Have you ever stalked someone on LinkedIn and wondered how on earth they managed to land that wildly impressive job? While the internet and social media might have us believe that our ideal job is a mere pipe dream, the individuals who have these jobs were, believe it or not, in the same position once, fantasising over someone else’s seemingly unattainable job.
But behind the awe-inspiring titles and the fancy work events lies a heck of a lot of hard work. So what lessons have been learnt and what skills have proved invaluable in getting them from daydreaming about success to actually being at the top of their industry?
Looking for a new 9 to 5? Head to our Careers page for new listings daily.
Welcome to How I Got Here, where we talk to women who are killing it in their respective fields about how they landed their awe-inspiring jobs, exploring the peaks and pits, the failures and the wins and most importantly, the knowledge, advice and practical tips they’ve gleaned along the way. This week, we hear from Hayley Percy, the Head of Music at Rising festival.
For some, the call of the music industry is irresistible. And Hayley is undoubtedly one of those people. Hayley’s love affair with music began in her childhood, listening to records with her father, attending all-ages shows and becoming engrossed with the stories of iconic (and messy) affairs of ’70s rock idols. After a stint in New York City, she found herself back in Australia, where she stumbled into festival work alongside the people she’d met over a lifetime in the local music scene.
For the last four years, Hayley’s background and unshakeable passion have earned her a vast network of contacts within the Australian music industry’s ecosystem. She’s been the driving force behind Rising’s top-tier music program, bringing in international artists such as Suki Waterhouse, Japanese Breakfast and Black Star to Rising’s Naarm festival each year. “You can spend years on one artist and the conversation to get them out to play,” she says. “The payoff is standing in the audience, surrounded by the energy and joy buzzing in a room full of fans.”
View this post on Instagram
Fashion Journal: Hi Hayley! Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.
Hayley Percy: I’m the Head of Music at Rising. I work with a collective of music heads to curate the music program for the festival.
Take us back to when you were first starting out. Did you study to get into your chosen field, or did you start with an internship and climb the ladder?
My love for music started early in life. Listening to Brit post punk and Australian pub rock records with my dad, going to all-ages house shows as a teen and romanticising ’70s rock and roll love affairs, breakups, meltdowns and muses.
I never focused on working in music as a career path but there was always a bit of a universal pull in that direction organically. It came from the people I cultivated friendships with, the shows I went to, the books and movies I consumed, the Wikipedia wormholes I got lost in, the record stores I milled around in and the record store staff I developed crushes on.
My first proper job in the industry was doing the door at The Zoo, an iconic Brisbane venue. This was a formative time for me and the first time I was exposed to the back end of touring life. I moved to New York when I was 22, chasing a dream of the CBGB life and booked a tiny venue called Lulus. I lived out a few dreams and nightmares, then came back to Australia and fell back into festival work through old connections. Things just continued to evolve from there.
Can you walk us through a typical day in your life on the job?
A daily occurrence is me thinking of the program like a family tree – the headliner is in the middle and all the branches stem from it. I often muse on what band in history would create the family tree with the most branches if it were the centre seed. It’s a fun way to connect and curate and really see where cool culture vulture cross-pollination takes place.
I work closely with a broad mix of promoters, agents, music makers, labels, artist management and the broader Rising curatorial team. A lot of my day is on the phone, chatting about deals and ideas with them. Then there’s also your standard emailing, money crunching and tune listening.
View this post on Instagram
What hurdles have you faced getting to where you are now?
Imposter syndrome is real in any creative space. It’s an ongoing challenge to learn to deal with public opinion when it comes to something as subjective as music. Not every gig is going to be appealing to everyone but being comfortable with that is something I’ve had to work on. Taking risks can pay off, so whatever gig you book, whether it’s to your own taste or not, having conviction in the idea and believing in it can make such a huge difference.
What do you want people to know about your industry?
It’s a collaborative space. It takes so many different skill sets and roles to get just one show up and running. It’s inspiring and soul-nourishing to get to bop with so many talented people to riff on the A to Z of a gig lifecycle. Melbourne has such a strong and healthy music scene ecosystem. The industry here is really tethered to that foundation and we’re so lucky to work in a city with such a genuinely engaged and eclectic audience base. It means you can fly a little bit closer to the sun with the cookie wookie stuff you look to book.
What’s the best part about being the Head of Music at Rising?
I love being able to centre music in my professional life – it’s such a privilege. Being able to go to gigs, engage with the broader industry and have a tiny say in what acts grace band rooms is not taken for granted.
You can spend years on one artist and the conversation to get them out to play. There are so many variables to get it to happen but when it finally does, the payoff is standing in the audience, surrounded by the energy and joy buzzing in a room full of fans. Knowing that I get to spend my days working on something, with that being the end result, is the best.
View this post on Instagram
What would surprise people about your role?
How many offers get sent that go nowhere. How much things actually cost. How unreal some people’s riders are (for the record, I condone wacky riders).
What skills have served you well in the music industry?
Being equally empathetic and assertive is a pretty key skill set to balance. You need to be assertive to stand your ground in an, at times, competitive landscape and empathetic to maintain genuine relationships when business gets in the middle. Also, keeping your ego in check helps. There is a bit of an outdated idea about the music industry and status, but really, being humble yet confident is a nice vibe.
View this post on Instagram
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be in a role like yours one day?
No job is too small as a starting point. DIY is cool and starting your own club night or booking your own gigs, whether in your backyard, a 200-pax room or at Rod Laver, is all important to the holistic bigger picture of the yearly music calendar. If you want to work in music, then I think just being in and around the industry in some capacity is kind of key.
What about a practical tip?
Never leave the house without fully charged AirPods. Also, don’t forget to be glamorous.
Keep up with Hayley here.
This article How I Got Here: Rising’s Head of Music on the dreams and nightmares of festival planning appeared first on Fashion Journal.
2025-06-03 10:55:00
#Risings #Music #dreams #nightmares #festival #planning
Source link
