SoundCloud's Charlie Ogbechie talks coach party origins and growing your fanbase

In this episode, Hazel sits down with Charlie Ogbechie, the Artist Development & Relations Lead for Europe at SoundCloud. With over ten years of experience in Artist relations at EMI, Warner, and now SoundCloud, Charlie talks about what is needed to stand out, both as an artist and as an artist relations pro.

During the podcast, they chat about:

The importance of authenticity in music
Innovative ways that artists are using SoundCloud
What it takes to do artist relations well
How artists should use the SoundCloud platform to get noticed

From hosting coach parties with Giggs to educating and supporting artists to build the most excitement around releases on SoundCloud, Charlie has always been plugged into the industry. This time, he shares his insights into navigating artist relations and why initiative, authenticity, and consistency are important for artists and industry pros alike.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Coach party origins
06:29 Switching from parties to showcases
07:16 R&B, rap, Afro-beats, and dancehall influence
13:10 Standout artist bookings
15:00 UK music gains global recognition and acceptance
17:03 Trend: artists do more frequent and unofficial releases
20:19 How artists are growing with creative SoundCloud use
26:06 Putting artists first
30:59 Motivations
34:54 What people actually want from you
39:19 Making time for new music
42:54 3 Tips to stand out on SoundCloud
46:26 SoundCloud's pros: organic scenes
47:31 What's the industry missing?