Women Of The C-Suite: Liz Kamlet Of Windsong Entertainment On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A C-Suite Senior Executive

…In regards to a high stakes meeting, practice, practice, practice. Practicing over and over until you feel confident to present. It also helps to practice in front of someone you know, so they can give feedback and criticisms. This has always helped me. It gives me someone else’s point of view, and helps me to understand what I may have missed.

…CEOs are getting younger and younger. We don’t know what we are doing half the time. We learn as we go, connecting with others and growing from where we first started. No one knows everything. Most of the time we are trying to fix something that is not working. We don’t know why and Google it or consult an expert.

As a part of our interview series called “Women Of The C-Suite” , we had the pleasure of interviewing Liz Kamlet.

Liz Kamlet is a seasoned music industry professional with 10+ years of experience. She has spent over a decade working with world-class legendary artists, top record labels, publishers, film studios, and executives in artist management, social media marketing, touring, and consulting. Liz knows what it truly takes to market and brand artists from all stages of their career, from sold-out arenas to negotiating record and publishing contracts in favor of artists.

Her connections are invaluable — the music industry is all about who you know. Liz has surrounded herself with artists and companies that truly make a difference in this industry. As someone who spends her time behind the scenes (and enjoys it there), she has a unique style and rare gift of working with artists in all genres. In turn, Liz ensures their music and legacy will be cared for and remembered for years to come.

Liz holds a BA in History and Music Technology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She also has an MA in Music Industry Administration (Music Business) from California State University, Northridge, and an MBA in Management and Digital Media Design from Harvard University. She is a collector of vintage acoustic guitars and currently has 40+ of them. Liz is also the spouse of legendary singer-songwriter, Stephen Bishop.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I grew up on Long Island, in a small town called Hewlett. Music was always part of my life. At a young age, my father made sure to expose me to music of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

Whenever we would go on long car rides or vacations, to pass the time he created a song quiz. He spent time creating an actual quiz, where I would have to name the artist, name of the song, year, etcetera. Playing the songs one by one. It was a pretty comprehensive list of questions; he did this for years. They weren’t easy! I grew to love the music of John Denver, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Joni Mitchell, Buddy Holly, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Byrds, Everly Brothers and more.

That greatly influenced me to take the path to music. I moved out to Colorado for my Bachelor’s after high school and just went from there, picking up too many guitars along the way.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

The most interesting story since I began, also includes how I got started. I have told this story as a panel speaker at NAMM, PollStar Pro, Sundance, etc in the past years before COVID shut everything down. I had been working with artists since 2011, when I began my bachelor’s degree. Helping them with social media, management, touring, sync licensing/publishing, etc. I took a year off in between my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, then moved to Los Angeles in late 2016 to start my master’s in music industry administration (music business). Shortly after moving to LA, I moved to Montecito (Santa Barbara) as most of my artists/clients lived in that area. I lived in Montecito for a year and loved it.

My classes in Los Angeles were every Wednesday and every other Saturday. I would travel 150 miles one way, 300 miles round trip, once or twice per week. My classmates thought I was crazy, but I loved living in Montecito, the weather was so peaceful. In late 2017, a friend of mine who opened for Kenny Loggins a few times recommended I go see a singer-songwriter who was performing a show in Los Angeles the next week. I had never heard of this singer-songwriter, looked him up and was impressed by his accolades. Plus, I didn’t really want to go, as I had already traveled down to LA for school earlier in the week.

I went down to the show on a Saturday night, brought one of my GoPro cameras, it’s always good to have a camera, plus it was small. I arrived at the show, and the first thing which striked me as odd, was that he was playing a 200 seater venue, which ended up only being half full…when he had previously sold out thousands of seats and good sized venues/arenas. This venue was a dinner jazz club venue, the only table available was directly in front, not my first choice. Before the show I actually ran into the artist and we spoke for a few moments as we actually knew a friend in common in the guitar world. His guitars were displayed on the stage prior to the show. We actually took a picture, which is wild when I think about it now.

