Born and raised on the South Shore of Boston, New England has been all I’ve really known. Although I’ve spent countless summers in New Hampshire and traveled different places, I’ve never lived anywhere other than the Boston area—I went to college downtown, lived in the dorms near the commons and then in a small apartment in the North End. Recently I made the decision to kick start my career and move a thousand miles away to Nashville, Tennessee. So far it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Moving to a city like Nashville has been very different from Boston. To begin, it’s noticeably smaller. It only takes me about fifteen minutes to drive anywhere and I’ve only sat in traffic going to/from work maybe a handful of times—which has been a much different experience than spending an hour on the expressway getting from the split to the tunnel. Other than the city itself being different, the people and atmosphere are different as well – ‘southern hospitality’ is a real thing! When it comes to the atmosphere, it’s unlike anything I’ve experienced before. It’s called ‘Music City’ for a reason. You can find a restaurant or bar with live music almost any day, any time and so many people work in the industry so you’re always making new connections.
Moving specifically to work in the music industry has been great so far. It’s fast paced and there’s always something going on. Every person I’ve met has been so kind and given me great advice about being in this industry. I first decided I wanted to move to Nashville about a year ago when I was working at Country 102.5 WKLB. I can one hundred percent say that job is what made me realize my passion for country music. I was a junior in college and was looking to come to Nashville for a summer internship to begin with, until I realized I could graduate early and move once I’ve graduated. I wanted to finish my classes before making the permanent move.
The jobs I was aiming and applying for were internships as well as a few entry level jobs. I don’t even remember how many cover letters I wrote and applications I filled out. I just kept going until people called me and it was the best feeling ever seeing calls from Nashville pop up on my phone. I ended up coming down to Nashville to visit in November and lined up multiple interviews for positions from the phone and email conversations I had between March and September. I planned to move after the New Year no matter what, but luckily I was offered multiple opportunities and ended up choosing the one that was the best fit for me.
Currently I’m in the Accelerator Program at Big Machine Label Group in the Radio Promotions department at Dot Records (Dot, like Republic Nashville, Valory, Nash Icon and Big Machine Records are all imprints of Big Machine Label Group). Day to day I track our artists’ active singles, update artist schedules and complete other promotional tasks given to me.The goal of our department is to secure and increase airplay for our artists. I love it so far and it’s been such an awesome experience. I’ve been able to meet some great people and work at some very cool events during Country Radio Seminar a few weeks ago.
For anyone looking to move to Nashville to work in the music industry, I would say dive right in. Move down here on a whim if you can. It’s much easier to meet people and go on interviews if you’re actually present. I know it’s tough to move without having a job lined up, but if you’re able to do that, then you should. If not, don’t get discouraged. I got my job while I was still in Boston and one of my friends got hers as well. Be persistent with applying for jobs and reaching out to people, but be careful not to be a squeaky wheel. This industry is so fast paced that time is of the essence and you definitely have to be mindful of that. Once you make relationships with people in the industry, foster those relationships and don’t let them wither because you never know when an opportunity will come up that may be a perfect fit for you. In an industry like this, it’s all about who you know, so get to know as many people as possible.