Molly Neuman, Downtown Music
💭 Thoughts on the gender / generational disconnect, Traveler's Company notebook covers, and Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest & Relaxation.
Molly Neuman is Chief Marketing Officer of Downtown Music Holdings, the world’s leading music services provider. As CMO, Neuman is leading brand alignment and marketing efforts for DMH and its subsidiary companies. Neuman was previously President of Songtrust, which grew under her leadership to manage more than 3 million copyrights for more than 350,000 writers in 145 countries.
With a career that has been focused on empowering musicians at all career stages, Neuman has been Head of Music at Kickstarter, Interim President and Vice President of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), and has held senior roles in licensing in digital music, as well as label and artist management. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of Women in Music, and has previously served on the boards of the Music Business Association, SoundExchange and A2IM. Neuman has been recognized by Billboard in its 2018 Digital Power Players List, as well as its Women in Music Lists for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024. Her musical career began as drummer in Bratmobile, a punk band who were in the first wave of the riot grrrl movement.
🎯 Current focus
I am really happy to be working on Bratmobile again after quite a long break. I have worked on the industry side of the music business for over 30 years but having the direct experience as a musician, songwriter and performer is so helpful in terms of both empathy for my fellow creative community but in helping the industry consider our needs more specifically.
I know it’s pretty basic but I’m on the Olivia Rodrigo bandwagon. I wouldn’t call myself a Livvie but I love her songs and I think she is bringing issues to her audience of very young mostly girls and gender-expansive youth in a rational but real way. I loved her concert and that she has an all-woman band and her dancers are totally fresh.
👏 The importance of opportunity + encouragement
Hmmmm, I am pretty locked in on “opportunity + encouragement and guidance = progress.” We still have so many barriers to the status quo being challenged and changed and we need to confront that at every possible point we can.
🗣️ Guiding pivotal conversations in the industry
I’ve been so proud to see my friend Portia Sabin grow in her leadership of the music industry at the Music Business Association. She has been in charge for nearly 5 years and transformed and modernized the organization while managing through the pandemic. I can’t wait to see what is next for our industry with her continued role in guiding the pivotal conversions we’re having.
Bratmobile is playing a few shows at the end of the month. Los Angeles will be fantastic because we’ll have so many friends and family with us. Las Vegas will be wild because it’s Vegas. I’m thinking of it like a band “girls getwaway” and we’re playing shows on top of hanging out and seeing friends.
📚 Kathleen Hanna’s new memoir Rebel Girl
I swear I wasn’t paid to say this but I love seeing the roll out of Rebel Girl, Kathleen Hanna’s memoir. She’s hitting all the right spots and the reception is apparently intensely good. So proud of her and her team!
Follow Molly on Instagram & Linkedin and follow her band here.
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