Anyways, he had a full band with him on a very small stage. As someone who has toured frequently, it didn’t make sense to have four other people backing him, when he didn’t need it. But, when he started his set, the songs were enjoyable. And then halfway through the show, he said into the mic, “What’s up with no one buying CDs anymore?” He sounded sad when he said that. So, I got up after he said that during the show, went to the back where they were selling his CDs and bought every CD he had. About forty of them, they gave me the boxes they were in, cost about $800, but worth it. I went back to the show and took photos/videos of his set. After the show ended, he went to the back to do a meet and greet and sign CDs. I was first in line, introduced myself, and showed him the CDs. I said, “Can you sign all of these for me?” He looked at me puzzled and said, “Are you going to sell these on eBay?” I laughed and said no. I knew that it would take him at least 30 seconds to a minute to unwrap and sign all the CDs. So, I used that time wisely. I wasn’t a fan at the time and really wanted to know more about him and why he was playing in a venue like this. I thanked him and went back home. About a week later, I put the photos and videos on my Facebook page. As a millennial, I put fun filters on the photos and tagged him.

Anyone who works in the industry knows that it is incredibly rare to get through to an artist, especially a 2x Grammy and Oscar Nominated singer-songwriter. But, he saw the photos and messaged me directly. Which never happens. It’s rare to talk directly with the artist and not have management or someone else intervene. He said “I want to meet you down in LA.” I said, “NO.” I didn’t really know who he was at the time, but we spoke on the phone shortly after and I agreed to meet him. Of course I asked around in the industry and everyone said the same thing, “He is the nicest guy you will ever meet.” And he was.

We met and he said that he liked what I did with the filters on the pictures I sent him and the video footage. He asked if I did things like that for other people. I proceeded to tell him more about who I was, who I had worked with, my company, etc. I pulled up his website on my computer and it was blank except for one picture of himself. Nothing was clickable at all. I laughed and said “We have some work to do.” After that, I said I would work for him for free. For an entire year. I didn’t need the money and he really needed the help. A few months later I ended up moving to LA, since I was going back and forth more than three times a week, which was crazy. I built him a website, created all the social media accounts for him and put his music up on streaming. He then asked me to be his manager a few months after our initial meeting. He then started introducing me to his friends that were also musicians that needed the same kind of help with social media, management, technology, streaming, etc.

All of this happened because of a photo I took and applied a filter. I am so grateful for that moment, and I believe everyone can or has had something similar happen to them. It’s funny to think about, a show I didn’t want to go to, and had no idea who the artist was. A photo changed my trajectory in the music business. Initially, I was interning at a record label, but I guess it was meant to be. Oh, and the artist that changed everything, was Stephen Bishop.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

The funniest “mistake” or I would say lack of judgment, involves touring with a well known artist. I was hired to be his tour manager and photographer for his three month tour. We were doing smaller arenas, 2000- 5000+ capacity. I brought one of my interns with me. I told her I had to check in with the promoter briefly and would be back in ten minutes. This artist is known for walking around before a show and wandering around. So I told my intern to watch him and not let him leave until I returned. I came back ten minutes later, opened the door to the green room and found just my intern. I asked her, “Where is he?” She said “Oh, he said he had to go to the bathroom.” I pointed behind her and said “Isn’t that the bathroom?” She said, “Oh, I didn’t see that.” This was all happening about fifteen minutes until he was to take the stage…

So, I bolted out of the green room and started asking everyone I knew if they had seen this artist. He is known for wearing flashy clothing, so he is not hard to miss. No one had seen him. I tried calling, texting, sending a carrier pigeon (just kidding) to find him, no answer. So, I walked out onto the stage and pretended to check the cameras I had set up earlier while looking out into the audience to see if I could spot him. People were filtering in as the doors were already open to the show. I spotted him, in his flashy purple suit, dead center, sitting down. I jumped off the stage, I looked like a crazy person at that point, and neglected to see the stairs in front of me. I landed, and ran to where he was seated, which was uphill with a lot of stairs.

The venue was Red Rocks. For anyone who has been or played at Red Rocks, the stairs are a workout just by staring at them. Google it, if you’ve never been there. Anyways, I made it to where he was sitting and sat down calmly next to him. I’m glad that none of his fans spotted him, I’m not sure why, but I asked, “What are you doing? You have to be on stage in less than fifteen minutes.” He turned to me and said, “I wanted to see where the best seat in the house was.” I said, “Oh.” I thought to myself. “Why didn’t he do this when we first got to this venue five hours ago?” I nodded my head and escorted him backstage where he began the show. This artist did this at many shows, he just loved to wander. But, it was a pretty wild experience. Whenever I tell that story to people they think it’s hilarious. It wasn’t hilarious at the time. He would be great at hide and seek, ha.

