Interview with Klementina Milosic, from Round Hill Music in New York
Klementina is the Operations/Business Affairs Manager at Round Hill Music. A piano player, originally from Slovenia (Europe), began her career in the legal department at a radio network station. She later moved to the US to pursue a career in the music business industry. Prior to joining Round Hill Music, Klementina gained music publishing experience at SONGS Music Publishing and Sony/ATV.
How did you get your start in the music industry?
I started with the performance side of the music industry as I studied piano performance and classical composition at the Conservatory for Music and Ballet in Maribor, Slovenia. After getting my law degree, I wanted to combine my two passions — music and business. I later switched to the business side when I started working for the largest radio network company in Ljubljana, Slovenia in their legal department.
What have you been working on lately?
I just published my book in Slovenia on 101 Music Business and self-promotion for musicians which was very well received. There’s no literature on this topic in my home country and music colleges don’t incorporate it in their curriculum either. So I thought this could be a great opportunity to share my knowledge and experience in a book to help musicians learn more about the music industry, how to start their career in this particular area, and how to promote their work.
What is your ultimate goal and how are you working to accomplish it?
I rather give myself short term goals instead of long-term ones. What happens very often is that my original ideas take me on a new path although my mind was set on something completely different at the beginning. So many new opportunities arose which I wasn’t expecting at all.
With the book release, my short-term goal is to translate it into English and publish it here in the US as well. I also have an opportunity to present it in China and hold workshops there, so this is what I’m mainly focusing on right now.
How has the current pandemic/crisis affected your work day-to-day, and what have you done to shift gears? What has been the greatest challenge? What has been the silver lining, if any?
I’m fortunate enough that our team was able to shift from the office to home-office smoothly, so my day-to-day looks pretty much the same, except that I don’t have to commute. This gives me the opportunity to spend that extra hour more effectively, working. Having extra time after work also allows me to work on projects for which I didn’t have time before the pandemic.
What advice would you give your younger self? What advice do you have for women entering your field?
Say “yes” to any new opportunity that comes your way, even though you don’t know exactly how to do it at that moment. You will figure that part out later. We are usually the ones who limit ourselves, so don’t say “no” just because you are either afraid or not feeling confident enough in your abilities or skills to perform certain tasks. Just go for it!
Success is such a personal concept — we all define it differently. How do you personally define success?
Success is indeed a personal concept. When I was younger, success meant something different to me than it does now when I’m older and more experienced. I believe success is contingent on how we structure our plan or goal and with years of experience, we learn how to structure it better and follow through. Failure of course plays a great part on the way to success, for we learn and grow from it.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned being a part of the entertainment/music industries?
Always be open to new opportunities. The music industry is very versatile and I learned that if you don’t see an opportunity for yourself or you can’t find the one you’re looking for, create your own. Sky is the limit.
Can you share with us some of the challenges you’ve faced in your career journey?
At the beginning of my career, I came across quite a few challenges. As a woman in the entertainment industry, I wasn’t always being taken seriously. I was told I was being too ambitious because I had an opinion, or that my opinion didn’t matter. In many ways, I had to work twice as hard to prove myself. At one point I simply decided that I need to stand up for myself, become confident and just trust in my abilities.
You can follow Klementina on Linkedin and check her portfolio here.
