Marketing Director (UK)

Job Type Full-time Description

Marketing Director

EMPIRE is a premier and dynamic music company that prides itself on the development and support of independent artists. We are a rapidly growing firm that has been making waves in the music industry, with an extensive portfolio that spans multiple genres and reaches audiences worldwide. We have become the largest independent record label in the U.S., with a significant global presence covering Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and North and South America. We keep ourselves busy with a large range of music-related services from original content and marketing to distribution and recordings. 

Our commitment to artistic creativity, innovation, and progressive business solutions forms the foundation of our corporate culture. We believe in fostering talent, not just in our artists but also within our professional teams. As we continue to expand, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey.

The Role Remix: EMPIRE is looking for a Marketing Director to join the team in our London office. This role will dually report into the MD, Europe and SVP, International Marketing and will lead the marketing team in the UK, create and oversee release plans, initiate strategies and creative direction, and be at the very heart of artist campaigns.

You will be responsible for identifying creative opportunities, collaborate and liaise with management teams, while building connections with the artists’ fans. The role will also be to lead EMPIRE’s UK marketing and curation strategies, framing the company’s position at the center of music discovery and breaking artists to drive long-term cultural and commercial growth. 

Campaigns

• Plan, direct, organize, and execute comprehensive domestic and incoming international artist marketing campaigns in the UK, focusing on local and global audience engagement and growth.
• Oversee the creation of domestic rollouts, including the origination of narratives, content, all creative and visual assets.
• Set ambitious goals for your campaigns, and understand the milestones that have to be reached along the path of success. Be prepared to pivot when necessary along the way.
• Direct and supervise exciting and effective creative to support the music and message. Storytelling must be at the heart of our campaigns.
• Oversee and mentor other members of the marketing team, ensuring a common approach and high standard.
• Communicate campaign goals effectively throughout the UK team and across the global company.
• Create domestic campaigns with a view to exporting them effectively, recognising possible routes to internationalise the story or any ideas.
• Create and manage often complex timelines for releases/campaigns for domestic releases.
• Plan artist visits to the market and marketing assets for international releases and ensure they are worthwhile and productive.
• Collaborate with and drive marketing efforts across all departments, including but not limited to digital advertising, A&R, social, PR, CRM, Radio, and the wider international team.
• Prepare and manage domestic marketing rollouts and budgets for all domestic and incoming international campaigns, often with core team members/department heads, to allocate the project totals accordingly.
• Hire and manage relationships with 3rd party vendors for both international and domestic campaigns not limited to PR, Radio and TV pluggers, experiential marketing. Always assess the impact of external marketing partnerships.
• Support other teams in platform outreach and relationship management.
• Provide marketing drivers and relevant campaign updates for the Commerce team.
• Develop and coordinate the creation of videos, artwork and other visual content.
• Develop innovative campaigns that engage fans utilizing pre-existing social platforms and new technologies and trends.
• Manage the conception, communication and execution of consumer products and other marketing strategies.
• Consistently identify artist needs and ensure approaches and ensure solutions are linked to artist objectives.
• Have robust cultural and global awareness, understanding trends and fan behaviours.

Reporting

• Monitor success. Work to maximize revenues and earnings for your artists. Have the P&L administration of the projects at the center of your decision making.
• Research data within EMPIRE’s information services and third party tools for your campaign planning.
• Share updates of domestic and international campaigns regularly and clearly, as directed.
• Actively monitor project risks, identify potential problems and proactively identify solutions to address them in advance.
• Communicate and document project status, including progress in each function and challenges, and executive presentations to secure buy-in for big campaigns.

Strategy

• Work effectively in the strategic planning of our domestic releases, designing marketing plans for any assigned domestic or international releases. Think several months ahead.
• Regularly review the release schedule with senior leadership to enable the best campaign setup, and ultimately, the best commercial result.

Key Notes For Success:

• 8-10+ years total marketing experience, with the corresponding initiative, confidence and opinions, and with proven experience of driving through commercial success in both the singles and albums charts.
• Strong record label background, ideally with experience in both major and indie structures.
• Authority on artists going to market across a range of genres, having a broad musical knowledge and a rich experience of successful album, single and artist campaign launches to draw on.
• Understanding a range of drivers (cultural and data-driven) for both streaming growth as well as eCommerce and D2C physical strategies.
• Strong grasp of partnerships and sponsorships (brands, sync, influencers).
• Being a point person to lead on any local diaspora marketing initiatives (including East Asia, South Asia, WANA, Africa), and constantly seeking to strengthen the company’s offering in these areas.

Other

• Any additional duties as assigned

The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

At EMPIRE, we value diversity and always treat all employees and job applicants based on merit, qualifications, competence, and talent. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

If you are passionate about the music industry, and looking for a challenging role in a fast-paced, innovative environment, apply today. We look forward to hearing from you.

Perks Playlist:

• Competitive Compensation Package
• Competitive Benefits Package
• Paid Time Off (Holidays, Vacation, and Sick) 
• Wellness Resources
• Commuter Allowance
• Cell Phone Allowance

About EMPIRE: Founded in 2010 by Bay Area native Ghazi, EMPIRE is currently leading through its innovative and progressive approach to the digital music era across its label, distribution and publishing arms. 

With its focus on early stage artist development, the San Francisco based company has been instrumental in identifying future icons and launching the careers of both Multi-platinum and Grammy Award winning artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Fireboy DML, Yung Bleu, Migos, Asake, XXXtentacion, and Anderson .Paak to name a few. After this early success, EMPIRE was quickly regarded as a tastemaker in the industry and premier independent record label.  

More than a decade in, EMPIRE continues to grow – expanding the Publishing division with a partnership with superproducer Hit-Boy and his Surf Club collective and acquiring Dirtybird Records in 2022 to amplify the Dance arm. EMPIRE has expanded the team throughout the globe on the African continent, Europe, Asia, North America, and South America. With the company and roster excelling at a breakneck pace, EMPIRE has effectively disrupted a stale business model by bringing its energy, expertise, and acumen to its artists and labels.