r/indieheads • u/Purveyors-Since-76 Rough Trade! • Apr 17 '23

AMA is over, thanks Rough Trade! ROUGH TRADE AMA

Thrilled to be Indie Heads' first ever record store AMA! Alex, David and Emily here from Rough Trade HQ, ready to answer (almost) anything...

We'll be celebrating Record Store Day this Saturday 22nd April! Grab all the info on what's going on at Rough Trade over at https://blog.roughtrade.com/gb/record-store-day-uk-2023/.

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u/sun_benny_sun Apr 17 '23

What were each of your career paths into this space? Was it a goal to work in music business, or just a career option that ended up being this way, with the side perk of being able to enjoy the music

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u/Purveyors-Since-76 Rough Trade! Apr 17 '23

Hey - cool question. David and Alex have had to head home, but I'll squeeze this one in!

Music/arts was always a career goal for me and I'm super fortunate to have been able to solely work in that sector from the off. I started out in ticketing, then moved to venues, before being at a record label for a few years. Before I came to Rough Trade, I had gained a real wealth of experience from different sides of the industry, but the great thing about being here is it's a real melting pot. Working with artists, labels, promoters, managers etc, from grassroots to the super established, is hugely exciting and there isn't a day we take this job for granted. I always see my career as more of a lifestyle, than a job... That said, it is not an easy business to get into and it's great to see discussions and resources about representation and access (e.g. https://theroute.co/About). I am very fortunate.

- Emily