So You Want To Be… A Label Director: Tom Jones

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For our first interview of 2025, we’re bringing back an old series, where we speak to people in the industry. Tom Jones is the Global Director of Streaming and Commercial Partnerships at LVRN. What that means is he is involved in getting the label’s artists out to a wider audience and getting them paid outside the music. Prior to this, he was involved in PR and management, with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

He is an example of someone who has had to try several things out, at several companies, to find his place in the music scene. It speaks to the wide range of roles in this sector, but the trial and error approach to finding what is right for you.

His employer, LVRN, is a label that is getting more and more credibility, particularly in R’n’B. From big names like Summer Walker and 6LACK to rising stars like Äyanna and Odeal, these guys know talent. Late last year we sat down with Tom and spoke about how you find your place, what needs to be done to help the next generation, and how to elevate R’n’B in the U.K.

What made you decide to work in the music industry?

I did Broadcast Journalism at University. From then, I always wanted to get into it, but I didn’t know what role to go into. Then, I was at a party at Uni and I heard a guy rapping downstairs, and I was like, “This guy is great. I could add some value.”. I felt that I knew enough about the industry to manage them, and I started managing in an unofficial sense.

Through that, and emailing people and promoters; trying to make the recording process happen as you have no idea how (that works), you’re figuring out what you are good at and where you slot in. Half the battle when you’re 18 is you want to work in the space, but don’t know what roles there are.

Throughout my career, it was one of those things where you sometimes fall into roles or you do a role and do the job to get another role. A lot of roles you find yourself in them without realising you’re doing them. That was the first time at 18 and I felt like I could be useful and helpful to someone.

You see the value in yourself first. I’ve got a lot of passion; ambition, but you don’t know where to take that. It is not a set thing like I’m going to train to be a Lawyer. Music is so different; you have to try things first, figure what you’re good at and where you can fit in, and then just move with it. It takes you in different directions, but trying a lot (of different avenues) is what I would have told my younger self. Half the battle is finding out what you could be good at because you don’t know when you are that young.

I find that interesting how it started from you hearing someone rap at Uni and it went from there. What you say does speak to a lot of people. A lot of people in the music industry do lots of different things, whether it’s Journalism, PR, Management, or even being an Artist themselves.

You got to try it and dip your toes into the water, and see what sticks. Follow your passion to start off with, but figure out what you’re good at. Half the battle is knowing yourself and trying different things.

When I was younger, I would watch the ‘Fade to Black’ DVD by Jay-Z, and you see the background process of an album happening. I was weirdly tapped into the business end rather than the creative end in a way. I was like, “I’m not out here trying to be a rapper, but I know I could be in the background trying to make something happen.”. You watch all of these iconic people move and you think there is a role here for me, I just need to figure out what that is.

With me for example, I’ve always known I am not an artist. I can’t sing, rap, or produce, but I like talking about music. That is why I decided to become a Music Journalist. It’s all about finding some way you can do something you’re passionate about, but that fits your skill set.

And you found your skillset and your passion is the thing that makes you want to write, speak to people, and be inquisitive. That nature of you being inquisitive and probing (comes) from when you were younger without realising. It’s driven you to want your career.

You are involved with streaming and commercial partnerships at LVRN. How does your role help artists and is there an experience that prepared you for this role?

When I was at Universal in commercial partnerships (again, one of those roles I fell into), (before then) I didn’t know commercial partnerships even existed. I ended up being there for 5 years and through that, I worked for every label under the Universal banner: North America, U.K., and globally. From that, I got to know the label structure and different artists.

From that commercial space and the team you’re in, you learn so much about the global side of things. It opened me up a lot more to not just thinking about U.K./U.S. artists, but really in a global space. That particular role really shaped me and how I think. It made me go from local thinking to global thinking. Especially now with the artists we’re working with, they’re so global, and the sound changes; it’s R’n’B, then it is Amapiano and Afrobeats, then country, and then its rap. Everything in an artist’s catalogue is so wide these days, that the initial role in Universal shapes how I work right now. (I’m) thinking wider, (with no boundaries) and there is no limit to an artist’s career.

