cultureworks
Menu

– A consulting & technology practice

Art vs.
Science.

Music and entertainment strategy and execution for the industry and the brands investing in it.

A collective of senior operators from platforms, labels, rights-holders, agencies and brands.

LA · Working globally

cultureworks.co

§ 01 · What we do

Strategy and execution sit inside each.

Four practice areas. We form, negotiate and execute the work alongside our clients, not only advise on it.

01

Marketing

The operator's home ground. Artist, label and brand marketing. Integrated campaigns, content and social strategy, creator programs, digital activation, talent bookings and music supervision. Go-to-market for music products, platforms and artists. Marketing is how the rest of the practice lands – the channel, the campaign and the commercial moment a client is actually trying to win.

Background: Spotify, TikTok, Universal, Warner – leading artist, label and brand marketing across platforms and rights holders.

02

Partnerships

Deal strategy and operational rollout with DSPs, social platforms, labels, artists, management companies, live and brands. The practice doesn't stop at the strategy deck – the team forms, negotiates and executes partnerships from framework to signed paper to delivered campaign. This is the single biggest differentiator against a traditional agency.

Background: Partnerships leadership across TikTok, Spotify, Universal and Warner – platform side and rights holder side.

03

Technology

Tech stack scoping, vendor selection, data architecture and AI readiness. A product and operations lens, not engineering. Built and led music platforms used by millions – SoundOn, Spotify For Artists, TikTok music products. Now applies that lens to clients scoping their own systems, evaluating vendors and deciding what to build vs buy.

Background: Led development of music platforms and products at TikTok and Spotify used by millions of artists and creators.

04

Commerce

Fan lifecycle revenue, D2C, membership, social commerce, streaming yield optimization and licensing. Owning the fan relationship beyond the stream. The commerce capability most music consultants can't architect at scale.

Background: Pioneered social commerce in music at TikTok. D2C and commerce architecture across artist businesses and labels.

§ 02 · Who we work with

Two sides of the same table.

Music & entertainment

Labels and distributors. Management companies and artist businesses. Music tech and creator platforms. Live entertainment, festivals and venues.

Platform strategy, D2C and commerce architecture, catalog activation, streaming yield, tech stack and AI scoping, integrated marketing, artist campaigns, partnership strategy and execution.

Consumer brands

Spirits, financial services, audio and consumer electronics, streaming platforms, hospitality, fashion and telco.

cultureworks was on the platform side deciding which brand deals got real support and on the rights holder side negotiating them. That's the perspective agencies can't offer. And critically – cultureworks forms, negotiates and executes the partnerships, not only advises on them.

§ 03 · Track record

The breadth is the work.

The shape of it

20 years.
2 sides of the table.

Operating history

20 years across TikTok, Spotify, Universal Music and Warner Music. Platform side and rights holder side. Americas, Australia, New Zealand and global leadership teams.

The work spans distribution platforms, artist development tools, social commerce, industry charts, festival and broadcast partnerships, and promotional campaigns for artists including Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Tyla, Tate McRae, Ice Spice, Dasha, Tinashe, Michael Marcagi and Lola Young.

§ 04 · How we work

Three shapes for the engagement.

01

Retainer

Embedded advisory on a weekly cadence. Strategy memos, live advisory, deck deliverables and executed work product – partnership briefs, campaign plans, negotiation support. For clients that need an ongoing senior operator in the room.

02

Project

A defined engagement with a clear deliverable – go-to-market strategy, marketing and campaign strategy, D2C and commerce architecture, partnership strategy, platform audit, technology and AI scoping. 3 to 12 weeks, scoped to the problem.

03

Diagnostic

A targeted opening engagement. 1 to 4 weeks of dense insight on a specific challenge, with a defined next-step recommendation. The way in.

§ 05 · Newsletter

Works in progress.

cultureworks publishes a small number of substantive pieces a year, written by the senior operators on the team – marketing, partnerships, technology and commerce in music and entertainment. Direct to your inbox.

Low volume. Senior operators only. Unsubscribe in one click.

Browse insights →

– Contact

Work with us.

Los Angeles. Working globally.