Plus: Everything old is new
October 15, 2024
12am
6 minute read
Share:
Gareth Mellor | Photo illustration: Ashley Epping
Gareth is Downtown Music’s Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications. He serves B2C and B2B clients worldwide and oversees marketing for four divisions and 10 businesses representing a catalog of more than 50 million music assets.
Previous tenures include Kobalt Music Group and Tunecore.
We spent two minutes with Gareth to learn more about his background, creative inspirations and recent work that he admires.
Gareth, tell me…
Where you grew up and where you live now.
I grew up in a small village (current population: 750) called Wilverston in central England. After 6 years in Bristol and 10 in London, we moved to the south coast so my two young children could enjoy the sea and countryside (and I could still commute to London).
Your oldest musical memory.
Beatles etc. My parents grew up in the 60’s and their musical tastes encompass everything you’d expect. The first CD I bought with my own money was Jive Bunny’s Christmas Party, which was sold at a roadside diner. Thankfully, it didn’t really shape my musical future.
Favorite band/musician today.
Depends on settings. It’s hard to write long sentences when I listen to music with lyrics, so I listen to a lot of techno, film music, and neoclassical music. My go-to list is The Chemical Brothers, LCD Soundsystem, Run the Jewels, Max Richter, Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, John Hopkins, Stromae, and anything related to Keinemusic. Right now, I can’t stop listening to Two Fingers by Lady Blackbird, Meryl Streek, and Amon Tobin.
One of my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on.
Work done at AWAL before and after Covid. Partnering with clothing company Lucy & Yak for online performances, “Comfort Sounds offers artists stuck at home a much-needed way to reach 500,000 new fans each week, and their audiences grow every week. We had something to look forward to on Friday, but the biggest thing was our partnership with Zoom and the United Nations, leveraging the significant influence of AWAL’s leading artists to support the Covid response.
A recent project that you are proud of.
We recently launched “The Music Industry Lives Here” to celebrate our amazing clients downtown and bring them together under one banner. This is a multi-year, multi-channel project involving nearly 100 artists and songwriters. These include John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Tori Amos, The Hives, and Yos Bones. We also interview over 50 clients in more than a dozen locations and multiple languages around the world. The digital campaign is combined with real-world moments, including surprise merchandise drops in partnership with some of the world’s most famous graffiti and street artists.
play
There’s one thing that excites you about how the world of music is evolving.
It would be easy to say that this is due to the influence of new technology. But I actually think the democratization and localization of the music industry is very exciting. The sector continues to move away from major dominance and globalization, with indies gaining market share. Major labels have historically produced global superstars, and still do, but they often fit a certain mold. But local markets (often in non-English speaking regions) are creating their own superstars. This is accelerating the evolution of the global market.
I also think that the cyclical nature of music, bringing old influences into new and evolving genres, is being disrupted by the unstoppable collision of styles, tastes, and genres. Whether it’s Doja Cat’s use of “Walk On By” and how the track exploded on TikTok, or how songs like “Call Me Maybe” have had a renaissance moment on social media, or Tracy Chapman’s Consider how “Fast Car” took on a new lease of life after its cover.
Someone’s work, musical or otherwise, that you recently admired.
I talk to my team about how Nike ads are the pinnacle of simplicity, relatability, and execution. 2018’s “Nothing Beats a Londoner” is a highlight (despite the ensuing legal dispute). “I don’t own a bicycle!” This may be one of the best lines in an ad ever.
play
Books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts that have moved you recently.
The show that caught me off guard was “Reservation Dogs.” I think it’s one of the most moving and entertaining things on television. It was beautifully acted and expanded my awareness of a culture I knew little about.
An artist I respect even outside of the music world.
I’m lucky to work with Ben Ein, an artist I greatly admire. During his 30-year career, he has partnered with Banksy and collaborated with Louis Vuitton. David Cameron presented President Obama with his 21st Century Cities artwork. When I came up with the idea of collaborating with graffiti and typography artists on The Music Industry Lives Here, he was immediately at the top of my list.
your favorite fictional character.
Darius from Atlanta. He’s the perfect complement to everything else that’s going on. His presence is felt in every episode, and he’s played brilliantly by LaKeith Stanfield. Supporting roles are often the best choice.
People worth following on social media.
@mba_ish for entertainment and Slack-worthy memes. @zillowgonewild to meet my need to see strange houses and know which houses have potato sheds. But most of all, @kevinmccarthytv. Because he’s one of the best interviewers.
Your main strengths as a marketer/creative.
I learned a lot on my own because I worked in small businesses early in my career, often on a shoestring budget. This means we can provide operational level support across a variety of channels. I understand how things work and how to speak to different teams in their languages.
your biggest weakness.
Looking at my answer, it’s probably concise. But the truth is, my greatest strength is very close to my greatest weakness: knowing when to delegate. I still struggle with knowing when to be actively and operationally involved in a task and when to hand it off to a talented team.
Things people would be surprised about about you.
I’m not exceptionally talented musically. Since I can DJ, I can tell you why a song works, or why a song doesn’t work, and sometimes how to improve it. But when it comes to playing instruments, I’m a total failure.
What would you be doing if you weren’t in the music industry?
write. I have two novels, about eight more books, two plays, and an idea for a TV show. I hope that one day they will become a more active part of my life.
2 Minutes With is a regular interview series where we talk to creators about their backgrounds, their creative inspirations, and the work they admire. If you would like to learn more about 2 Minutes With or be considered for joining the series, please contact us.
Shahnaz Mahmood
Shahnaz Mahmud is a contributing writer to Clio’s Muse.