That is very important because music is global. Each area and each country has its likes and dislikes. That is key now as we are getting a lot of artists from Latin America, Africa, and Asia that are coming through. In the Western hemisphere, people are becoming more open-minded in accepting music outside of that area.

It’s important to have that global thinking, to see something before it goes mainstream.

Also, you saw (this) with tracks like Rema and Selena Gomez’s ‘Calm Down‘, when Bieber (was on) ‘Despacito‘, even if you can’t speak Spanish, a good track is a good track. I don’t speak Spanish at all, but you know a track moves you in a certain way sonically. The same with Afrobeats where they may be speaking the local language/dialect, but the rhythm of the track can touch any culture.

It’s amazing how integrated Spanish music is; Reggaeton blends (almost seamlessly) into Afrobeats. I think it’s amazing how we take in music. One day you might be (hearing) seven Spanish tracks in a row; then you move on to an Afrobeats song or a Dancehall artist. Obviously, streaming opens it up, so when you put out a record, anyone can hear it. Half the battle is getting the music out and if it sounds good, it usually works.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career?

For me, I found myself in a challenge when I was coming up, of doing stuff for free and a lot of people are doing that now. In today’s day and age in terms of where we’re at financially, you don’t want to do stuff for free because you want to get paid, but you need to get yourself on the ladder. That was a big thing that I found really hard to do. Essentially, I did a lot of stuff for free; (like) doing interns.

Looking back on it now, it is something I would have changed. I would have shot my shot a lot more. (Also), always back yourself. I felt like I didn’t back myself enough when I was coming up. Maybe it was confidence; it wasn’t knowing the route. You’ve got to realise the value you bring, a lot of companies want it and you don’t have to do it for free, there is always a place. When you get into these companies, you think, “I can do this or I have friends who can do this,”.

It was a confidence thing really. You think you have to go through all these steps and build up your career when really, a lot of successful people shot their shot. Eventually, someone takes a chance on them early doors, and then you realise, “I can do this.”. More people need to have that confidence and back themselves early doors and not think you have to wait till your 30s.

What would you say needs to change to help the next generation get their foot through the door and do you have any advice for people trying to come through in the music industry?

There should be a lot more mentorship schemes. I would have loved that growing up. Purely on a sharing knowledge basis, it doesn’t have to lead to a job or role, there needs to be more sharing like this. Any interview you see, it’s that sharing of knowledge that is more valuable than a job opportunity.

People don’t know how to approach people, they don’t know that mentorships exist. A lot of the time, mentors come through genuine connections; someone seeing their younger self in someone. It needs to be more of a structured thing; even if someone mentors 6 people at a time. To me, that doesn’t exist at all.

There are people out there who are incredible, but they don’t know the steps, they don’t know how to go through things. I think there needs to be more elderly statesmen/women in the industry that set that up and make that throughline for people to easily get into the industry. There’s not a lot of that and it is such a shame.

People hit me up on email all the time with their CVs and stuff and (I) always make sure I get it to HR Teams and ping it out to people (at) labels. You see their CVs (and) social media, (and) these people are so talented. How is there not something set up to help these people from an early age to get into things? Rather than going to Uni, there should be a scheme where you go straight into the music industry; an industry course where you’re learning the real deal of the music industry, not fluff, (the) management side of things; (the inner workings of labels/management companies/agencies).

So many people have time on their hands, and there needs to be more support and wanting to work.

With something like what you do, there isn’t a course that covers the specifics of that. There may be something that covers areas of that, but what you are doing is very specific.

Mentorships are really important. Someone might have the hunger, the passion, and the knowledge, but they might be missing that one thing that holds them back. Maybe there’s something missing from their CV; they don’t have interview experience. Something like a mentorship scheme would help them.

With music journalism, when we get new writers, I may have to teach them certain things. If they went straight for Pitchfork or NME, they may not have some of those skills and may not understand why they aren’t getting through.

When I started in the industry, I didn’t know all the different roles. In my head, there was a marketing department, a finance team; an A&R team. Outside of that, (I had) no idea what else.

