Interview with Inka Brady — Owner and Talent Manager, Inka Entertainment
Inka Brady is a female record label owner and talent manager who has made a significant mark on the music industry. Brady was born and raised in Helsinki, Finland and started her music industry career at 23 years old. During her music and entertainment degree studies Inka started working for EMI Music Finland. She quickly got promoted as a promotion manager for international acts. After EMI Brady started working for Warner Music Finland and gained a lot of knowledge of 360 music company.
In 2018 Brady started her own record Label and talent agency Inka Entertainment which works under Universal Music. The past 5 years Inka has been living in New York and Miami working together with producers, artists, managers, influencers and executives. In addition to running her own company, Inka is also a co-owner of two successful dance studios, Tinze Twerk Studio and Wonder Club. With her relentless drive and passion for the arts and trends, Inka Brady is sure to continue making a positive impact on the music and entertainment industry for many years to come.
“…you need to be curious, have social skills, stay updated of the new trends, understand the music and entertainment field, and just take risks”
Q: What impressed you the most about the participants of The Port Authority Music Export Academy?
The Port Authority Music Export Academy really gives you valuable tools and network to operate in the US market, and most importantly it has an action plan.
Q: What essential opportunities do you believe the U.S. market has to offer to upcoming artists and managers?
The U.S. Market is huge and it definitely gives you more opportunities. You can build an impressive network pretty fast and it is the most important thing you can have. People like to help each other and are always ready to include other people to their upcoming business models, artist projects, songwriting teams etc. People make money together. Also there are more income streams than in Europe (for example) so you can be very creative and multiple streams of income. If you are bilingual (english and spanish) you can double your opportunities.
Keep your mind and heart open to new things.
I work closely with other managers and producers and we always help each other out and make business together.
To achieve all this you need to be curious, have social skills, stay updated of the new trends, understand the music and entertainment field and just take risks.
Q: Which rising trends in the music industry do you see having a permanent impact?
I absolutely think the audience will decide what´s the next hit (music, trends, artists, brands etc). Thanks to TikTok, IG, Twitter etc, people decide what they are watching, listening etc. The time for the gate keepers is gone (head of music of radios, tv, streaming platforms etc). People want to be authentic and real. Real stories, real people. They want to decide what they listen or watch. This is why it is so important to build a strong fan base and engage with them daily / weekly. They´ll be loyal to you and help you to be successful.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of your job, and why?
I like running my own business and being free to travel and work whenever, and wherever, I want to. I used to work for a record company for 17 years, and I really struggled not having time for creative thinking. I love to discover new trends and go experience new things so I need to be able to move around. I also like that I can freely try new things and take business risks, as I don’t need to think about corporate rules.
Q: How do you personally discern, or measure, if a new artist has genuine potential?
It´s a combination of different things. Things I look for:
Real authentic talent
A story (personal story)
Unique factors (background, story, self made etc)
The production sound (something new)
Existing fan base or audience (the days are over label leading the street team or fans)
Communication with the audience
And I just sense what is missing from the market, and what is going to be the next trend.
Q: What crucial piece of advice would you give to anyone pursuing a career in the music industry?
Work hard and smart, know your target group, have a plan and execute it, build a team, study music and entertainment business, have goals and understand how the music and entertainment field works, create profiles (on tiktok, twitter, IG, Youtube, spotify etc.), build a fan base, and practice live sets (go to open mic´s, showcases etc.)
Don´t think too much, release your music and content, you need to be active.