Leslie Gilotti from Marathon Music Group takes time to share her experiences in the music industry, and gives insight into Marathon’s year ahead.

Tell us about your background, your upbringing, and your introduction to the world of music.

I’m from a smallish town in the USA – Scranton, Pennsylvania (fans of the US version of ‘The Office’ might be pleased to know it’s actually a real place).  As a kid, I spent a lot of Sunday afternoons at my grandparents’ house and would amuse myself tinkering around on my grandfather’s upright piano. I remember my 8-year-old self being very proud of learning to play a very simple 1-fingered version of ‘Yellow Submarine’. And of course, there was my parents’ vinyl collection.

How did you get into the music industry?

I actually came in via the television industry. I landed a job at MTV as an assistant working on the UK and European music chart shows, before moving over to a marketing role at Mute Records, which was my introduction to the label world. As a massive Nick Cave fan, it was a dream job.

I had no contacts in the entertainment industry at all when I first came to London, and internship programmes weren’t a thing at the time. I really needed to put myself out there and meet people, which didn’t come naturally – I was pretty shy, which is surprising to a lot of people who know me now. But I went to a lot of gigs, and wound up meeting people in the industry who took a chance on me, for which I am forever grateful.

What were some of the barriers you experienced, or still do experience, as a woman in the music industry, if any?

In previous roles to joining Marathon, I found that I had to work much harder to be recognised. A lot of it was subtle, for example, in a meeting sometimes I’d put an idea on the table and not have it acknowledged, only to have a male colleague say almost the same exact thing later in the same meeting and be praised for the great idea. It felt like assertive statements or instructions needed to be written (or said metaphorically) with a smiley emoji or signed with an “x”, or risk being perceived as confrontational and bossy instead of as confident and assertive. When I was in bands it was much more overt, and I experienced everything from condescension to outright harassment. I got very good at standing up for myself.

One of the many things that I love about Marathon is the fact that it’s very diverse here, and there’s several women in senior roles. On a broader scale, I’m happy to note that I’m seeing many more women being championed elsewhere throughout the industry, but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.

What would you say to your 16-year-old self about being a woman in music… what to expect, the difficulties, the excitements?

I’d tell myself that sometimes I’d have to be my own biggest champion, but I’m going to have the time of my life with some of the best people I’ve ever met.

What other exciting things have you been working on lately, either work or personally?

There are so many in the Marathon family, it’s hard to know where to start! HotWax are the first brand-new rock signing to Marathon Artists I’ve worked with since joining Marathon just over a year ago. They’ve got that Karen O snarl which will never go wrong with me. I’m also in love with the roster on PACE, a new label in the Marathon family that launched with JGrrey, whose incredible alt/neo-soul channels Eryka Badu, and BODUR, whose music is an electronic fusion of melodies that nod to her Turkish-Sri Lankan heritage.

What can we look forward to from Marathon in the upcoming year?

Our New Soil jazz label has picked up the second album from London Mande jazz collective Baliamya Project, while MOVES Recordings has a stack of new Afrobeats and drill releases from Boj, Camidoh, Offica and a few more up their sleeves that will be announced soon.

www.marathonmusic.group