So, it is more of an education thing, “Ok guys. Here is what you could do in the industry if you want to do this. Here are the different lanes to go in.”. People might want to go straight into streaming, touring; management. There needs to be more easy, accessible information and courses out there, that teach you the basics and the wider scope of what is available. You don’t have to go through the traditional routes.

Äyanna was the first U.K. signing to the label. What potential do you think she and U.K. R’n’B have to go places?

I think U.K. R’n’B is massively underrated. (It’s getting there though which I’m incredibly happy about. The flowers are starting to blossom globally.) All the time, I see U.S. Twitter (X) users finding a new U.K. R’n’B artist. You’ve got Elmiene, Jaz Karis, Sinead Harnett, and Odeal; all killing it in the U.S. and a lot of the time, independently. People don’t realise they are British till they see an interview.

We’re a small island, but the quality of U.K. R’n’B is unbelievable. I’m also really proud whenever I see a U.K. R’n’B artist out touring in the U.S. I know it is an expensive thing, but it makes me really happy. Think about how enormous the U.S. is and globally. Think about (it) on the wider scale of pop with Adele, Sam Smith, and Ed Sheeran; there are a lot of incredible artists coming out (of) a tiny place.

U.K. R’n’B has the scope to go far; Äyanna particularly. Sonically the new project (About Ä Boy) is incredible and it’s seeing a graduation in her sound, maturing and taking it to that next level. Her vocals are incredible, her writing is incredible, and she is a superstar. Again it is a discovery thing. Once the world discovers Äyanna, they will fall in love with her straight away and she will have the catalogue ready for them to discover.

Even her vocals sitting on different types of songs; she crushes the U.K. R’n’B stuff, straight acapella stuff; she’s on a more afro-pop track with SPINALL from years back. It shows that she can sit on anything and when you’re that talented vocally, your career (will be) long. I can’t wait for the world to hear her.

She is going to be someone who does well and she won Best Newcomer at The State of R’n’B Awards. Clearly, people understand she is going to do well. The fact she is signed to somebody who has people like Summer Walker and 6LACK, who are very established names in R’n’B, gives her that credibility.

There are so many talented artists in the U.K. and you named a few of them there. I don’t know what it is, but when it comes to R’n’B in the U.K. we seem to focus on the 90s and the 2000s, maybe more modern stuff like Summer Walker and Bryson Tiller.

We are getting better; the BRIT Awards has an R’n’B category now, and Mahalia has done well, FLO is doing quite well, Jorja Smith is an established name. But, it does seem in America they give a lot more love and credibility. For example, Ella Mai made her name by signing to an American record label and she got big in America. Then, eventually, she got known in the U.K.

We don’t shout about our own homegrown artists half as much as we shout about American artists. As a culture and community, we need to get behind these artists and push them like they do the pop artists.

It’s down to a lot of things. Some artists have said R’n’B isn’t a genre that can just go viral, it is a genre you have to take in. Even if you look past that, there is not as much radio support. One of the radio stations says, ‘We’re the home of rap and R’n’B,’, but outside of FLO and Mahalia or something from the early 2000s, what U.K. R’n’B are you playing? You’ve got to play the R’n’B of today, as well as from the past.

The infrastructure (does not have) as many R’n’B specialist shows, we have smaller stations than in the U.S. Radio there is a lot bigger because of the nature of how it is consumed. (There are less) options in the U.K., but there are champions for R’n’B in the U.K. for sure.

If you think about how much (DJ) Ace is pushing R’n’B, he is doing such a good job and he’s trying to take it global and doing the SXSW Showcase every year. People like him need to be supported more as well, brands need to come on board and the big corporations need to see these champions of the culture and push them. They are the ones shouting from the rooftops about U.K. R’n’B.

Your role focuses on streaming partnerships and commercial partnerships. What is the difference between dealing with a streaming partnership compared to a commercial partnership?

