With International Women's Day just around the corner – taking place this year on 8th March – here at See Tickets we've taken the opportunity to speak to some of the most successful and inspiring women we know in the music industry.
Whether they're booking festivals, marketing tours, playing shows or curating events, these women have unique and valuable personal experiences in the industry.
We wanted to chat with them and hear all about it – the good, the bad and the ugly! – in order to empower and encourage other female-identifying people to get involved in music.
From Q&As with festival directors to singer-songwriters and more, our fourth #IWD20 piece sees us delve into the world of marketing, promoting and events management as we grabbed five minutes with U-Live Junior Ticketing and Customer Service Manager Miki Paladino. Jumping onto a one way flight to London from her hometown in Italy and not looking back, Miki's story is one of a unique journey into the industry that has not come without it's difficulties but has resulted in an amazing career. Here's what she had to say.
Tell us about your route into the music industry:
My route into the music industry started about four years ago, with a one way flight to London from my hometown in Italy. I always dreamed of working in the music industry and I decided to actually give it a go. I started with doing volunteering work at music events and going to various music industry panels. One thing led to another and after various jobs at festivals, venues and touring, it's now been over a year since I joined U-Live. It’s not an easy industry to get into but it's definitely worth the hard work and I cherish every experience I've had along the way.
What does your job role entail, day to day?
It varies quite a lot. Depending on the time of the year, I can be curating the ticketing structure for an event and looking at how to push the event launch. Another day can start with replying to the most random customer enquiries and end with looking into the accreditation structure and designs for our events. We are always looking at ways to grow and push the shows with the marketing and operations teams, so there are always some ad hoc projects to work on coming up throughout the year.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most, and why?
Although I enjoy getting to work on the events throughout the whole year and the going on sale can be quite exciting, the best part is getting to site and see all we have been working on for months coming together. The five minutes before the gates open are the most stressful and at the same time the most exciting. There's a sort of electricity in the air and I just love to see people excited waiting to get in.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Running a gate on my own at both Nocturne and Love Supreme after only a few months working at U-Live. Working on the Main Stage at Reading. The surreal moment I stood in a corridor between Jimmy Page and Brian May at the Royal Albert Hall. And definitely touring around Europe with Guns N Roses. Sorry, too hard to pick just one!
During your career, do you personally feel you've had to fight any battles because of your gender? How did you overcome it?
At times, as a young woman in the industry, I have found it harder being taken seriously at my job. I just kept on doing my best and eventually managed to win over people that doubted me. Overall, I think I’ve been pretty lucky with the people I have encountered along the way.
Is it important to you to give as much exposure to female artists as you can?
Absolutely! Although some will argue that it's not about gender but talent, I think there are plenty of talented women out there not getting the exposure and opportunities they deserve.
In your time working as a woman in the music industry, what have you considered to be your most valuable lesson?
Believe in yourself and don’t let anyone tell you there's something you can't do.
What do you feel that women bring to this industry that men can't, or haven't?
I'm not one for generalisations and I believe it's more about the individual then the gender. I do believe that diversity is key in every industry and we couldn’t have this without either men or women.
Who is your favourite female artist or female fronted band at the moment?
I recently went to see this band I love called The Interrupters, fronted by Amiee Allen. She is just incredible. Her voice is so powerful and the energy she brings on stage is unreal. She just belongs on that stage and anyone can see it from the big bright smile that's on her face throughout the whole show.
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