In the #PYNKGirloftheDay series, we highlight women in various industries who are not only movers and shakers but game changers in their respective fields. They exude PYNK mag’s “Pretty, Powerful, Provocative” motto taking on life and their careers with style, grace, and a fearless attitude. Nicole Plantin, Director of Writer/Publisher Relations at BMI, is a prime example of this. We recently sat down with her to talk about her career milestones, toughest challenges, and what it was like to work with Pharrell.
PYNK: What inspired you to pursue a career in the music industry?
NP: “Just being exposed to music and growing up in a musical household. Music was something I always came back to, so it was just very natural. It felt natural for me to kind of see what I could do. [I wanted to see] if this is a world that I could make a living in or something that I could pursue in some way. I wrote music a little bit in High School and into College. I was somewhat helpful in terms of putting shows together and suggesting talent, so it was just something I didn’t really think too hard about. I just really gravitated to it and I started to realize as I moved further along that a lot of what I kind of was naturally doing, I could possibly make a living doing. That’s when I started to look a little bit further into the industry and what the options were and the actual titles attached to what it is I was doing.”
PYNK: How did you get your start in the music business?
NP: “I was in college and I initially wanted to go to Law School. I wanted to be a professional, but I also wanted to do something in an area that I loved, which was music. At that time, being an entertainment lawyer seemed like the balance. But it wasn’t. I worked at a firm and I didn’t like it, I realized I was just creative and more hands on, so I decided I was going to look into some internships. I attended NYU and I just went to career services, said ‘I’m going to try to find something at a label or maybe a management company, something music related’. Initially, I worked for a very small label, an indie label and then I got an internship at Elektra. Interning at a major label, I was fully being exposed to what the music industry was about.”
PYNK: What was your experience like interning at Elektra?
NP: “It was very eye opening. At the time, the music industry was doing well. A disaster hadn’t hit quite yet so, we were still dealing with pretty hefty budgets. I was in the A&R Admin Department, so I was seeing what those budgets were like. You’re dealing directly with the artist. You’re kind of dealing with a lot of the day to day that goes into the recording process. I kind of dove right into it and the person who hired me was great at what she did. It was a really good experience. It really showed me that this is what I wanted to do. That department was kind of the center of things. We were exposed to an understanding of what the role was for all the departments, what the process was and how everything came together. So, it was a very good entry into the music industry.”
PYNK: If you could go back in time and speak to your younger self what tip would you give yourself in regards to working in the music industry?
NP: “I would say that I think it’s important to come in and to stick to what it is you set out to do. When you’re in this industry, you might be good at multiple things and people might recognize your talents and they’ll suggest this or that and that you should pursue different things. But really you should just stick to what it is you set out to do and know what to absorb and not allow yourself to be redirected off of the path you set out for yourself. That’s probably one of the main things I would say is to really think about what direction you want to go in and just stick to what it is your initial goal was.”
PYNK: What do you consider the best aspect of your job?
NP: “You know this job is very broad. One of the things that we have to do is be on top of knowing what to look out for in terms of emerging talent, what’s going on, new sounds, new movements. [We must] have an understanding of where they’re coming from, what is going to stick, what’s not, what’s trendy or what’s really something that’s going to be kind of impacting the music industry or the landscape. What I really enjoy is the fact that part of the job requires us to be at the forefront of really what’s going on in the industry and really being able to understand it and then allowing us to kind of be creative in terms of how we want to take these things into consideration and being able to inform our writers and inform our producers and how to incorporate all of this into what it is they’re doing with their career.”
PYNK: In the past, you’ve worked with Pharrell on his Star Trak label, tell me what that experience was like?
NP: “I had a couple of internships. I worked somewhere else for a short amount of time. Then, my boss at Elektra recommended me to The Neptunes’ manager who was looking for an assistant. I jumped into The Neptunes’ world, which was on the rise at that time. I started working with him [Pharrell], they had a few records but I didn’t really know too much. I read a little bit and they were building their company as a whole. They were in the process of getting their joint label deal through Arista. So, by the time I came in they were bubbling. I really kind of just got thrown in there and it was amazing. I mean it was such an exciting time. They had such a crazy run, just putting hit after hit out and I was front and center in all of it. I was there throughout the whole process, keeping the machine going and it was great. It was exciting. It was challenging. Every day was something new. There were no hours. It was just you’re needed when you’re needed. It was a great learning process because he wasn’t just doing music. I was there when he started his clothing line. It was probably one of the best ways I could have started in the industry because he really was one of the early people who just covered so much territory with music and fashion. It was great. [There] was a lot going on at the time.”
PYNK: Do you believe that there is a glass ceiling in the music industry for women?
NP: “It’s funny because I almost feel that if you go into something already thinking there is a limitation that you might be putting a limitation on yourself. I think a lot of it is just what your outlook is. I feel as if I’ve operated without that thought but you are going to at a certain point face that. However, I do think that you do reach a point where as a woman in this industry, you need to do things a little bit differently to get to a certain level. So much of this industry is about relationships and the history you might have with someone else. I think for men, it’s natural for certain people to look out for each other. They’ve had an ongoing relationship, a rapport. I think for women, sometimes you get blocked out of that because you’re just not in that flow they might have. So, I think it does get a little bit tougher, you just have to be really good at what it is you’re doing. You have to understand what it is you’re bringing to the table and know it well. Keep your relationships intact and just keep doing what it is you’re doing. I think there’s always going to be something, some kind of disadvantage. However, there have been so many women who have been successful in this industry. At the end of the day, it all boils down to your work and what you bring to the table.”
PYNK: What milestone in your career thus far stands out as one of the most memorable?
NP: “I would say when I first started here [at BMI]. We have an award show that we put on every year and we always honor someone. That year it was the Jackson 5. We all have our people that we need to tend to and I had the Jackson 5. That was definitely a moment. Interacting with them and meeting the whole family. They were great to work with, just very nice people. That was definitely a moment. I didn’t expect that.”
PYNK: What is the toughest challenge you have faced being a woman working in a male-dominated industry?
NP: “On a regular basis, you’re kind of overcoming certain pre-conceived ideas of how you got in your career or just in your day to day. It’s an industry where there are certain messages that are put out. There are certain images that are put out. So, with some of them [men], you just have to break through the ways that some men are used to interacting with women. Make sure you’re clear with them about what the relationship is and keep the relationship in a good place. A lot of it is day to day, it’s as simple as you might be somewhere and the men will acknowledge each other and just skip over you because they assume you’re just there just hanging out with someone. It’s amazing because we know that there are plenty of women in the industry. So, for people to still just automatically assume that you’re there hanging out is crazy but it happens. You just have to overcome a lot of that.”
PYNK: Is there one career goal you have yet to accomplish that you’ve been dreaming of?
NP: “I’m really hands on when it comes to working with artists and I’ve had opportunities to be hands-on in the past. I’d like to have a more hands-on role in guiding [artists’ careers].”