Career Journey: Aadit Shah, Senior Insight Manager at Sony Music UK

Data is incredibly important in today’s music industry, and Insights teams within labels work to better understand audiences so that artists can be authentically marketed towards them. We spoke to Aadit Shah from Sony Music UK about his career growth from Insight intern to Senior Insight Manager at Sony Music UK! 

You attended City St George's, University of London and earned a BS in Business Studies. Did you always know that you wanted to work in the music industry? How did your studies prepare you for the role that you have now?

I always wanted to be around music, but I didn’t realise you could actually work at a music label and the breadth of roles available. I wrote a dissertation on "Exploring the British contextualisation of Colour-Blind Racism using Consumers of Rap” which was my first experience of actualising my interest in music, consumer psychology, and cultural context - which my role has allowed me to develop.

What advice would you give to someone who knows they want to work in the music industry, but might not know where to start?

Spend some time researching. Look at the roles available and then think about how it matches your own experience - both as an applicant and as a music fan - where do you discover music? What’s the last campaign that grabbed your attention? What do you wish your favourite artist would do? Your experiences and perspective are your most valuable asset - so make sure to communicate and articulate that.

Describe your role - what is the Insights team and how does it operate at Sony Music? 

We’re a central team that is fortunate to work with all the labels at Sony Music - with our primary focus being to help them understand audiences.

What's one project or initiative that you are most proud of from your time at Sony Music?

I run a bi-annual roundtable series aimed at spotlighting what’s happening across different sub-cultures, scenes, and fandom, bringing together figureheads across youth culture, to help us deepen our understanding of cultural resonance.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to stand out in the application process?

Do your best to really communicate why you’re applying for the role you are - be specific and don’t be afraid to go the extra mile with the application.

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