They come under the same banner. Commercial is essentially a revenue-generating service. If you think about the wider scope of commercial, obviously you have streaming, but then you have Peloton and companies like that where they incorporate music into it. It’s less of a streaming platform and more of a lifestyle, active platform. There are other revenues to tap into.

When I was just in commercial partnerships, we still did the streaming side of things at Universal, but it was more of an umbrella term for revenue.

Can you think of a partnership that you secured and you were pleased with how it worked out?

One of our artists, SadBoi (she’s from Toronto), (had) her launch of her EP in the summer called ‘BARE CHAT‘. That was a huge success getting her name out there. She had a buzz online and the music really compliments and amplifies it. Again, she is a superstar in waiting too, and now is finally getting her flowers in certain spaces.

This EP was the making of, “Here is a project for you guys because we’ve been feeding you singles. Now, you can feed on the music.”. It was well supported across all the DSPs (digital service providers); everyone came to the table. There was a lot of love in her hometown, which is something that I always love. When we have U.K. artists, I love when the DSPs come to the table and we do out-of-home campaigns. In Toronto it was massive and it felt like a real moment for the city and her. She really speaks to the culture over there and is a voice of Gen-Z.

To me, that was a successful campaign because it was giving the world this new sound that she was jumping on. It felt like a real success culturally and streaming-wise.

A lot of artists aspire to be globally known or country-wide known. But, I imagine being loved and appreciated where you come from means a lot. You might know some of those people or come across them. To see them playing your music and showing appreciation for it must mean a lot.

It was cool because she is from Toronto, but she rapped on drill and baile-funk. A massive amount of her listenership is from Brazil, despite being from Toronto. To us, it is a success in terms of discovery and seeing baile-funk drill can go global. We looked at the comments and it was in Portuguese and people were dropping Brazil flags in there. It was amazing to see this moment and it was really organic. Obviously, it was a tactic to tap into that side of the world, but the way they took to it was special.

It felt like a moment for her, as well. She’s really been grafting and is so talented and has a lot to say. It feels like she is the voice of the new Toronto generation.

Are there other people behind the scenes who deserve some recognition?

Our team (LVRN) is incredible and a lot of (the) younger generation at our company work their arses off. They are so talented in terms of their creative and marketing minds. It’s so nice to have these refreshing ideas come through from them.

U.K. wise, an A&R called Davina Merchant; she deserves a lot more recognition than she gets. She signed Tion Wayne, Hamzaa; a bunch of folks. She is so talented as an A&R and as a manager. Her light should be signing.

Do you find that behind the scenes people get more recognition than they used to?

A lot of the time when you’re working behind the scenes, you don’t get any recognition at all. (laughs) It’s a very sort of in-the-shadows type of industry and there needs to be a lot more light shining on the cogs making the wheel turn. So many people are exceptional at their jobs but don’t get the love or recognition they deserve.

I felt like at Universal there are so many people in the background who are insanely good at what they do, so knowledgeable, but in public wouldn’t get the love they deserve. That is the nature of the industry, but it’s a responsibility for people to shine a light on people and highlight what happens in the background.

Going back to our point earlier, it is an education to highlight someone in operations or in the marketing team. They wouldn’t get the love publicly, but someone out there would love to hear from them just for the insight. There are a lot of amazing people in the industry who work crazy hours and (are) so talented, who don’t get the love. That needs to change.

To the average consumer, it might not be something they think about or is presented to them. Whether it is yourself, somebody organising a tour schedule, or doing a release campaign; there are so many different jobs and aspects that have to happen to get that artist out there, to get them performing; to get that single out there.

It’s important to highlight those people because without them you wouldn’t get that song when it comes out, you wouldn’t get the artist with a vast tour schedule; you wouldn’t get an artist’s music video looking so good. Every person who works on that particular project, tour, or single has contributed.

Even if you think about yourself, Journalists don’t get enough love at all. In a world of news being so bitesize and short form, when you get someone really delving into a culture and highlighting people and taking the time, it’s amazing. You probably don’t get the love you deserve.

Tom Jones is on Instagram and X. Read more interviews here and check out previous entries in the ‘So You Want To Be’ series.

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