train. But they didn't say I couldn't do that because I am a woman it was more like, "Ok if you want to do this job then go out there and do it." So I have never felt that being a woman has held me back. And even if that was the case I don't think I would've let that hold me back if this is what I wanted to do.
Manhunt: Exactly, it's all about determination. That's great. Well I didn't know that those were the things they had you doing. It sounds like you were a one-woman street team.
Britton: Yeah, yeah it is for my territory, and that's what Field Marketing Reps, which are now called Artist & Development Reps here at EMI, that's what they are. That's how they need top look at their jobs, they are out there representing the company and these artists, and they need to make sure that their entire territory is covered so that people know.
Manhunt: Ok cool. Well what do you enjoy most about working for a record label?
Britton: (Long pause, then let's out a sigh)
(Manhunt giggles)
Britton: Well you know that's an interesting question. I guess it's just the music. I love the music; I love to use my marketing and creative skills to turn people on to something new. You know you have the main artists, every company does, but I get the best joy out of marketing stuff that people don't know and then seeing that artist grow through our effort. So that's the best thing that I like about it. It's definitely not the shows, and it's definitely not meeting the artists because I don't like doing that (Manhunt laughs). It's taking that creativity and turning people on to something new in music. Not what they would usually hear on the radio or see on television.
Manhunt: Right. Well you play a big hand in breaking new artists and I think that is exciting.
Britton: It is.
Manhunt: That's cool. Now you've got 14 years in right?
Britton: (pauses with long breath as she thinks) In total, yes I would say that.
Cool. Then what advice would you give to someone who wants to work for a record label?
Britton: I would say be ready to start on the bottom and be very humble and have no problem starting on the bottom regardless of how old you are. Just be determined and be a sponge, and don't overstep your bounds, but be open to learning because you can learn from so many different people in this industry. There are so many different departments; it's not just about wanting to be an artist all the time. Before I got started I didn't even know about distribution. I didn't know how records got into stores, there's like a whole thing that goes into the records getting into the stores. From somebody going into the studio to the record being on the shelf there is a whole myriad of departments and people being involved in that. So just look into all of those different areas if you're lucky enough to get in on an internship. Don't be above internships or working for free because that's a way to get in. If they always see you here working for free or working for credit and jobs open up, people remember that. And also, be very dependable. People have to be able to rely on you, that you know what you're talking about, that you know what your doing and that you're going to be where you say you're going to be and you are going to do what you say you're going to do. I guess that's basically it, that's what I feel has gotten me to where I am. Just really being open and excited, ready to do whatever.
Manhunt: That's cool.
Britton: (Quickly following up) Well not whatever, but almost whatever. (Both laugh).
Manhunt: I understand what you're saying (chuckles). All right, do me one quick favor.
Britton: What's that?
Manhunt: Give your Zeta Phi Beta sisters a quick Zeta shout out.
Britton: Oh, well of course! I have to rep my sorority, the best sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. January 16, 1920 Howard University. Five founders. Then I've got to give a shout out to my chapter of course Kappa Epsilon Zeta Chapter of Bronx, New York. The best Chapter.
Manhunt: Do it (laughs)
Britton: I'm don't going to Z Phi all loud, I'm in my office, but my Sorors out there know how hard I represent for Zeta all the time. I'm active and financial ever since I came into the organization and continue to work for it.
Manhunt: Big props! Monica, I thank you very much for doing the interview with us today.
Britton: No problem Calvin.
Manhunt: Hey, please keep in touch with me.
Britton: I definitely will.
Manhunt: Bye-bye.
Britton: Bye.
