‘It’s not about forcing myself to be disciplined’

Multi-Track is Bristol’s into-industry programme run by Colston Hall, the three part wrokshop will be packed with advice from industry professionals, practical takeaways and an insight into the music industry with guest speakers. I spoke to Tamara Gal-On, previous work includes Warner Chappel and The MPA, ahead of her workshop on January 29, in which she will outline a clear plan with atendees, along with crucial goal setting.

Where did your initial interest stem from? Have you always been interested in the music industry or was there a lightbulb moment?

I was invited to tender for a piece of work by the Music Publishers Association and won it.  It was to co-create a coaching, training and peer networking programme for 12 women with leadership potential in the music industry.  At that point I had worked with a couple of musicians but they were two amongst clients I’d worked with from across the spectrum of creative industries, architects to animators. My very first time co-leading the training session was with 12 women, I fell in love with their energy and their passion and I felt like I’d found my people. Since then, my love has never died.

Your workshop at Multi Track is dealing with goal setting and to increase planning capabilities, how do you stay so organised? Is this something that comes with discipline?

It took me a while to learn what works for me. It’s not about forcing myself to be disciplined.  That simply doesn’t work for me. I’ve run my coaching practice for 17 years and for me, the thing that keeps me on track and honest is other people’s deadlines. My own deadlines are (apparently) of only sporadic interest to my inner organiser. She may or may not comply with my wishes. But somebody else’s deadline is sacrosanct. I built projects as collaborations most of the time so the accountability is built in.  Be that with a supplier, a co-creator or a client.

What else can we expect from the workshop? 

Me getting people to think about the value of using their intuition/inner wisdom in setting meaningful goals and drawing their goals from a bigger overall vision for their life in music.

The blog posts on your website are incredibly comprehensive tools and massively informative, where do you draw inspiration from? Are they mostly first hand experiences or thoughts which have accumulated over time?

A bit of both. I have been enabling my clients to figure out what works to get them really clear, stay productive and take the kind of inspired action that really moves them forward.  (Hint: it’s usually the scariest thing on your to do list you don’t want to do or are avoiding.) But a lot of what I know about acknowledging that fear then taking the action anyway – is stuff I have learned myself through trial and error and then tested again by talking to my clients about how they are affected by the same things.

Do you feel as though minorities are being represented within the industry?

There’s been some good research and data released recently that shows we are still a very long way away from equal representation in music. For example, Vick Bain’s Counting the Music industry report. That said, it does feel as if there are more people than ever working to try to address this which is encouraging. Groups are emerging all the time that offer support, networking and community to those of us who don’t fit the profile of who is mostly in charge and visible in music. I think finding or creating a group or a space where you can be you among others who get you is in an important part of self-care and therefore creating career longevity for yourself in the music industry.

Finally, any advice to give to your younger self?  

Figure out how to do the scary stuff that your intuition is suggesting you do. Whether it’s following through on pursuing that opportunity that seems too good to be true or simply feels unattainable (how will you know unless you follow up?) or raising your fees (if you want to earn more, do the work (inner and outer) and to figure out how to charge more! Spend more time asking yourself “what is the one thing I can do today that will move me towards my biggest goal?” then do that thing, rather than diverting yourself with less scary but far less impactful busy work.

Tickets for the event can be found here: https://www.multi-track.co.uk/2019/12/05/level-up-plan-your-2020/

Read more: Colston Hall announce programme to help music professionals

Image supplied by Tamara Gal-On