They called me Butu in 4th grade and I go by that name even now at 29. I’m a failed artist with an incredible journey as an artist manager. I’m a Label Manager at Def Jam Recordings Romania part of Universal Music Group. I’m working closely with Șatra B.E.N.Z., IDK, Tussin, Petre Stefan, just to name a few.
My job is to let them be artists while I take care of all organizational, administrative and promotional stuff that they hate to do. Lucky for them, I’m pretty well put together with strong feelings towards Excel. Did I say that I’m organized?
Q: How does the music industry look like to you in 2024?
A: I need to make this comparison for a proper answer (the answer is very historically and geographically bounded by Romania). Nowadays, the music industry is like a supermarket where an ex-communist fellow just entered the perimeter and doesn’t know what to choose. For more than 25 years we only had chicken, pork, potatoes and a couple of other basic choices….. but now we have avocado, asparagus, peanut butter, quinoa. WHAT THE FUCK IS QUINOA? Nevermind.
We are a little bit confused about the whole scenery, but in the last 5 years we can see a tremendous development of this industry.
Q: What are the main challenges that a young person faces when starting out in the current music industry (in Romania)?
A: A young, talented individual might be overwhelmed by the complexity of this system that we call ‘music industry,’ BUT as general advice in life: if you have a big problem in your life, break it down into smaller ones and deal with them individually.
Q: What is the professional achievement of which you are most proud?
A: Now that I’m thinking, I’m flattered that back in 2022 when Def Jam Recordings Romania was just an idea, UMG Romania and Grasu XXL trusted me to be the first teammate in what is now the biggest hip-hop label in our country.
Q: How does the future of the music industry (in Romania) look like to you?
A: I can confidently say that, in hip-hop, people are eager to embrace talent like back in the days: strong individuals, authentic folks with unique performances, hard spitters and lively beats. I’d say that after 2010 the whole world was under EDM influence and there was a global expansion of electronic instruments in all beats plus the autotune revolution. Now I think people want to hear more warm sounds, classic instruments and powerful voices with real life experience & relatable lyrics.
Q: How did you break into the music industry?
A: I started as an emerging artist but that did not make out. AT ALL. However, in my journey I tried to grasp as much information as I can about this business. I tried to establish real life connections with people I saw as gatekeepers and potential mentors for myself. In my discoverings, I found out about MMB and for myself this conference was one of the most inspirational periods of the year. Probably, besides Anca, Dan and Carina, I have the most attendances at MMBs.
Q: What piece of advice would you give to a young person dreaming of working in the music industry?
A: Make a separate Instagram account where you only follow people that are talking about music business and pages that distribute knowledge about creative industries. Read the whole feed for 10 minutes every day. After that, watch every interview with an artist & his managers. After you finish that, go to a different artist. After you watch them all, go to a different country. You got the jist by now 🙂 Also, read biographies and autobiographies. With no traditional school, in 2 years you’ll be good to go for a position in any music label just by using Social Media and books correctly.
