Meet Becky Parsons

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Becky Parsons. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Becky, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I’m really passionate about this question. When I meet someone new, this story always comes up, because I feel it’s important to talk about how common it is to not know your “purpose”, at least until your later 20s. In undergrad, I studied Public Relations at Appalachian State University, which didn’t have a music business program at the time. So, I actually didn’t know I could work in the music business without being an artist. I play multiple instruments and sing but didn’t desire to be a performer. So, even though my life revolved around music and the artists I listened to, I resigned that the music industry wasn’t for me.

I graduated with my bachelor’s and had a few PR internships in other industries that bored me. I had a PR internship with Louisville Ballet in Kentucky while still in school, so I started to wonder if there were similar roles in music that I could fill. I got a call from an old AppState professor who had moved over to East Tennessee State University (ETSU) letting me know the graduate program she worked with was looking for students to join their master’s program in Brand and Media Strategy. I still didn’t know what my career goal was, so I decided to go back and learn more about paid marketing.

In my first semester of graduate school, I started to have a real crisis about who I am and what I want from life. I questioned what my life’s passion was, and felt very conflicted about what I felt I was “supposed” to do. On one hand, I felt I needed a “stable” job with a traditional career path. On the other hand, I had started to find out more about working as a business professional in the music industry and had heard it was very difficult to break in and find success. I struggled to accept that I was in control of my life and could take the risks I felt necessary to pursue my dreams. After weeks of going back and forth on what’s “right”, I remembered a quote by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt: “What would you do with your life if you knew you could not fail?”

It was in that moment that I decided to bet on myself. I realized that if I didn’t find a way to work in the music business, no other career would bring me the happiness I desired. I had no formal music industry education, no real connections through my undergrad or graduate schools and no friends or family in the business. But, I decided that none of that mattered and I would figure it out along the way. Music impacted me and motivated me more than anything else in the world, and I was going to follow that call.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I started in the music business with a PR and Management company, so the lines between being a publicist and an artist manager were always blurred for me. When I became a publicist at a boutique PR company on Music Row, I actually got in trouble for offering to do more artist management-type tasks for clients. I eventually became the Director of Publicity and Branding at the company, where I oversaw the campaigns of the entire roster and also taught and supervised the staff. After serving in this role for some time, I felt called to provide more personalized services for clients and leave the box I often found myself in. I also wanted to focus on serving artists from diverse backgrounds.

Following this call, I left my job and started planning my own company. I chose a name I had been mulling over for years, Found Sound Media. Found Sound Media primarily serves clients from underrepresented backgrounds (LGBTQ+, women and people of color), those who are traditionally more likely to have been “lost” by the existing power structures of the music business. As times change, my goal is to uplift those artists I have “found”: my Found Sound. I know it’s corny, but it’s my goal and my passion.

At the same time, I was chosen to be a part of the prestigious and competitive program, Equal Access, co-founded by Country Music Television (CMT) and artist manager support company mtheory. The program picks 3 artist managers each year to provide personal, one-on-one mentorship and assistance. The team at Equal Access has assisted me in structuring my company and connecting me with other industry leaders.

Found Sound Media is an artist management and publicity company. We provide our clients with personalized services depending on their needs, including consulting services for developing artists. Our mission is to uplift the voices of the artists who come to us and help them realize their long-term goals.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1. Authenticity. I try to be the most authentic version of myself at all times. I’m not afraid to ask others for advice or admit when I am struggling, because I’ve found that other people really appreciate when you’re real with them. The Nashville music business is especially kind and open to having genuine conversations about mental health, imposter syndrome and other issues that impact our community.
2. Grace. It took me until I became busier than I ever was before to realize that missed meetings, emails, calls, etc., are not personal 99% of the time. It’s important to have grace and patience with those around you because you never know what others have on their plate or what they are going through in their personal life.
3. Always be learning. I’m constantly asking questions of the teams I work with to learn more about the music industry as a whole. I’m also on the board of a community organization for music business professionals called the Society of Leaders in Development, which often puts on educational panels, coffee hours and other events so I can learn from colleagues in the business about their part of the field. This helps me be a better artist manager and publicist.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

HOW TO MAKE A LIVING IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS: Music Business Basics including: Making & Marketing Records, Songwriting & Publishing, Managing & Booking Artists by Vince Wilcox, Esq.

Vince reached out to me one day because I was looking for interns from Trevecca Nazarene University and he was their Director of the Music Business Program. We spoke on the phone, and after our conversation, he sent me a copy of his book. When I went to start my own company, I sat down and read the book from cover to cover. Since I did not have a formal education in the music business, this book taught me a lot about publishing deals, record labels and booking agencies. Some major lessons I learned revolved around the importance of carefully considering if a record deal is the right choice for an independent artist, or if they should lean more towards distribution deals, publishing deals, or self-funding their projects in order to own their master rights in full.

I was also very inspired by Vince’s story, as he also started without a music business education. In his first role in the industry, he diligently worked his way up from the warehouse all the way to Vice President of Marketing for Benson Music Group. From there, he’s served as VP of Sales for Provident Music Group, co-owned his own management company, toured and performed as an independent artist, went back to school to get a law degree to become an entertainment attorney, and even more. It was very helpful for me to see someone who is obviously as driven as I am make it from the very bottom up to the top, while remaining a well-respected and friendly face in the business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.foundsound.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foundsoundmedia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foundsoundmedia/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/found-sound-media
• Other: https://musicrow.com/2024/06/industry-ink-musicians-on-call-cmt-becky-parsons-joseph-habedank/

Image Credits

First headshot image, credit: Sam Wiseman/BLK Creative