ROBBY KLEIN.
Rachel Whitney
Our annual list of trailblazing women are creating lasting legacies for themselves and for the city of Nashville. Now they’re sharing their stories, their triumphs, their setbacks, and their advice with us. Prepare to be inspired.
Early Aspirations
I was obsessed with music as a kid and always had the radio on. My clearest memory of country music was being in the back of the school bus in third grade in Wichita, Kansas, and our bus driver, Ms. Kim, would blast Kissin’ 102 (KZSN) and we’d sing along to Garth Brooks, Reba, and Shenandoah at the top of our lungs. Growing up, my dad introduced me to lifetime favorites like Bonnie Raitt, Vince Gill, and Simon & Garfunkel, and I was a complete radio junkie with country, oldies, pop, and alt rock. My mom encouraged me to play piano and try different instruments at a young age, and I went on to perform with the Kansas State and National High School Orchestras on flute and piccolo. It didn’t occur to me that you could actually work in commercial music until I was in college. I volunteered at the local amphitheater with students who introduced me to the Business Careers in Entertainment Club at Indiana University, which led me to apply for an internship with Dualtone Music Group.
Challenges Faced
Up until the time I arrived in Nashville, and for a while afterwards, Napster, piracy, and the resulting legal challenges had devastated the recorded music business. We were building audiences from the ground up across new platforms constantly, and if we weren’t trying to build ‘hits’ on websites, we were finding creative ways to get fans to sign up for email lists and ‘like’ Facebook pages. Keeping up with the new platforms and trying to create value, while also being efficient with artists’ time and resources, was a constant challenge. Now, the competition is creating a healthier environment for creators, with digital services increasingly prioritizing both the listener experience and the value for artists.
The Definition of Success
I’m successful if my team is creating great listening experiences for fans that are culturally relevant, and introducing them to new music and artists in a sustainable way. Are listeners enjoying a playlist, and are they coming back day after day? Is that listening leading them to become a fan of the artist? Ultimately, that’s the goal. To build engaging playlists and lifetime fan bases for artists.
Work Perks
The highest high is finding a new song that listeners really react to, and then turning it into a sustainable career-maker for the artist. It’s incredibly gratifying to connect artists with fans hungry for discovery.
Advice to Others
Be open to opportunities—even if they feel like they’re slightly off course—if they’re interesting to you! The jobs you’ll have in 10 years might not even exist yet, so keep an open mind and take good care of your relationships. You never know who you might be able to help, or who might have you in mind for your next great career move.
Meet Rachel Whitney and other women in the local community who are the best in their fields at our annual Women in Business event.
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The mix and mingle reception will be held on August 24 from 5-7:30 p.m., to network with our Women in Business honorees plus 200 other local business professionals. Throughout the evening, we will be doing live Q and A sessions with each woman!
Guests will enjoy hors d'oeuvres from Virgin Hotels Nashville along with wine from Biltmore Winery and cocktails from Tito's Handmade Vodka. Beverages from a full bar will also be available for purchase (credit cards only).