This Week’s Disruptors 11/14/24

We’re back this week with another round of DISRUPTORS. This group of executives is making an impact here in Music City. Get to know them all! - Zak (Founder, Nashville Briefing)

Angela Abbott

Soundstripe, Global Head of Music Partnerships

Angela brings over 8 years of expertise in business development, strategy, and creative music partnerships to Soundstripe. Known for her dynamic leadership and innovative problem-solving skills, she has a proven track record of negotiating complex commercial music licensing agreements with both major and independent labels. Previously at Pandora and TIDAL, she managed over $200M in streaming revenue and led bespoke marketing campaigns for iconic streaming launches, including the catalogs of Prince and Aaliyah. As the Global Vice Chair of Partnerships & Development at Women In Music and an active Recording Academy member, Angela continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the music industry. Her dedication to innovation and collaboration has left an indelible mark, reinforcing her reputation as a transformative leader in the field.

Proudest moment of your career: With no previous hands on music industry experience, I successfully persuaded Too Short to join a livestream during a four day artist activation at SXSW (Pandora House) - he joined our Hip Hop curator there to introduce Anderson.Paak (2016) and I have the photos to prove it :)

Alyssa Ramsey

Artist Manager/Day-to-Day Play It Again Music

Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, Play It Again Music’s Alyssa Ramsey is a University of Texas at Austin graduate with B.A in Advertising and an M.A. in Music Business from Berklee College of Music. After previous stints at Red 11 Music, Rodeo Austin, and Anthem Entertainment, Ramsey joined PIA in 2021. She’s played an integral part in the success of artists like Dylan Marlowe, while also overseeing label projects and artist development, including A&R, marketing, branding, and release timelines. Ramsey has been a force and a huge player in Marlowe’s career, overseeing his touring with massive artists like HARDY and Dan + Shay. She’s helped lay the groundwork and strategic planning for key projects like his debut album Mid-Twenties Crisis. Ramsey is hard at work adding emerging artists to her roster at PIA, including rising songstress Faith Hopkins.

Proudest moment: As a manager, I am most proud of watching each milestone of Dylan Marlowe’s career and seeing his hard work and effort pay off. From earning a certified Gold record with “Boys Back Home,” opening for Morgan Wallen at Braves Stadium, having his first single at country radio, and dropping a debut album, it’s been a wild ride that I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Nicole Rich

Director of Promotion and Publicity Big Loud Rock

Nicole was born in Chicago and currently lives in Los Angeles. Nicole got her start in music by creating a Justin Bieber fan Twitter at the age of 13 that garnered over 26,000 followers and networked her way into jobs in the live space (ScoreMore Shows), publicity (Columbia Records), management (Red Light), distribution/label services (AWAL), and college marketing and radio promotion (in2une Music). Over the last year and a half, she’s served as the Director of Promotion and Publicity at Big Loud Rock, the alternative/rock imprint of Big Loud Records. In this role, she oversees the promotion strategy across radio, press, and streaming services for their roster of artists including HARDY, Jagwar Twin, Letdown., Dexter and The Moonrocks, Blame My Youth, Liam St. John, Zoe Ko, mercury, and more. With a public relations degree from The University of Texas at Austin and experience from the top companies in the music space, Nicole’s career is just getting started.

Proudest moment of your career: Every time I get to see one of our artist's play a show and see the crowd of fans and industry personnel connect with the music, it's a win. Most recently, I got to experience this at HARDY's first ever sold out Red Rocks show!

Mackenzie Schrambach

Artist Manager (Josh Ross, Just Jayne), The Core Entertainment

Mackenzie Schrambach is a music industry professional with seven years of experience and a degree from Belmont University. She joined The Core Entertainment in 2020 as Digital Director, overseeing digital strategies, social media management, and visual branding for artists like Bailey Zimmerman, Nate Smith, and the rest of The Core’s roster. In 2022, Mackenzie was promoted to day-to-day manager for Josh Ross, further honing her expertise in artist development and marketing strategy. Alongside helping build Josh Ross’s career, Mackenzie is developing Just Jayne, a highly anticipated new girl group.

Proudest moment: Seeing Josh Ross sell out his first U.S. headline tour was such a rewarding moment, knowing all the hard work that led up to it. I'm also incredibly proud of the development of Just Jayne. It’s been two years of hard work, from honing their sound and image to now performing around the US.

Amanda Quinton

Artist Manager & President Quinton Digital & Queue Records

Amanda is a Nashville-based music professional celebrated for her dynamic approach to artist development and digital marketing. Her career began with a chance encounter while waiting tables, which led to her first full-time role in marketing and social media for legends like Kenny Rogers and Sam Bush, along with rising stars Eric Paslay, Jon Pardi, and Kelleigh Bannen. In 2014, she joined Marbaloo Marketing, where she managed social media for major artists, including Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, and Miranda Lambert. After leaving Marbaloo, Amanda spent two years freelancing across diverse projects, redefining her purpose and position in the industry. This reflection culminated in the 2018 launch of Quinton Digital, a full-service agency that now supports Zac Brown Band, Muscadine Bloodline, Ben Rector, Morgan Wade, and more with digital marketing, day-to-day management and label services. In 2021, she expanded her work with Queue Records, whose first album releases from Nate Fredrick and Texas Hill collectively garnered millions of streams. Amanda now manages standout talents Ashley Monroe and Abbey Cone, and continues to rise and grow alongside her roster of artists.

Proudest accomplishment: A recent highlight that stands out is getting to watch Muscadine Bloodline make their major stadium debut opening for Post Malone at Nissan Stadium last month. Those boys are some of the hardest working people I've ever met, and their talent is top tier. It's amazing to finally see them getting the exposure their music deserves. It's been an honor as a company to support them for the last three albums, and a true joy to have a sideline view as they crush their dreams.

Ashley Till

Host, SiriusXM

Ashley kicked off her radio career at 18 in Indianapolis, IN, and after making her mark in eight different markets—including a spot on a number one morning show in Orlando—she made her final move to Music City in 2013. There, she worked her way up through various radio gigs and in 2016, got the call to join the SiriusXM on-air team. A mom of two and a wife, Ashley shares her life’s journey on air, from parenting adventures and hanging out with artists to navigating the heartache of her mom’s sudden passing. You can catch her on The Message (Ch. 65) from 12 PM to 4 PM ET and Y2Kountry (Ch. 57) from 4 PM to 8 PM ET.

Proudest accomplishment: Eighteen years in radio have brought so many unforgettable memories—moments I could never have dreamed of when I started. Like the time Blake Shelton gave me the key to the city at one of his shows in Florida—such an honor! Or teaming up with Dierks Bentley for a freezing cold plunge as part of his New Year’s Eve tradition. And I’ll always treasure the handwritten note I received from Taylor Swift.