Behind The Beat: Demystifying music careers

Rosie Black from Distorted has recently launched a new monthly podcast where she aims to take listeners behind the scenes of the music business to shine a light on all the different career paths that are available within the industry. We caught up with Rosie to find out more…

Who are you and what’s your podcast about?

I’m the Radio Coordinator at This is Distorted, and our podcast takes you behind the scenes of the music industry. It’s one of the most dynamic and elusive fields and so we dive into every aspect of the industry, covering everything from music production and live events to marketing and artist management. Essentially, it’s a deep dive to uncover the stories “behind the beat”, including the highs, lows, career beginnings and advice from the pros in the field.

How did the idea for Behind The Beat come about?

I did a Music Business degree at BIMM Manchester, where I gained experience through internships and work placements across various areas of the industry, including events, labels, management, and radio. Even with all that experience, I realised after graduation, that I had only scratched the surface of the job roles and opportunities out there… it wasn’t until I researched it that I discovered my current job role now!

There are plenty of resources available, but it can be tough to navigate on your own – I speak from experience! I found that the best way to learn was by talking to people, asking for their advice, and getting a better grasp of what they do.

Not everyone has the chance to go to university, and the industry can feel pretty elitist at times. That’s why I wanted to create a more accessible resource for people who want to get into this industry and with all the connections we have at Distorted, it just made total sense.

I’m really passionate about new talent coming into the industry and bringing a whole fresh perspective and I hope this podcast will encourage that.

What do you hope listeners will gain from listening to Behind The Beat?

I really want listeners to feel inspired and gain a better understanding of how the music industry works. If they take away just one thing from this podcast, I hope it’s the valuable advice from our guests that can help guide their career choices in some way.

Can you give us any teasers for guests that listeners can expect to hear on the podcast?

Ooh, we do like to keep it a bit of a mystery! We’ve already chatted to DJ and broadcaster Sarah Story and KISS FM’s content director Rebecca Frank and those episodes are live now. In the upcoming episodes, we’ll be featuring some of the management and label teams behind the brands and artists on our roster.

Who’s your dream guest for the podcast?

To be honest starting with Sarah Story was a pinch me moment. I’m a bit of a radio geek, I’d be super excited to have someone like Grimmy on the podcast – he’s one of the reasons why I got into radio, I used to listen to him with my Dad while driving to and from school.

But I’d also love to chat with someone who has a unique and different job, like a foley. That would be so interesting (I’m quite obsessed with Foley TikTok)!

What was the first podcast you ever listened to?

I can’t recall the very first podcast I listened to, but the one that really made me fall in love with the format was Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster. It might not be super educational or informative, but it’s incredibly entertaining. I loved its creativity, and it showed me that podcasts can cover just about any topic!

Which podcasts do you take inspiration from?

I feel really lucky to work with podcasts every day at Distorted, and each one has its own uniqueness. My love for music means I often find a lot of inspiration in the music-related podcasts. I’ve been really into Defected’s latest podcast, Moments in Music; it’s been great to hear from the legends of House music and club culture!

Where can the Pod Bible readers find out more about you/the podcast?

You can check out the podcast on your favourite podcast platform and if you’re listening and have a question or want to learn more about a specific job, feel free to reach out at hello@thisisdistorted.com!

Listen to Behind The Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other popular podcast apps >>