As the Executive Director of the US-based PMA (Production Music Association), Morgan runs a large organization representing the interests of production music publishers and composers in the US, and she manages the dominant worldwide conference for the industry, the LA-based PMC (Production Music Conference).
As a new production music organization for the rest of the world, the IPMG aspires to emulate some of the successes of the PMA, and so arguably IPMG Executive Director Dan Graham is Morgan’s international counterpart, on a smaller scale.
Dan caught up with Morgan to ask for advice about strategy and building the IPMG’s future, based on her experiences. TL:DR: Morgan’s message was that to do something this complex, everyone needs to listen to each other, especially the Executive Director!
Dan: Great to be asking you questions here! The plan is for the IPMG to be something like ‘the PMA for the world outside the USA’ . This makes me as the Executive Director of the IPMG something like your counterpart. Therefore, you can interpret all these questions as requests for your advice!
We are very much in our early stages so far, only one live event behind us and only just launching the full website and news site. What advice do you have from your early days building the PMA in terms of obstacles to overcome and important goals to achieve?
Establish systems EARLY. Try your best to think ahead in terms of the complete picture of the association, then prioritize what’s going to make all lives easier (members, board, staff, etc). I genuinely wish we had evaluated all systems as soon as the position was created here, and implemented changes that would automate certain administrative efforts. I’ve always found our biggest obstacle [internally] is our systems being unorganized and detached from each other. A lot of that can be solved through website functionality, but think about it early on! It’s much harder to scale when you haven’t set yourselves up to scale.
Externally, what are the benefits? What value do you bring to the community? Answers to these questions can change over time, but the constant should remain that you are a trusted source of information and a community defender. Your priorities in goal-setting should revolve around community and always find a path back to human. It’s not about you, or the board. It’s about the collective community, always!
I have always run my own companies and done whatever seemed like a good idea without a board or management to answer to. This makes me a good leader but bad employee, because I hate being told what to do if I disagree and I’m quite outspoken and impatient. Do you have any tips for me about uniting people behind goals?
In my early stages with the PMA, I listened to the board a TON, because I didn’t know a thing about the intricacies of the production music industry. However, I certainly took lead on things I knew how to do (ie. planning events, see the Production Music Conference). It’s always been a collaborative relationship, much more boss-like in the beginning, but it required a lot of trust work. Collectively, in my opinion, goal-setting for the year helps align everyone behind the common initiatives. I highly recommend setting board expectations, meaning how many events they need to attend, meetings they need to attend, articles they need to contribute to, etc.
Advice for the ED: listen intently, so you can hear all perspectives (with members and with the Board). Pick your battles, but PICK THEM. The ED position, from what I’ve found, holds such a special place for people as it provides a safe space, a trusted source, and a confidant. Being in this position, you may be privy to more insight, more information, more industry happenings, and you very well may know what’s best in certain circumstances. Fight for those and stand on those. You’re in a position that can truly change people’s lives, so sometimes you do know best!
Advice for the Board: let your Executive Director lead! Obviously establishing trust is an important first step, but there’s a reason you’ve hired someone to help. Express what would be your priorities, then let your staff get to work. Engage with constructive feedback and ideas that further the common goal, but stay focused on those goals!
At the end of the day, the dynamic here is still human and rooted in humanity. You are all collectively there to help the community, period. There are many paths to take to achieve that, and the brain power in the room should stay focused on solutions. This isn’t a typical position, endeavor, industry or community, so you have to find each other’s strengths and capitalize on those. Teamwork, not boss-employee.
You’ve done a fantastic job of giving the PMA a dual role helping both publishers and composers. What are the pros and cons of having the two sides to this? Do you ever need to carefully balance the needs of the two sides? In some ways do the two sides together make you stronger?
They are two very, very different groups that have to learn and embrace working together for collaborative good. Composer needs are almost always in forms of information and opportunity, and publishers seek more advocacy-based information and progress. Balance is exactly what is needed, coupled with transparency. The role of the association should be to provide the best and most accurate information possible at all times, be a trusted resource and a friend to the community, and then allow members to make their own decisions on what’s best for their path. There are so many ways to achieve the same goals, publishers and composers HAVE to work together to maximize that and travel all the paths!
The power in unity is increasingly important, too. We’re a branch of a much larger publishing industry that has enough problems as it is. If we want to advance as an industry, we need all parties to buy in. And, honestly, I think there needs to be more dialogue internally between publishers and composers so the entirety of the industry can be more profitable and sustainable.
I’m hoping that the IPMG will add a composer side in the months ahead. What advice would you have about setting that up effectively?
If you want to do it in the future, include it in your plans now. Work with publisher’s to understand what opportunities they’d be able to create for the composer community you’d be bringing in, then work as a board to understand what the composer community can do to help the publishers. Establish benefits that can be carried from year to year with little to no administrative oversight.
What ways do you think the PMA and IPMG could work together to help each other?
I feel like we need to establish our roles first. We’re going to be operating very similarly in a business that is very much global, so working through what lane(s) each of us will inhabit is going to be incredibly important. We need to find ways to compliment each other through the work that we’re doing. My advice would be for us to establish an initiative and priority each year that has global impact, and strategize accordingly. For example, if a broadcaster asks for a worldwide license, perhaps the PMA and IPMG can create (and have on hand) a one-sheet as to why that might not be possible/legal or why it’s the greatest idea ever. Collaboration and communication is key here.
What are your ambitions for the PMA in the years ahead?
Change the whole publishing industry to a more transparent and honest (and logical) system. 🙂
And also continue to foster the community that has shown such incredible strength, resilience and comradery.
And selfishly I want the association to run itself so there’s an opportunity for someone else to run it one day.
Admin nerd question (non-admin nerds look away now)! How do you make the PMA membership and news system work administratively? Do you have a custom built website and database or is it built on certain software working together? If so what? Do you have a lot of automation running? So far our initial setup is built around automations between Mailchimp, Jotform and WordPress with me hoping to bring Airtable (database software) in as soon as possible, but your advice is definitely welcome here!
Ha! So, over the last year we’ve been redesigning our entire website in order to have automation. The software/programs we are using now are: WordPress (website base), ActiveCampaign (for CRM, newsletters, communications), Memberpress (for membership tracking), Smartsheet (internal organization, budget, goal tracking, etc.), and some one-offs for the PMC and stuff. I HIGHLY recommend investing in the automation components before you try to scale!
What have been the most important decisions made by the PMA that led to the best outcomes for your members?
Creating the PMC and opening the membership doors to composers and other businesses/individuals who are involved in the industry. The community is the biggest asset.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you have for me to help the IPMG bloom as successfully as the PMA in the years ahead and help you as a voice for the Production Music Industry?
Think as far ahead as you can, put the community first and let go of ego. Own in on your areas of expertise and defer to your partners for any areas they may be better equipped to manage. It’s a collective war, not an individual battle, and every person, ally, country, etc. has to work together to elevate collectively. Always remember you are working with and for human beings with emotions and needs, so take nothing personally but PERSONALLY see to it that you do everything you can to help.
Also, try to be proactive and predictive in your problem-solving. Think of solutions that individuals may not even know or realize they need, and do it in a way that is permanent or consistent. Solutions should be systemic!! Not reactionary bandaids.
Lastly, listen. Listen, listen, and listen some more. Listen to new composers, listen to old composers.
Listen to folks starting new libraries, listen to folks who’ve been in the game for 30 years. The key to community-based solutions lies in the gathering of perspectives.