Manager, Artist Relations

Job description

We are UMG, the Universal Music Group. We are the world’s leading music company. In everything we do, we are committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship. We own and operate a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising, and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. We identify and develop recording artists and songwriters, and we produce, distribute and promote the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful music to delight and entertain fans around the world. How We Lead: CD Baby champions human creativity, providing the technology, guidance, and professional infrastructure artists need to turn creativity and ambition into sustainable success. We’re looking for an Artist Relations Manager to build and grow relationships with artists and their teams. Your first priority will be managing inbound referrals from our industry network, followed by strengthening relationships with high-value and high-potential artists already using CD Baby and developing targeted outreach to prospective artists. This is a relationship-driven role with a strong commercial and analytical component. You’ll use artist data and industry knowledge to identify opportunities, understand artists’ goals, and connect them with appropriate support. As an individual contributor reporting to the SVP, Marketing & Revenue, you’ll own day-to-day artist relationships and partner with leadership to develop the processes and systems behind a growing Artist Relations program. You’ll work closely with Artist Success and Lifecycle Marketing teams to support successful onboarding and ongoing engagement. You’ll remain the relationship lead for assigned artists, helping CD Baby understand and support their evolving needs. How You’ll Create: Manage inbound artist opportunities Own referrals from artists, managers, labels, Virgin Music Group colleagues, and other industry partners. Evaluate opportunities against program criteria and recommend an appropriate level of service. Explain CD Baby’s distribution, support, and additional services clearly, setting clear expectations about available support and how additional opportunities are considered. Lead commercial conversations within approved parameters, partnering with the SVP, Marketing & Revenue and Legal and Business Affairs on negotiations and agreements as needed. Document artist goals, service commitments, release plans, and relevant context for a complete handoff to Artist Success for onboarding and release coordination. Maintain relationships with referral partners and follow through on introductions. Develop relationships with our current roster Use revenue, streaming, audience, and engagement data to identify existing artists who could benefit from a closer relationship with CD Baby. Build relationships with selected artists and their teams, understanding their goals, upcoming projects, and service needs. Maintain regular, purposeful contact with priority artists, anticipating concerns and identifying useful next steps. Recommend relevant tools, services, and approved promotional opportunities based on each artist’s needs. Identify relationship risks and coordinate internally to address concerns and retain artists’ future business. Build a targeted artist recruitment pipeline Identify prospective artists through industry data, research, professional relationships, live shows, and local music communities. Develop targeted outreach to artists whose goals and needs align with CD Baby’s offering. Build relationships with industry professionals who can introduce relevant artists. Manage consistent follow-up from initial contact through qualification and conversion. Represent CD Baby at shows, industry events, panels, workshops, and other artist-facing opportunities. Connect artist relationships with lifecycle marketing Partner with Lifecycle Marketing to identify artist segments and signals that warrant personalized outreach, education, or additional support. Coordinate direct contact with broader marketing communications so artists receive relevant, consistent messages. Help develop approaches for nurturing prospective artists, reengaging existing customers, and introducing appropriate services. Share insights from artist conversations to improve messaging, educational content, and lifecycle journeys. Help build a disciplined artist relations program Maintain accurate CRM records covering contacts, opportunities, artist goals, service commitments, relationship history, and next actions. Develop and refine repeatable processes for qualification, outreach, follow-up, handoffs, and ongoing relationship management. Work with Artist Success to ensure commitments are understood and operational requirements are considered before they are made. Coordinate with marketing colleagues to assess promotional opportunities and communicate approved support. Track pipeline quality, conversion, artist engagement, retention, and commercial results. Bring recurring artist needs and feedback to Product, Customer Experience, and Marketing. Bring Your Vibe: Experience in artist relations, artist management, talent partnerships, A&R, business development, or a related music-industry role. Demonstrated ability to build trust with independent artists, managers, and industry partners. Strong commercial judgment and experience helping move opportunities from introduction through agreement. Ability to interpret streaming, revenue, audience, and engagement data to prioritize opportunities. Working knowledge of digital music distribution, DSPs, artist marketing, and editorial pitching. Clear, proactive communication and the ability to set expectations, anticipate concerns, and close the loop. Strong organization and follow-through across multiple relationships and opportunities. A practical, collaborative approach to improving processes and working across teams. Connections within an independent music community and the ability to develop new industry relationships. Comfort representing CD Baby externally with artists and their teams. Preferred experience Hands-on use of CRM tools to manage contacts, pipelines, follow-up activities, and reporting. Collaboration with lifecycle, customer engagement, or retention marketing teams on segmentation, lead nurturing, or targeted communications. Experience using customer or artist signals to trigger timely outreach and relevant service recommendations. Perks Playlist: Join an entrepreneurial, global organization where authenticity, boldness, creativity, connection, drive, and insight aren’t just values—they’re how we work every day. Here are some of the ways we support you along the way (and just a few of the benefits we offer): Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage Including 100% coverage for out-patient in-network mental health services Fertility coverage for eligible medical plan participants Wellbeing reimbursements for fitness classes, spa treatments, meal services, travel, and so much more (up to $720/year) Student Loan Repayment Assistance and Tuition Reimbursement 401(k) with 100% immediate vesting on the first 5% of your contributions, plus an additional UMG contribution A variety of ways to prioritize much-needed time away from work including: Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) for exempt employees 3-weeks PTO for non-exempt employees 2-weeks paid Winter Break 10 Company Holidays (including Juneteenth and Wellbeing Day) Summer Fridays (between Memorial Day and Labor Day) Generous paid parental leave for every type of parent Check out our full overview of benefits on the Perks Playlist page of the career site. Disclaimer: This job description only provides an overview of job responsibilities that are subject to change. Universal Music Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer We are an E-Verify employer in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. Please note, UMG is not enrolled in E-Verify in California and New York, and cannot support employment of candidates whose employer must enroll in E-Verify, for example candidates on STEM-OPT. For more information, please click on the following links. E-Verify Participation Poster: English / Spanish E-Verify Right to Work Poster: English | Spanish Job Category: A&R Salary Range: $49,410 - $75,000 The actual base salary offered depends on a variety of factors, which may include, as applicable, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job. All candidates are encouraged to apply.