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Job of the Month #23: Artist Strategy Manager (Marketing Lead)

by IDOL

New episode of our Job of the Month series to discover the many facets of the music industry. This month, Olly Brooks, Artist Strategy Manager (Marketing Lead) at Blackstar.

Each month, IDOL presents a job in the music industry. Or more than a job, a person! Because behind the same job title, there are significant differences from one structure to another. Each person can define the scope of his or her job according to his or her career path, qualities and skills! Meet Olly Brooks, who tells us about his work at Blackstar Agency, leading marketing campaigns for artists and labels, and the dynamic day-to-day of music marketing.

First and foremost, can you present Blackstar?

We’re a music marketing agency based in London, with teams in the US and Canada. We cover a broad spectrum of music marketing services. I’m part of the Artist Strategy team, where I handle general campaign management, release and marketing strategy. I also do some label management work.

Within the Artist Services team, we also cover day-to-day social media management and audience development. Our paid media team runs paid digital advertising campaigns worldwide. We also have a creative team that supports all our work by commissioning and creating assets, as well as design for physical releases. Overall, we’re a highly adaptable team that can support a wide range of needs, from superstar artists to those releasing music for the very first time. As a result, we always have a diverse and exciting roster.

We’ve worked with artists like Shania Twain, Rage Against the Machine, and OutKast, among others. I handle campaigns for a fantastic indie tastemaker label called Speedy Wunderground which this year released Heartworms’ debut album Glutton For Punishment and Moreish Idols’ All In The Game. In the past, we’ve worked with artists such as Charli XCX Sufjan Stevens and The War on Drugs.

What does an Artist Strategy Manager (Marketing Lead) do?

It’s a very involved job, but I generally take the lead on all marketing strategies for the campaigns I manage or consult on. This can involve determining the release schedule for a full album, deciding on the best physical product offerings, and figuring out our visual assets—such as whether we’ll produce music videos, visualizers, or social media content. I also plan our overall marketing output: Will we invest in billboards, digital advertising, press, television, or radio? And how will we implement these strategies?

Essentially, my role is like being an air traffic controller—directing all campaign activity and ensuring the rollout is smooth so we hit all our KPIs. I stay at the center, checking in with everyone and making sure everything is moving in the right direction.

What are the qualities required for your position?

Time management is absolutely crucial—being able to prioritize and organize your workload is key. It’s a very laptop-heavy job, but it also requires a lot of creativity, and I always try to bring fresh ideas and fun concepts to the table.

Patience is important as well, especially when dealing with tight deadlines or accepting that not all ideas can be implemented. Sometimes, the best opportunities are unplanned, so being adaptable and reactive is essential. Most importantly, you have to keep a cool head and maintain clarity amid many moving parts, ensuring you deliver the best possible service and smooth-running campaigns.

Additionally, knowing when and how to have important conversations is a big part of the job. Ultimately, we’re here to support the artists we work with. I truly believe that today’s artists are asked to do much more than simply create music. They are expected to be active on social media and engage with their audience.

Can you tell us a little about your career path?

I went to BIMM Music Institute in Dublin and studied commercial modern music, specializing in songwriting. I initially planned to pursue a career as a songwriter or performer, but after finishing college, I realized that path wasn’t quite right for me. I decided to take a few years out to explore other opportunities.

For a couple of years, I worked in commercial air conditioning, plumbing, and electrical work. It was a great experience—having skills outside of music is always valuable, especially in an office environment!

Eventually, I felt the itch to return to the music business. I moved to London and completed a Masters in Music Business Management at the University of Westminster. That’s where I met Jack Williamson, who runs Music and You, a company committed to the mental wellbeing of people working in music, including artists.

With Jack and another colleague, Sam Tewari, I worked alongside Lewis Capaldi’s team to roll out a concept called “LiveLive” for his arena tour in 2020, just before COVID. The idea was to provide mental health support not just to the touring crew, but also to fans attending the shows. We brought in volunteers—mental health first aiders, psychologists, and psychiatrists—to staff safe rooms where anyone in need could go during the event. It was a truly innovative initiative and a really rewarding experience.

When COVID hit and events had to stop, I continued working remotely with Jack on marketing ideas. Around the same time, a friend introduced me to Olivia Hobbs, the founder of Blackstar. I joined as a part-time admin assistant, covering for a colleague while she finished her undergraduate degree. Four years later, I’m still here! I’ve gently moved into the Marketing Campaign team, now the Artist Strategy team and I’ve been able to progress and grow within the company ever since.

It’s been a dynamic journey, but it’s also been a lot of fun!

How is your daily work organized?

It’s a very variable role, incredibly so! Some days are more task-based, where you dive into the nitty-gritty details and spend a lot of time on your laptop. Other days are filled with external calls—whether that’s with clients or potential new partners.
We also dedicate a lot of time to brainstorming ideas internally, within our team at Blackstar, coming up with fun and exciting initiatives. And in the evenings, I might head out to a show, attend a meeting, or catch up with friends.
All in all, it’s an incredibly varied job, and that’s a big part of what makes it so enjoyable.

What do you like about your job?

What gets me out of bed? I’d say it’s the variety my job offers. I have a general idea of what each day will bring, but there’s always a new challenge waiting—which keeps things exciting.

Another thing I really enjoy is that the music industry is all about people. It’s a relationship-driven business, and I love meeting and chatting with new people. It’s not just about building professional connections; it’s about enjoying good conversation, discovering shared interests, and developing friendships.

I feel very lucky to work in music, where everyone shares a genuine passion. There’s always a common ground which makes it easy to start a conversation with, “What are you listening to right now?” and just go from there.

Sometimes we get caught up in the day-to-day, but it’s worth reminding ourselves how lucky we are to work in this industry—and why we do it.

What is your connection with IDOL?

Earlier this year, we worked on the campaign for Warm Up, Etienne de Crecy’s new album, which was really fun. Over the last couple of years, we’ve also collaborated with the IDOL team on a number of other marketing projects in the UK and Paris.

We’ve always enjoyed working closely with the IDOL team and it’s been great to focus on new projects as they come along. Across these initiatives, we’ve worked with Roo Currier, who is the GM in the UK, as well as Thibaut Mullings in Johannesburg, Clément Nicolas, Etienne de Crecy’s Label Manager, and Constance de Bosredon, Head of International, who played a key supervisory role throughout.

What’s the strangest task you’ve done in your career?

The nature of the job means we often get to do some pretty unusual things. For example, we once did a pop-up event for Queens of the Stone Age, where we transformed an entire room into a séance for an album listening party. We even included a model of a devil with horns, sitting on a chair in the middle of the room with a bag over its head.

That kind of creativity really highlights the variety of our jobs and it speaks volumes of what we can do. All the creative elements for that event were based on the band’s album theme, and fans could come along to listen to a test pressing of the record before it was officially released. It was a really cool experience and a great example of the innovative projects we get to be part of.

Olly's playlist

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