MBW’s Inspiring Girls collection profiles feminine executives who’ve risen through the ranks of the enterprise, highlighting their profession journey – from their skilled breakthrough to the senior tasks they now fulfill. Inspiring Girls is supported by Virgin Music Group.
Michele Ballantyne has spent a formidable 20 years on the Recording Business Affiliation of America (RIAA), throughout which era she’s witnessed the music business grapple with the transition from unlawful downloading to streaming, and now has a front-row seat within the battle to keep up the worth of human-created music within the age of AI.
As President & COO of the group, Ballantyne now runs every day operations and manages a 56-person staff. Her work has additionally centered on social justice advocacy, together with mobilizing RIAA members to assist police reform payments, guiding the implementation of members’ social change commitments and managing probably the most numerous board of administrators in its historical past.
Born on the tiny Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ballantyne, who later grew up in Montreal, was a self-confessed music nerd as a child however by no means envisaged having the ability to work within the business.
As an alternative, she first pursued a profession in legislation and politics. After graduating from the Georgetown College Regulation Middle, Ballantyne landed authorities roles comparable to Common Counsel for Senator Tom Daschle, Particular Assistant for President Invoice Clinton and Particular Counsel for former White Home Chief of Workers John Podesta.
After engaged on mental property points with Daschle, a good friend really useful her for a job at RIAA and Ballantyne began the music enterprise a part of her profession in 2004.
When requested how her historical past in Capitol Hill informs what she does as we speak, Ballantyne solutions: “In my public service jobs, I used to be a generalist, an individual who would step again and take a look at to take a look at the large image and ensure the puzzle items are all related in order that we might get issues over the end line.
“you possibly can’t simply take into consideration what’s proper in entrance of you, it’s important to suppose three steps forward.”
“I used to fret that maybe I ought to be extra steeped within the intricacies of the small print. I do take note of the small print, it’s important to, however within the jobs that I’ve labored at, you possibly can’t simply take into consideration what’s proper in entrance of you, it’s important to suppose three steps forward. I spend a whole lot of time puzzling these issues out and people are the talents I introduced with me.”
Right here, we chat to Ballantyne about her profession thus far, social justice and variety within the music business, and the 2 lawsuits the RIAA has lately filed in opposition to AI startups Suno and Udio.
Do you might have any habits or rituals that make sure you carry your finest self to work?
I really like yoga. I by no means actually did a lot yoga earlier than however I noticed, proper earlier than the pandemic, that I battle with stability. I at all times really feel like I’ve to tick by my to-do record and may get very wired and overwhelmed.
One of many methods I deal with that’s by doing yoga. I do it virtually every single day. Additionally, chilly brew espresso, which I can not stay with out.
What’s your definition of fine management?
It’s being a very good listener, being considerate, bringing completely different views to the desk and ensuring that you simply hear these. I work actually arduous and I push folks to work arduous, however I additionally hear them and validate them.
It’s essential to have the ability to put your self within the sneakers of your staff members. Additionally, being type, respectful {and professional} and having a humorousness about issues. Issues go fallacious and generally we are able to’t management these.
I imagine in being very direct, which [RIAA CEO] Mitch Glazier (pictured) is on the receiving finish of most instances. However he likes it, so it’s nice. I imagine in giving suggestions virtually instantly, if potential, I don’t like to take a seat on issues. I feel that helps folks perceive the place and the way they’ll enhance.
I additionally imagine in giving optimistic suggestions recurrently, as a result of I feel folks really want that. You wish to know that you simply’ve executed a very good job or that you simply’re getting into the fitting course. It’s horrible if you’re wandering round at the hours of darkness and do not know the place you stand. I prefer to let folks know the place they stand.
What are the most important classes that you simply’ve discovered throughout your profession?
When issues get robust, put your head down, deal with what’s in entrance of you and put one foot in entrance of the opposite. And that it’s actually essential to strive issues, even when they scare you.
Once I was a younger staffer on The Hill, we used to have a gathering with the legislative administrators of each Democratic senator, which was round 50 folks at the moment, and one among my colleagues stated, ‘You’re going to guide this assembly each week.’
I used to be like, ‘Oh, I’m new and I don’t actually know all these items.’ I at all times really feel like I’ve to know every thing earlier than I can speak about it. He was like, ‘You truly know greater than you suppose so that you’re going to take a seat right here each week and also you’re going to run this assembly.’
I used to be actually frightened about it however I ran the assembly and it taught me how you can converse in entrance of a bunch. I’m very nervous about public talking, which isn’t unusual, however the extra you follow it, the higher you turn out to be. And I noticed, ‘Nicely, I can do it.’ Another factor: belief your intestine.
What’s the most effective career-related recommendation you’ve ever been given?
I’ve had a few mentors and one among them is at all times pushing me to not get caught up within the day-to-day, to consider the large image and how you can get issues executed.
Round 20 years in the past, he additionally advised me, ‘Simply be your self. There are expertise you might have that you simply don’t understand are expertise.’ I saved saying, ‘I’m not the skilled on this and I’m not the skilled on that. What am I going to do in my subsequent job? I’ve to know one thing particularly.’
He stated, ‘You’re studying how you can be a very good boss.’ That enhance of confidence was what I wanted at the moment. I noticed that you simply do must be taught, you could perceive the panorama and the substance however you additionally must discover ways to use common sense. That helped me to turn out to be a greater chief.
In regard to the lawsuits the RIAA has filed in opposition to AI firms Suno and Udio. What’s the group’s very best consequence?
