Sophia Marsh, FADER Label
š Thoughts on running your first half marathon, AndrĆ© 3000, and making the perfect risotto.
Thought Enthusiast is an AdHoc Project where we chat with fascinating thought leaders across various facets of music, tech, and culture whose work we admire, simply asking āwhatās on your mind?ā and āwhy do you care?ā š
Sophia Marsh is a music marketer with eight years of experience working with a wide range of independent artists such as Slayyyter, Popcaan, and Dean Blunt. At the FADER Label, sheās responsible for working closely with artists and their managers to develop rollouts that are impactful, creative, and most importantly true to the artistās vision.Ā In an era where chasing virality has a chokehold on the industry, she focuses her efforts on helping artists build sustainable careers.Ā If the music thing doesnāt work out, her dream is to start a small alpaca farm somewhere in upstate NY.
šš»āāļø Running up that hillĀ
After watching the New York City Marathon this past November something about seeing those runners journey into an abyss of endless pain and suffering made me think āhey, I want to do that tooā.Ā In an industry where drinking is so normalized and work obligations extend to late night shows, Iāve hit a point where in order for this to be sustainable for me I need to start putting my health first.Ā I guess for me what that looks like is running 4 days a week and signing up for my first half marathon! In addition to runners high being real (and feels good) it's a great way to explore the city.
There is this older Congolese guy on TikTok (@raoulokoko) who has the most incredible archival designer collection of Balmain, Valentino,Ā D&G, Raf Simons, LV, just to name a few.Ā Iām by no means a fashion expert but his fits are undeniable. So hard that thereās no words to do it justice, you just have to check him out.Ā Thereās something so cool about people who are serious collectors, no matter what it is.Ā Clothes, uranium glassware, miniatures, rocks, etc. - as long as youāre passionate about it, I probably want to watch your TikTok channel about it.Ā
Thereās been so much discourse around this new AndrĆ© 3000 album that nothing I say about it will be original.Ā However, in addition to it being ethereal and a true delight to listen to while having my morning coffee, it serves an important reminder that you don't owe anything to anyone except yourself.Ā
š©š»āš³ How to make the perfect risottoĀ
My coworkers and I are having a risotto making competition in the next couple of weeks and Iāve become completely consumed by my need to win. Iāve recently fallen down a YouTube rabbit hole researching the best tip and tricks.Ā Carnaroli vs Vialone Nano Rice? What age should the Parmesan be? How do you make the perfect stock?Ā The hilarious part of it all is that Iāll probably lose because Iām certainly overthinking it.
š š½ Pink Friday NailsĀ
Amidst Nicki Minajās album rollout for Pink Friday 2, she just launched an aptly named press on nail line called āPink Friday Nailsā. In a similar manner to the 'drop' model in the fashion industry, the product will only be available for a limited time and in limited quantity.Ā Whatās unique about this particular campaign is that sheās charging fans to buy a āpassā which will allow them to shop the drop with guaranteed worry free access with the cost of the pass going toward the product.Ā I donāt think Iāve seen this yet with fans having to pay in advance just to access artist merchandise - Iād be very curious to see if this becomes the norm.Ā Ā
š¶ļø Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp SauceĀ Ā
It is the OG of Chili Crips (Translation: Old Grandmother) and is the ultimate crunchy, spicy, umami flavor bomb.Ā I put this on everything - eggs, toast, protein, veg, EVERYTHING.Ā If the flavor doesnāt fully hook you, look up the story of the creator and face of the brand Tao Huabi.Ā Truly the definition of girl boss.
šŖ Dedicating yourself to support the careers of developing artistsĀ
Someone in my industry that I look up to would have to be Aj Finizio AKA Mr. seed Worldwide.Ā Aj is the founder of a digital distribution company called seed and heās had a hand in working with hundreds of groundbreaking artists in the nearly two decades heās been in business.Ā Though Iām biased since heās one of my mentors and gave me my start, I can say with confidence he is the hardest working guy I know in the industry and has dedicated himself to supporting the careers of developing artists. An absolute legend in the NYC indie scene!