In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?

In regards to a high stakes meeting, practice, practice, practice. Practicing over and over until you feel confident to present. It also helps to practice in front of someone you know, so they can give feedback and criticisms. This has always helped me. It gives me someone else’s point of view, and helps me to understand what I may have missed.

When it comes to decisions, indecisiveness is everyone’s worst enemy. To ensure a final decision, I write or type out every single possible scenario. Then I condense down to three or four scenarios, talk with people I trust on their opinions. Wait a few days, and then decide. Important decisions can last a lifetime, making a mistake may cost you more than expected. I tell people to think about it this way, “If a decision you make isn’t going to affect the next year to five years of your life, it’s relatively unimportant. If it is, then really think about each scenario carefully.”

As you know, the United States is currently facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality and inclusion. This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?

I love learning from others. Cultural diversity in the workplace only makes teams stronger. I believe that inclusion can also make people more productive in a workplace. In regards to race and equality, everyone deserves an equal opportunity to contribute and be heard in an organization.

As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? Kindly share a story or example for each.

To truly create an inclusive environment, you need to surround yourself with people with all kinds of differences. Make them feel welcome and valued for their contributions in the workplace and in life in general. People don't talk about disabilities or invisible disabilities enough in the workplace. They deserve the same opportunities for advancement as anyone else. Also a safe way to disclose what they are going through or if they need support. Having the resources available is key.

To create a representative environment the best thing that I have done is to get to know employees or interns on a personal level. I want to know their goals and dreams. What do they expect from me? How can I make them feel more comfortable? It’s not a one way street, your employees, executives and interns all deserve respect. I welcome opinions and criticisms on how things can be done better. That is the best way for them to feel represented.

To create an equitable society, I treat everyone the same. Regardless of race, ethnicity, etc. As long as they can do the job at hand, that’s what I look for. People who want to learn from others, get hands-on experience and contribute to society. And of course, be kind.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?

When people ask what I do, I say “I run a daycare for rockstars.” It’s true, a lot of babysitting goes into my job, But, overall I am responsible for managing the operations of a company, driving profitability, managing organizational structures, strategy and communicating with my entire team.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive. Can you explain what you mean?

#1 I would say the accessibility of a CEO

We are accessible and it’s not that hard to get in contact with us. You have to know the right people sometimes, but if you don't know anyone. Google is a great resource as is Linkedin. People do respond to messages in their inboxes.

#2: That we make a lot of money

People tend to think CEOs make a lot of money. That is not always true. Just starting out, we make nothing for years and years. Or just enough to break even. It takes time to make six or seven figures as a CEO, it does not happen overnight. No one sees our failures and struggles. Everyone just sees the successes.

#3: That we have it all figured out

Nope. We do not. CEOs are getting younger and younger. We don’t know what we are doing half the time. We learn as we go, connecting with others and growing from where we first started. No one knows everything. Most of the time we are trying to fix something that is not working. We don't know why and Google it or consult an expert.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

I know that many female executives have faced challenges in the workplace. Regarding equal pay, sexual harassment, etc. Personally, I have never found myself in a situation where these issues arise. I have been lucky, I know others have not been. I have always surrounded myself with great support systems, industry colleagues, etc. In doing so, anyone who I work with knows to treat me with respect and as an equal in the workplace. It’s all about who you know, I know a lot of people. I am grateful that so many people care and stand behind me. I recommend other women do the same or connect with people who can ensure they stay safe in the workplace.

What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

The unpredictability of it. One moment you can be in your kitchen eating a bowl of cereal reading the news. The next minute you get a text saying “We need you in London, tour manager is sick.” That really happened to me. Your day, your week or month can change in an instant. Instances like that have happened so many times. I honestly wish to be more in the office sometimes as traveling takes a toll on your mind and body. Since COVID, everything has been remote, it’s a nice break from traveling for tours, album releases, interviews, award shows, etc.

Is everyone cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?