That we’ll go to courtroom and we are going to win. That they should pay damages and deal with what they’re doing. It’s not OK to make use of the supplies of artists as inputs and with out permission. We wish them to know that they’re doing one thing fallacious and deal with it.
What do you make of the honest use argument and that the event of those firms, and music startups normally, is being constrained and restricted by licensing offers?
We don’t imagine it’s honest use. On the constraints within the market [argument], I don’t imagine that’s true. There are constructs arrange for a motive, there are firms which have confirmed, over the course of the time I’ve been on the RIAA, that they’re prepared to pivot, they’re prepared to be modern, they’re prepared to license and work with different firms. There are moral gamers within the market already which have been licensed.
Our firms have used AI in a accountable and moral method to provide these nice songs that you simply’ve heard from artists like The Beatles, which is superb. Lately, Randy Travis, the singer-songwriter from Nashville, was on the town. He had a stroke in 2013 and he used AI to provide music.
“I don’t suppose it’s OK for firms like Suno and Udio to take supplies and use them for their very own functions to generate profits. Human creativity needs to be protected.”
I don’t suppose it’s OK for firms like Suno and Udio to take supplies and use them for their very own functions to generate profits. Human creativity needs to be protected. There are offers being executed on a regular basis. All the things is transferring so quick and we have now to ascertain some guidelines of the highway earlier than it will get method too far out, creativity is suppressed and {the marketplace} is flooded with AI generated music.
The factor about music that’s so nice, that makes us all so enthusiastic about it, is that it comes from inside somebody. It’s honest and natural and it expresses their lived expertise or their creativeness. It’s not honest to take that away.
Greg Bulla by way of Unsplash
What’s the standing of laws that may higher defend copyrighted works within the age of AI?
It doesn’t exist, after all. The factor you be taught in a short time if you find yourself working in Authorities, particularly within the US, is there’s a time lag behind every thing.
Proper now, we’re working in each the Home of Representatives and within the Senate to get them to deal with a few of these points. They acknowledge that issues should not transferring as rapidly as they want, and so they acknowledge that expertise strikes extra rapidly than the legislative course of. The primary piece of laws we hope will make it by addresses the difficulty of deep fakes.
An enormous a part of your work on the RIAA has centered on social justice and variety. Have you ever witnessed efficient change in these areas throughout the business throughout your 20 years on the group?
Sure, I’ve. I see extra numerous faces on the desk. I additionally suppose there’s at all times room for enchancment and there’s way more work to be executed. We will’t take our foot off the gasoline.
There have been these main shifts after the police reform payments, George Floyd’s dying and the RAP Act [a bill to protect artists from having their lyrics used against them in court]. The complete business coalesced round this stuff, not simply folks of coloration. You need to preserve speaking about it. The work has to proceed and it’s important to be intentional about it. We will’t let up as a result of it’s too essential.
Are there any particular adjustments you want to see throughout the music enterprise that will enhance entry to equal alternatives and variety as we speak?
It’s a few issues. We companion with the Black Music Motion Coalition to do a music accelerator programme at a traditionally black faculty in Tennessee, TSU.
One of many issues that’s so essential about that’s getting younger folks into the enterprise, ensuring that they’re set as much as succeed and progress and so they have the publicity, the understanding and the data to maneuver ahead.
To develop the horizons of the place you search for expertise can be essential. And ensuring there’s extra and completely different views. For instance, for our board, it’s about rising the variety of folks of coloration but in addition style variety, regional variety, gender variety and racial variety. It’s not only one factor and I feel folks get caught there.
You need to go searching. Are we listening to from ladies? Are we listening to from the LGBTQ group? Are we listening to from younger people and extra skilled people, in addition to black folks, Latin folks and Asian folks? We have now to ensure that we’re getting all the views.
What are probably the most thrilling developments occurring within the music enterprise as we speak, out of your perspective?
Within the time that I’ve labored at RIAA, the best way that document labels have advanced has been fascinating. To start with, they had been nonetheless coping with the repercussions of Napster, Grokster and unlawful downloading. The long run was very unsure and there was a resistance to vary.
“Labels have gone from being considered as gatekeepers to extra like gateways into the music enterprise and into larger success for artists. We’ve labored arduous to indicate that we’re good companions.”
Over time, I’ve seen a lot of thrilling, modern views, completely different, youthful folks coming in with completely different concepts about how you can do issues, how you can shake issues up. Labels have gone from being considered as gatekeepers to extra like gateways into the music enterprise and into larger success for artists. We’ve labored arduous to indicate that we’re good companions.
It’s a tricky enterprise and it’s arduous to interrupt by. There’s a lot music on the market, tons of of 1000’s of tracks being uploaded every single day. How do you attain the individuals who wish to hear what it’s important to inform them? I really feel actually proud and grateful to be a part of the group of oldsters who assist make that occur.
For those who might return to the start of your profession and inform your self one factor, what wouldn’t it be?
Preserve pushing. I by no means imagined I’d have a job in music. I additionally by no means imagined I might go to among the best legislation colleges. I by no means imagined I’d work for the President of america.
I by no means imagined I’d discover myself in a number of the rooms the place essential choices are being made, however by some means I did, by a mix of arduous work, nice mentors, a little bit of luck, seizing alternatives and doing the issues that had been scary generally. One foot in entrance of the opposite actually does get you locations should you’re dedicated to doing the work.
Virgin Music Group is the worldwide unbiased music division of Common Music Group, which brings collectively UMG’s label and artist service companies together with Virgin and Ingrooves.Music Enterprise Worldwide
