Community Member Q&A: Josh Dalton, Serenade

Hello!

To platform more voices from the Water & Music community, we’ve decided to reignite our Community Member Q&A section. Biweekly, we’ll be running a Q&A with W&M members doing particularly innovative or interesting work with music and technology.

This week, we’re speaking to Josh Dalton, Community Manager at NFT marketplace Serenade. Serenade have made headlines recently for launching the world’s first chart eligible NFT, in the form of a “digital pressing” of Muse’s album Will of the People. Prior to Serenade, Josh has enjoyed an incredibly varied journey through the music industry, including artist management and launching his own successful music blog and playlist.

How did you get your start working in the music industry?

I initially studied architecture, and in one of the modules on the degree course we had to set up a blog dedicated to architecture and our studies. I figured I’d set up a music blog at the same time, without any real intentions behind it. Over time I roped in a few friends to contribute, and before too long the website became known as an A&R resource for discovering exceptional musical talent very early in their careers – quite often being the first place in the world to ever feature now firmly established musicians. This included Hozier, The 1975, The Neighbourhood, London Grammar, Declan Mckenna and a bunch of others. Through the blog I started hosting showcases at SXSW, Great Escape and the occasional party in London and at one stage had about 25 writers from all over the world. From there I worked various A&R gigs, heading up A&R at an independent label and publisher, before moving into management a couple of years ago, with a roster of songwriters and record producers. My move into management was largely provoked by the same motivation that pushed me into exploring web3 and joining the team at Serenade – to try and build a fairer creative economy. Too many times I’d worked in systems I didn’t believe in, with artists nearly always being the last to get paid and being near enough forced into signing land grab deals in order to simply move their career forward. There’s a better system for artists, and it’s not all that complicated to build, it just might mean taking down some of the existing systems first.

What’s been the biggest ‘win’ in your career so far?

That’s a tough one. I don’t really see many of the wins as mine to own, and instead when there is a win, see myself as a cog in a well-oiled, well-functioning machine. That said, there was one year at SXSW where through my blog I managed to put together a line-up featuring Hozier, Wolf Alice and The 1975. I also developed an artist from sitting in their living room playing piano, to playing to 13,000 people in the 3Arena in the midst of a 110,000 ticket tour. Those both felt pretty good!

What piece of advice has been the most useful to you throughout your career?

Again super tricky. From a young age in the music industry I was lucky to have several well-placed individuals that I considered mentors, who both guide and employed me. Some of the guidance I look back on as gold, and others just a product of my wide eyed naivety. There was one in particular who would constantly encourage me to not follow the ‘hype’ cycles of the industry, and instead whenever we sat down to share new music would ask me ‘do you feel it? do you feel it?’, over and over again. Now whenever I listen to an exciting new artist, I try to ask myself ‘do I feel it?’, and if I don’t, then regardless of what else is going on, it’ll simply never be for me.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I am obsessed with this artist called Melanie MacLaren. Everything she has released so far is songwriting gold and makes me weep. Lizzie Esau is the most exciting songwriter to come from the UK since Sam Fender and I can’t wait to hear an album from her. I also think “Part of the Band” by The 1975 might be the best song of the year.