Day in the Life of a Warner Music Group Marketing Rep
By Maddy Yen
Maddy Yen and Alicia Creti at the Roseland Theater on February 21, 2024. Photo Courtesy of Anna Downs.
Starting to work for a major record label at 20 years old has brought so many fun opportunities. For about a year now, I’ve been working for Warner Music Group (WMG) with a college program Warner Music U. I have gotten to work with many artists, but February 21st was the most fun yet.
I got a text from the VP of Promotion and Radio Marketing I had met once on a team call. She asked if I would attend the Alicia Creti show in Portland on February 21st. When I confirmed I was, she invited me to join her and Alicia’s team for content capture before the show, and I, of course, said yes. She sent a link to the Portland Goats Parties website and told me to meet here at 1 p.m. I thought she was kidding. Soon after, I realized this was not a joke, and I was missing my marketing class to go to a baby goat farm.
Alicia Creti is signed to Atlantic Records under WMG and just released her debut EP Self/Less. She got her start on TikTok — catching people’s attention with her vocals and R&B sound. After signing with Atlantic last year, she has only had a couple of standalone releases and shows — until now. With the release of her EP, she is now on tour with British singer Mahalia. The Portland show was only the second on tour with Mahalia, so I caught her right at the start of the action.
After making the trek to Hillsboro, Oregon, I arrived to Alicia singing at a piano with 15 goats surrounding her. It was the funniest content capture I have ever been to. There are people behind the scenes at a label who book the talent content opportunities. It can be anything from going on a radio station to finding a cool location to shoot video content for. She sang a few songs in two different locations in the barn and then filmed some TikToks. I could not believe this was someone’s job to plan and execute, but I thought it was brilliant. I did have to give Alicia my Tide Pen to clean the dirt off her shirt when she was done shooting with the goats. She regretted wearing white.
Alicia Creti and a baby goat on February 21, 2024, in Hillsboro, OR. Photo by Maddy Yen.
When we wrapped up the shoot at the baby goat farm, we headed to Portland for a pre-show interview. We went to a radio studio where Alicia met Megan Otto, a stand-up comedian from Portland. They filmed around a 20-minute interview at the piano, and my cheeks hurt from smiling. It was so entertaining. They had just met for the first time, but their banter was incredibly natural. Alicia has done a few interviews in her career, but they all were very informative and more promotional, so she was excited to work with a hilarious female comedian.
Alicia and Megan Otto filming an interview in Portland, OR, on February 21, 2024. Photo by Maddy Yen.
After a long day of content capture, we headed to the venue where I had a photo pass. The label wanted me to photograph Alicia and Mahalia, the headliner. The venue and photo pit were the largest I have ever photographed. Two years ago, I saw Louis Tomlinson and Sun Room at the same venue, The Roseland Theater, which made me fall back in love with live music. That show made me realize I wanted to pursue music as a career and get into the music business. Coming back to the venue with a photo pass, after having worked at a record label for a year now, was surreal. Alicia sang her tracks off her new EP, my favorites being “Going Down” and “Guilt Trip,” and the crowd absolutely loved her breathtaking vocals with amazing riffs.
Alicia performing at the Roseland Theater in Portland, OR on February 21, 2024. Photo by Maddy Yen.
