Archie, you were a music teacher before joining PPL, is that right?
Yes, that’s right. I studied Chemistry at university and then did a Master’s in Computational Chemistry, but my first experience of working in London was actually as a music teacher.
I got a part-time job at a school in London through a contact who was already teaching there. For about a year, I worked there during the school holidays on what you might call a ‘School of Rock’ programme.
I’ve always loved music. I’d been producing electronic music and DJing since I was 16, and playing the guitar since I was about 11. At the school, I looked after kids aged 8–16, teaching them how to play in a band, learn covers and write an original track. We’d then put on gigs for their families and friends, where they performed the songs they’d been working on.
That experience made me even more focused on finding a job in music. I saw a position at PPL for a Customer Services Advisor, helping with licensees’ queries, and it seemed like the perfect entry point into the music business. I was over the moon to get it!
What did your role as a Customer Services Advisor at PPL involve?
The role was on the licensing side of the business. We now have a joint venture with PRS for Music called PPL PRS Ltd, which administers licences that allow businesses to play music to their customers and staff. For context, PRS for Music is a collection society like us, however they collect and distribute royalties for songwriters. Whereas we do so for performers and recording rightsholders.
The joint venture launched in 2018, but when I joined PPL in 2017, licensing queries were still handled in-house. I would speak to licensees and potential licensees, answering questions about the type of licence they needed and what it covered.
I was really happy to be working in the music industry, so I threw myself into the role and tried to learn as much as I could about PPL and how the wider business worked. I was keen to learn and became more involved in helping set up the joint venture, as an extension of my role as a Customer Services Advisor. It was a great experience to work on the formation of a new company so early in my career.
When the joint venture officially launched, I moved into PPL’s Repertoire team as a Data Quality Coordinator. The Repertoire team manages and checks the data associated with recorded music, making sure rights information is accurately recorded. Repertoire data is matched against music that is played either in public or on broadcast platforms, and this is then used to calculate royalty payments, so it’s really important work.
Were you also part of the Events team at PPL?
In spring 2018, I noticed a job had become available in the Events and Marketing team. I spoke to Sarah Wall, who’s still here at PPL, and asked her about the role. She asked if I knew anyone who might be interested, and I said, “Me!” I applied and I was made up when I got the job.
In Events, I got the chance to work with lots of different partners across the music industry, from grassroots events to larger scale conferences. They offer real-world opportunities to connect with our members and the wider music industry. It was great to see the impact that PPL has in this space.
What was your favourite part about working in Events?
I loved going to different regional awards, like the Scottish Album of the Year Award, the Welsh Music Prize and the Northern Ireland Music Prize. I enjoyed seeing how thriving the industry is nationwide. It’s not such a London-centric thing, and being able to contribute to that and to help different networks of people and musicians grow has always stood out to me.
You left PPL before returning as an analyst. What brought you back, and how does your scientific and analytical background shape the work you do now?
As I got a bit older and moved into my 30s, I realised I wanted to go back to my roots and do something a bit more scientific. In my own time, I started retraining in SQL (a language used to work with information stored in a database) and data analytics before moving into a role at a different company, where I gained hands-on experience working with CMOs around the world.
It was really valuable to see different ways of working, what worked well and what didn’t, and I was able to bring all of that experience back to PPL. It was nice to come back as a fully-fledged analyst!
Having that analytical mindset is really useful. It’s about being able to take a business question, work backwards to understand what data I need, and then find the most efficient way to extract and analyse it. It gives me the scientific element I was looking for, while still working with colleagues who share my passion for music. It’s sort of the perfect combination for me!
On to our quick-fire music questions! Who are your ones to watch?
Nørbak. He’s a raw techno producer from Portugal who also runs the label, Hayes Collective. He blends elements of hypnotic techno, UK garage and neurofunk midrange to give him his unmistakeable sound. He’s definitely making big moves in the techno scene!
What’s a track that always makes you smile and why?
I’m going to say ‘Beam Me Up‘ by Alex G. The lyrics really make me laugh. They’re about kicking a football right up into the sky and making your coach proud. Very Americana, but in a tongue-in-cheek way. Alex G’s great.
And finally, what new track should everyone have on their playlist?
I’ve been listening to a band called Cancer House a lot. They have elements of shoegaze and lo-fi. They’re quite melancholic and atmospheric–sounding. They have a track called ‘In My Pocket A Letter, A Red Wrecked Line‘ that I love.
