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Senior Director of the International Marketing Department at Audiomack, Tanya Lawson, was one of the executives who shared her extensive knowledge of the music business at the recently concluded Island Music Conference (IMC) held from February 19 to 23 at the Courtleigh Auditorium in New Kingston. On the penultimate day of IMC, Lawson explored how numbers, strategy, and influence all work together to ultimately shape the career of an artiste.
Lawson has had an interesting career in the industry, starting as an intern in the promotions department at Sony Music, and, having proved her mettle, secured a position in the marketing department. Prior to working at Audiomack – the music streaming and audio discovery platform that allows artistes to upload music and fans to stream and download songs– her journey took her to the label that is “miles ahead in reggae music”, VP Records. While there, Lawson was the promotions manager, a role that proved quite an eye-opener and prepared her for what was to come. During her time at the Queens, New York-based label, she delved deeply into Caribbean music and the artistes on the roster and learned more about the intricacies of the music business. “The hustle came from VP and it was better preparation that way than if I had come straight from Sony into Audiomack,” Lawson told The Gleaner.
According to her bio, “Her passion for music, culture, and innovation makes her a trailblazer in the streaming and digital entertainment industry.”
This week, 5 Questions With ... touched on a few topics during a quick interview with Tanya Lawson.
1. As senior director of the international marketing department at Audiomack, what does your role encompass?
It’s curation … it’s editorial… it’s strategy. If there’s a new song out from somewhere in the Caribbean, [it’s] how can we put the song in front of the consumer so that they listen to our platform as opposed to other platforms. And, how can we trend it?
2. Is there still a big interest in music coming out of the Caribbean, particularly Jamaica?
There has always been a big interest. My goal is for it to stay consistent. The consistency of it crossing over is my problem. My biggest task has been keeping everybody on the forefront. What happens now, for example, is if you ask a rapper to choose an artiste to collaborate with, that rapper is going to pick an artiste from 15 years ago.
3. What are our streaming numbers like? Are they encouraging, and can vinyl and streaming co-exist?
The numbers vary. Some of them are encouraging, but it is important to get it out of the Caribbean and into other markets where it can generate some income. Markets such as the US, UK, Canada where there is money in streaming. Yes, vinyl and streaming can co-exist. There’s a market for vinyl and a market for streams. It is radio that creates stars and if you are a star your fans will buy the vinyl to have something tangible in their hands.
4. Are music conferences such as IMC beneficial or are they just talk shops? And are you planning for IMC 2026?
It’s 50/50. It’s beneficial when you have the right people in the audience learning. If the audience is not receiving it, it is pointless. It’s good too, when the audience holds us accountable for what we present. I hold myself accountable and we can better help, when they help us … we don’t know everything. IMC this year was different. I was happy to see that there were more people this year. It is slowly getting there. However, one week is too long ... mash everything up in three days. Each year, they need to raise the level up and not have the same people being repeated. As for 2026, we’ll see. A lot of people who I network with, I met them through conferences.
5. How did you get involved in Jamaican music and culture?
Anybody from New York City is born into the culture. People say a lot about Nicki Minaj that she is Trinidadian and all of that, but whatever your background, you listen to Jamaican music. I started out in hip hop and had to learn the Caribbean culture at VP … and there were a lot of surprises. Hip hop [music] already had their slots, but at VP, I was focused on Caribbean artistes … making sure that radio deejays played their songs … making sure that pirate deejay, played their music. Where I was coming from you never spoke to the owner … there were so many layers… but at VP it was a shock … you speak directly to the boss.
English (US) ·