Music Ally Focus

Dirty Hit's Jamie Oborne on managing The 1975, trusting your artists' instincts, and how the power of cringe helps to choose what not to do

Aug 7, 2024

Jamie Oborne is an independent artist manager and founder of Dirty Hit and All On Red, known for steering massive acts like The 1975. He delves into the evolution of artist management and the importance of trusting artists’ instincts while nurturing their creativity. Jamie discusses building a D2C model for musicians, balancing integrity with business demands, and shares invaluable advice for aspiring managers. He also highlights current talents like beabadoobee and Saya Gray, emphasizing the power of community in today's music landscape.

40:38

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Episode guests

Jamie Oborne

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Jamie Oborne stresses the importance of nurturing artists' instincts and allowing them to maintain creative autonomy for successful management.

He highlights the growing significance of direct fan relationships and community-building as essential strategies for modern artists in the music industry.

Deep dives

The Evolution of Artist Management

The role of an artist manager has significantly transformed over the past decade, evolving from traditional oversight to a multifaceted position that requires a diverse skill set. Managers now must wear multiple hats, balancing business acumen with creative insight to support an artist's growth. Jamie Oborn emphasizes the necessity of nurturing artists and providing tailored support, contrasting his experiences with large management companies that often take a generalized approach. This shift stems from the changing music landscape, which demands a more hands-on and holistic method of management to navigate the complexities of modern artist representation.

Intro

2min

Navigating the Modern Music Landscape

14min

Navigating Artist Management

15min

The Interplay of Hard Work, Luck, and Purpose

2min

Reflections on a Two-Decade Music Journey: Optimism, Inspiration, and Management Philosophy

5min

Reflections on Music: Favorite Albums and Concluding Thoughts

3min

Ep. 158: When Jamie Oborne's career as a musician ended, he decided that the second best thing was to be an artist manager. He also decided that he'd stay independent, write contracts different to the one's he'd signed, and work closely with his artists. Twenty years on, Oborne's approach seems to have worked well enough: he runs management company All On Red and indie label Dirty Hit; both of which have a host of globally successful acts, most notably The 1975.

Jamie joined Music Ally's editor Joe Sparrow to discuss his career and his thoughts of the future of management: how the role will change and the shifting responsibilities of a manager in an era where you can do it all in-house.

They also talked about how artists – from DIY to arena-level – are aiming to create a D2C business model; how managers should trust their artists' decisions and work with them to nurture their instincts yourself; and what advice he'd have given himself when he was starting out in management.

Jamie also shared some of his favourite current artists that he's working with:

Saya Gray: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4EnymklUyqZwvmHQGlRssl

Bleachers: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2eam0iDomRHGBypaDQLwWI

beabadoobee: https://open.spotify.com/artist/35l9BRT7MXmM8bv2WDQiyB

The 1975: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3mIj9lX2MWuHmhNCA7LSCW

Jamie's music pick(s):

Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kd9KDl7SAnHcZABxeLCU3JDz2oQmUEeZo

The Smiths – Meat is Murder: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mz0YHCuq_IeMVDk67mtgUccsBqg-DOzvM

The Stone Roses: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kmlwGGQH_U-X7qCB0Vn6H6VnNqp4swuGY

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