Yes. I believe with enough training, education and life experiences, anyone can be an executive. Specific traits that every executive needs is organization or an assistant that keeps you organized. Without that, you will be lost and not able to concentrate on what really matters, your clients and team. Kindness and understanding are other traits needed to be successful. It will make your job easier and the people you work with. Also, being unbiased, you cannot take sides. Being firm, listening to each situation with an unbiased opinion is key. Playing favorites causes problems.

What advice would you give to other leaders to help their team to thrive?

Get to know your team personally. Go beyond the workplace to forge a relationship. Take the team on a trip, do a team building exercise or take them each out to lunch, dinner, etc. I have found this most effective, along with celebrating their birthdays and pets. I am a big pet lover and often send pet care packages to friends, employees or interns who get a new pet. Just going above and beyond with your team shows you care and listen to their opinions and concerns.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

Yes, I donate about 20% of my earnings to women’s organizations, music foundations and similar charities. It's about giving back to people who really need help. I offer three to six month internships as well, show them what we do and do our best to get accepted into universities or companies in the music industry. We have been very successful in getting our staff and interns jobs and larger music and entertainment companies. My goal is to help them get where they want to be. If their goal isn’t to do what I do, I want to know what they are interested in.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Not everyone is going to be kind: I have unfortunately come across a lot of entitled and rude people in the industry. They think they are better than everyone else. I used to take it so personally. But realized this is just how they are. Not everyone is going to be kind because they have had different experiences in life. It’s not personal, it’s just business.
2. Get a great business manager: Managing your finances and taxes are SO IMPORTANT. I was not prepared for year one’s taxes. Set aside money for your taxes! Getting reputable people to manage your money is not easy. But, I am so thankful to have found great business managers and financial advisors. And for my artists as well. You would not believe how much theft and shady business goes on. Protect your investments, always ask questions, and ask for references.
3. Trust No One: Until you are absolutely sure you know who you are dealing with. I was naive in my early days of trusting everyone and what they said. I felt taken advantage of in some situations. Where I could have gotten a better deal for my client, but didn’t push for it or didn;t have the right resources at the time. Always stand your ground, don’t let anyone push you around. Walk away, it’s the best thing to do. And do your homework before going into a situation, certain terminology may be over your head, consult an expert. Don’t trust people unless you are absolutely sure and confirm they are who they say they are.
4. Don’t have anything in your name: If you are thinking of starting a company, spend a few hundred dollars to get an LLC or Corp. If someone sues you, they cannot go after you personally. You are protected behind your company. Your assets will be safe. I have seen so many people go bankrupt due to not putting their business on invoices or events they are promoting. Trust me on this, protect yourself with your business.
5. You are who you associate with: It may seem like a great idea to work with someone. But who you work with is a reflection on you. Make sure your friends or partner in business have not been caught up in any shady dealings. Googling them is the least you can do. I once almost worked with a really famous musician, I googled his history and it was not good at all. He was being sued and convicted of multiple things. Yes, people do change, I can forgive something small if it was decades ago. But, if it’s continuous and other people have reservations about working with them. Don’t do it. It makes you look bad and may cause your business to never take off.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

An idea that I tried with a few artists was a “video cover contest.” Where fans get to submit one video of them performing a cover song from that artist’s catalog. And include an original song from their repertoire for the artist to hear. The winners received $500- $5,000, a phone or zoom call from the artists, front row tickets, the opportunity to open for the artist and or collaborate with them on a future project. It turned out to be successful. Everyone starts somewhere, even famous musicians. Connecting fans and artists together was inspiring for both parties, they learned from each other and the competition reached millions of fans worldwide. The submissions we received from all of the artist fans were about 10k total. I recommend having a team behind the artist to help make this happen, as it’s a big task to take on, but it really shows an artist connecting to their fans in the most wholesome way.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

John Lennon’s Quote: Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” There have been so many situations I have been in that are stressful in this industry. Where I just didn’t see a way out for an artist or a tour was just too tough to handle. The world was crashing down, but it wasn’t the end. And when the end finally came for those situations, everything was okay. I got through it and it made me stronger and more prepared for the next time.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

My first pick would be a Zoom call with Lori Greiner. She shows so much gratitude with everyone she works with. The products and companies she has partnered with change peoples lives for the better and solve real problems people have. I love that. Plus, she worked from the ground up, not receiving handouts and learning along the way. I admire what she has done and how she always puts helping others first. We need more people like her in the world.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.