Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Kelly.
Hi Kelsey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Before creating Radius Music Group (RMG, @theradiusmg) starting this idea of a management group, I was artist much like the ones I represent now. I was and still am a creative, but in a different space now. When I was 18, I was deep into the music scene as a trumpeter and trying to better my studies as a musician. However, I soon realized that playing trumpet wasn’t for me after about 8 years…lol. So, I started to wonder, “What other jobs are there in the music business?”. I saw a lot of the roles that exist from being on stage, but I was wondering what about the people who aren’t on stage and who are the people who coordinate performances and events. I worked and picked up gigs here and there at many live event spaces before 2020 and started again in 2021. Then in 2021, I got accepted to UCLA, and that helped put me on the fast track to getting the internships and jobs I was struggling to get before. In Fall of 2021, I began focusing all of my time to UCLA and my studies as a Music Industry and History major, and it was Spring 2022 when the idea of Radius Music Group appeared. I was already managing one artist, Andre Hustace (@andrehustace.official) since we left high school together in 2019. However, I thought this could be bigger than just me managing an artist, I wanted it to be a brand. I’d already made connections with my peers when I was a practicing musician, produced one event, and was on my way to making more connections, so I thought to myself I wanted my role of being a manager to become bigger than me. My vision for RMG was to create a space for independent artists who don’t have a team and become that for them for however long they need. While also providing representation for black women in the music business. Right now, it’s just me as a manager at RMG, but I know down the line, people will come, and I’ll be ready. We are very happy here at RMG with Andre Hustace (@andrehustace.official) and UraelB (@uraelb). There’s some exciting projects on the way for the rest of 2023.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not been a smooth road by any means lol! There are hurdles that I definitely had to overcome whether it was directly related to RMG or even just making a transition for myself and my mindset from artist to a curator. I’m still being creative through my management efforts but in a different way.
One struggle that I’m still figuring out as I type this is the school, work, life balance. Between finishing my degree this year, working in the music industry, developing RMG, and having time for personal activities has been insane!! However, I am blessed to have a good foundation in each of these areas in my life. The people who are in these spaces I mentioned are my community, and they make it clear that I can lean on them whenever I need help.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
RMG is definitely my baby, and I do my best to focus on it and make it the best it can be, but I have to get experience at other companies to make my own better.
At the moment, I currently work as a Production Assistant at AEG Presents – Goldenvoice. Here I help with everyday tasks, and right now, we are in the midst of festival season so there are many moving parts as of recent. I started with them on a festival called Cali Vibes, and since then I’ve done Coachella, Just Like Heaven, Cruel World, and RE:Set.
Before landing that role, I was interning! In Summer 2022, I got my first big-name internship at Live Nation doing Brand Partnerships with Femme It Forward. I enjoyed my experience there and appreciate the women on that team because they were supportive and knowledgeable. After that, I interned at RCA records as an A&R Intern in the Fall and worked with some amazing people there, but the A&R who hand-picked me has definitely grown to a mentor in my eyes and he’s provided me some great advice throughout my time there.
But even before these large internships I was working jobs here and there to have some income, and these jobs would rarely be music related! However, I still managed to pick up field-related jobs every now and then. I’ve been working with one company intermittently for the last 4 years that has always looked out for me and had provided resources, and they are YoursTruly (@yourstrulycreative). They are such a great group of people, and they actually provided me with my first job out of high school, and there I started developing the skills I have now.
Through all these experiences and wearing different hats, I’ve been pushed to think from multiple perspectives, and that is my speciality. When I’m creating a pitch or a concept, I try to see it from the lens of different positions, like “What would a brand want, what would an agent need, what does the consumer want to see, etc.” I believe that understanding peoples’ roles and what their objectives are help me as an artist manager to hit the nail on the head more often.
Out of all of this I’m most proud of the fact that I’m able to reach these levels and achievements with the people that I started with. I’m surrounded by individuals who see my vision as clear as I do and people who are open to new ideas and aren’t scared to hit the ground running with just a few numbers.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Humility and being grounded. In the music industry, I think it’s easy to feel like you’re the shit and be seen and do all of the “Hollywood” things. But I’m someone who believes that being in the industry shouldn’t be your whole life or demeanor. There are some very cool things that I have access to or get to be a part of whether it’s work-related or I know someone that knows someone, but that isn’t my whole personality, and I don’t think it’s anyone’s. It’s just easy to feed into the fast life of the business and be drawn towards the parties, curated events, award shows, concerts, tours, festivals, etc. Outside of that, we’re all people who do other things and have other hobbies. I try my best to not my music my entire life because it isn’t. If I ever feel like I’m getting there, I pull myself away and tell myself to do something that isn’t music-related or work-related. Continuing regular everyday outings and activities is how I want to continue living my life no matter how far I get.
Contact Info:
- Website: theradiusmg.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/theradiusmg?igshid=ZWQyN2ExYTkwZQ==
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/theradiusmg?s=11
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/kelseydidthaat/?hl=en
Image Credits
Nathan Waters
Taja Jones
Jai Shannon
Isaiah Graves
(KAIROS Album Artwork)
