As part of our Horizon Future Leaders series of interviews, we are connecting with the music industry’s next generation of leaders to gather candid advice and insights into their career journeys.
Horizon is CMU's weekly newsletter that brings you a hand-picked selection of early to mid stage career opportunities from across the music industry, paired with insights and advice. Whether you're looking for your first job in music or you're ready to take a step up, Horizon is here to help you find your dream job faster. Horizon is focused on highlighting the best and most exciting roles we've seen and is made for people who are building their careers with ambition.
Getting started and progressing your career in the music industry can often feel overwhelming. Despite the wide range of positions and opportunities available, early-career professionals often face a daunting array of challenges. From the frustrating cycle of needing experience to be able to get the roles that help you build experience, to often intense competition from like-minded peers, the barriers in music can sometimes seem higher than in many other fields.
At CMU we spend a lot of time trying to explain and demystify the music business, and our Horizon newsletter is dedicated to helping the next generation of music leaders build and progress their careers. Our new series of Q&A interviews, Horizon Future Leaders, talks to rising professionals from across the industry: to hear firsthand how they started out and what they have learnt along the way, sharing practical tips and advice for anyone looking to build and own their future in the music business.
This week we caught up with Robert Kilpatrick, CEO and Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association.
In 2014, Robert was an intern at the Scottish Music Industry Association, or SMIA. Now, a decade on, he's that same organisation's CEO and Creative Director. Today, Robert oversees SMIA’s initiatives, including the prestigious Scottish Album Of The Year Award, while successfully working to strengthen Scotland’s music industry.
By completing his music business studies and, more crucially, gaining a better understanding of what industry roles involved in practice, building his network and developing hard skills, the first chapter of Robert's career was underpinned by a hunger to get involved and be part of it all in any way he could.
In this Q&A, Robert reflects on his transition from intern to leader, the lessons he’s learned along the way, and practical advice for those at the start of their careers in music.
Read the full Q&A with Robert below 👇
What’s your current role in the music industry?
I’m CEO and Creative Director of the Scottish Music Industry Association, the sector development body which exists to strengthen, empower and unite Scotland’s music industry.
We represent over 5000 members who work in music in Scotland, across a wide range of industry sub-sectors, genres and career levels.
We deliver a range of services, projects and events that are designed to stimulate sustainability, domestic and international growth, development and innovation, with a key focus on reducing inequality, increasing diversity, enabling inclusion and enhancing access.
Our flagship project is the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award – Scotland’s national music prize – which offers a £20,000 prize for the winner, nine runner-up prizes of £1000 each and a design commission which highlights the enduring links between music, art and design in Scotland.
Our core mission is to strengthen and increase the value of Scotland’s music industry, both at home and on the world stage; economically, socially and culturally.
What does your general day to day look like?
We’re a small team with a large remit, so I tend to be very hands-on in my role, and no two days look the same. Whilst we have our planned annual programme of activity - ranging from training events to partnership work to industry research projects - we need to be responsive to external factors which impact Scotland’s music industry, and work with our membership to navigate the challenges we face together.
We provide a range of day-to-day support to our members, but my role is more focused on macro-level interventions that address systemic challenges and drive lasting change. A lot of my work is strategy and policy focused, working with partners and industry stakeholders to move the dial and progress our mission.
My day can range from working with the SMIA board to develop our strategy to representing Scotland’s music industry across media platforms and at events.
I work on driving revenue and establishing partnerships, leading the creative and strategic direction of projects like The SAY Award, and supporting both the development of our team and the delivery of our work.
I’m responsible for overseeing our budget, ensuring operational efficiency and regulatory compliance. Ultimately, it’s my job to ensure that we progress our business plan and deliver on our objectives.
What steps did you take early in your career to gain experience and build skills to get you to where you are now?
When I started studying music business, I knew that gaining practical, hands-on experience was essential to complement what I was learning in college and uni. From gaining a better understanding of what industry roles involved in practice, to building my network and developing skills, that first chapter of my career was underpinned by a hunger to get involved and be part of it all in any way I could.
Initially that meant volunteering at festivals and live events, which then led on to me working for the likes of The Great Escape, Bestival and Beat-Herder in a paid capacity. Believe it or not, my journey at the SMIA also started very early on, as I initially joined the organisation as an intern in 2014.
Securing that opportunity was something I was so excited and passionate about. I put my all into it, which then led to me being employed by the company and working my way up to where I am now.
Showing you’re keen and passionate is essential throughout your career, but especially during those early stages – it’s key for getting the most out of any work experience opportunity. The music industry is all about relationships, so if you make yourself visible, demonstrate your drive and focus on being a team player, it will go a long way.
You want to leave a lasting impression, so by grabbing opportunities with both hands, whoever you were working for/with, will be far more likely to help you as you progress in your career. Word of mouth and having people rooting for you is powerful.
