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Job of the Month #1 – Key Account Manager

by IDOL

Job of the Month is a new series looking into the many roles within the music industry. Our first episode features Stéphanie Laurans who tells us about her job as a Key Account Manager at IDOL.

Each month, IDOL presents a different job in the music industry. Actually, more than a job, a person! Because behind the same job title different individuals bring their role to life in unique ways according to their qualities, the scope of their position in the company! For our first session, meet Stéphanie Laurans, Key Account Manager, who tells us about her job working with streaming platforms.

What does a Key Account Manager do?

I’m in charge of platform relations, which means that my job is to promote IDOL’s releases to our contacts working for streaming platforms. This can take several forms: adding singles to playlists, highlighting albums, recording sessions, podcasts or mini interviews, etc. Or implementation of more advanced support systems with marketing partnerships. In many ways, this job is similar to that of a press agent, except that we have an analytical aspect looking at numbers/streams.

What are the qualities required for your position?

You need to have good interpersonal skills and a broad musical background in all genres, to know how to present and defend projects in writing and verbally, to be creative in your approach to platforms and the creation of content, and you can’t be too sensitive (!).

Can you tell us a little about your career path?

After 2 experiences in the Business Affairs department at Deezer and in the Web Promotion department at PIAS, I was a project manager in distribution and then in a label for more than 4 years. Then, 3 years ago, I joined the DSP Editorial & Partnerships team at IDOL as a Key Account Manager.

What would be a typical day for you?

My day is mainly punctuated by a lot of exchanges with my platform’s contacts, whether by telephone, e-mail or in meetings. I also work closely with IDOL’s label managers on album release strategies. Finally, I keep an eye on the new features offered by the DSPs, as well as competing releases and the way they are promoted.

What do you like about your job?

The diversity of the projects, both in terms of status (we work with developing artists as well as more established ones) and in terms of genre (we promote rap, indie pop, as well as jazz, neo-classical or more experimental music).
I also like to think about the best way to approach my contacts to get their attention and make them aware of our catalog.
A last interesting point is accompanying artists for the long term and to see them acquire a certain notoriety, it’s a great source of satisfaction.

Why did you choose to work for IDOL?

I really appreciate the company’s values: the choice to distribute very eclectic and sharp labels, in order to be close to them. IDOL is a very demanding company but a lot of attention and care is given to the development of the internal teams.

Stéphanie’s playlist

This playlist is composed of a selection of tracks that I find soothing, melodic, and airy – they’ve been pretty reassuring over the past year and a half of constant uncertainty.
I’m also quite interested in girl producers that are off the beaten path (Ylva Falk, Ela Minus, Sassy009, Grace Ives).

Going further

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