What opportunities did you explore early on that were particularly valuable?
Aside from festival work, I tried to immerse myself as much as possible in my local music scene in Glasgow. Whether that be going to shows, industry networking events and meet-ups, or anything music/culture related, being in the room is important, even if you’re not working.
You want to build your network, take it all in and get a sense of how it all fits together. Some of the key industry relationships I built early on was simply through being first and foremost a music fan. People are drawn to people who are wanting to get into music due to their passion for it, so it’s important to get out and about and immerse yourself in what’s going on.
I also focused on setting up my own projects/initiatives as a way to gain experience and meet other people in the scene. I ran a project that involved getting emerging Scottish artists to perform covers of iconic Scottish songs, filming them live in a venue called Nice n Sleazy in Glasgow.
I approached the venue about the project and they became a partner – offering the venue space in-kind for filming the sessions during the day when it wasn’t being used. I also teamed up with an emerging video production company to bring it all to life, so that allowed me to get something of my own off the ground that gained me experience and connections.
It’s definitely an approach I got a lot out of and would recommend to others starting out – get creative and make your own opportunities, and shape them to what you’re interested in.
Has the opportunity landscape changed since then?
I think the biggest thing that’s changed since then is the economic environment.
When I was starting out, I was fortunate that I was in a position to initially do some volunteer work to get my foot in the door. I know it’s not possible for everyone to do that, and it definitely isn’t as viable now due to rising costs which impact all of us.
It’s been positive to see more and more companies move away from unpaid opportunities. Driving fair work principles across the sector and allowing entry to be more accessible to all needs to be a priority.
The continuing advancement of tech has presented multiple new opportunities that weren’t there when I started out. From remote working to new digital-focused roles, there’s definitely more scope for people to find a way into the industry regardless of where they’re based, and to learn more industry skills online to support them in being able to gain opportunities available.
Are there any specific internships, projects, or initiatives that you would recommend to newcomers looking to pursue a similar role?
For young early career professionals, Youth Music is a great organisation to check out. As well as funding artists directly, they also fund organisations which offer opportunities for young people. It’s worth looking at who they’ve funded, as these organisations will likely have opportunities available as a result.
In Scotland, there’s also the likes of the Youth Music Initiative and Off The Record; both of which provide key support for young and emerging industry talent. For emerging professionals of all ages, by joining the SMIA - which is free, via our website - you will gain access to resources, opportunities and much more to support you in developing your career.
Thinking about my role specifically, for anyone interested in sector support work, I’d suggest looking at trade bodies and music conferences and seeing if you can get involved in those. Attending their events and networking with staff is a good first step to making future work opportunities a reality.
What advice do you have for building and leveraging a professional network in the music industry?
Be a team player, and take a genuine interest in who people are, what they’re passionate about and what they do – not just what they can do for you.
Be kind, respectful, trustworthy and open-minded. Work to strike the right balance of being professional whilst being personable, and push yourself to get out there.
Everyone had to start somewhere, and most people will be happy to help. Don’t forget about the people who help you along the way, and make sure you pay it forward.
How has the evolving digital landscape impacted your role, and where do you focus to stay ahead?
I guess there’s two prongs to this. As a sector development organisation, the evolving digital landscape means that the support we provide to our members has to be mapped to industry developments. We need to keep informed of trends and new technology when we consider how we best equip music professionals in Scotland with the knowledge and skills they need to excel.
For us as an organisation, the evolving digital landscape also presents new opportunities for how we deliver our work. We’ve pivoted a lot of our activity to being delivered online, which, given we have over 5000 members who are based across Scotland, allows us to be much more efficient and reach more people in an accessible way.
What trends or changes do you see on the horizon for the music industry, and how can early career professionals prepare for them?
The worlds of music and tech continue to grow ever-closer, and the need for artists and music companies to effectively utilise digital platforms to drive audience development is becoming ever-more crucial. Early career professionals who immerse themselves in the tech and digital platforms that can help build engaged fanbases will gain the knowledge and skills that the industry increasingly requires for success.
Equally, however, it’s not all just about digital. If that’s not your thing, don’t feel like it has to be. Find your area of interest/passion, and focus on being the best you can at it.
What’s one piece of advice you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
A while back I undertook training with Common Purpose and was introduced to the concept of “core and flex”. Your core is the values, beliefs and principles that are crucial to your identity, whereas your flex is the bits of yourself that you’re willing to adjust to better relate to others. Understanding this balance early on would’ve saved me a lot of unnecessary friction.
At the start of my career, I often felt like I had to either stand rigidly by my values or completely bend to fit the expectations of others. But the truth is, success often lies in the ability to stay true to your core while remaining flexible enough to collaborate effectively, adapt to new environments and embrace change.
Learning when to flex without compromising your core is an invaluable skill – not just for your career, but for life. You can learn more about it here.