During this year’s Women In Music Awards, we inducted a further 14 game-changing industry executives (including two posthumous awards) into the Roll Of Honour, in association with TikTok.
They join the pantheon of previous honourees, including some of the biggest names in the business, from Emma Banks and Sarah Stennett to Kanya King, Rebecca Allen and Stacey Tang, that have been selected since the awards began in 2014.
The Roll Of Honour aims to highlight the breadth, depth and variety of individuals who are game-changers in the music industry, with their activities consistently benefiting women, or focusing on empowerment/gender disparity.
Following the Women In Music Awards ceremony, Music Week is running Q&A interviews with all of this year’s Roll Of Honour inductees.
Shauni Caballero is the co-founder of G293 Publishing and founder of The Go 2 Agency, a music publishing and consultancy company to help artists, writers and producers make money from their music. Caballero has also just announced a book she plans to release, A Quick Guide 2 Music Royalties.
Here, Shauni Caballero opens up about industry achievements, mentors and offers advice for the next generation of executive talent...
How do you feel about joining the Music Week Women In Music Roll Of Honour?
“I was ecstatic, and I am so honoured to be following the footsteps of so many amazing women. There was a time when I was just working aimlessly, you know running around with my laptop setting up accounts, registering works, being on the phone 24/7 putting together sessions. It’s been a turbulent journey so it’s quite surreal to be recognised on this scale.”
How do you look back on your early years getting into the industry?
“I had a lot of fun back then but part of it was just unnecessarily tough. I come from the days of unpaid internships; I couldn’t afford to do that but most of the work I did for many years I did for free. I look back and I've definitely learned a lot along the way, and it built a lot of character. I'm just hoping that moving forward we can all work hard to make sure that the women that come after us don't have to face the struggles that I had to face.”
Did you have a mentor at that stage?
“I wish! I didn’t meet my mentors Kwame Kwaten and Jackie Davidson until 2019/2020. I met them both when I was at a tipping point in my career, and they've both been instrumental figures within my career. I met Kwame through my then assistant Joao. Within a week of meeting him he asked me to come on a Zoom with all of the board members at the MMF, he would also ask me to speak at his seminars and he gave me this amazing platform. The day I met Jackie, we were on a Zoom, and she asked me to call her after and we had a really nice conversation. She said, 'I just really like what you're doing and let me see where I can help.' She's done some really insane introductions for me and, similar to Kwame, has also given me a really great platform, and they're both amazing people in my life that I could pick up the phone and call honestly for anything.”
What’s your biggest achievement so far?
“Central Cee going number two with no features, I was working with his manager Bello when he was managing Rimzee, and he called me to take on his new client Central Cee. I don't think any of us expected this amount of success and it’s been incredible to see and be amazing to be a part of. It really reaffirmed that I have to trust the way I work, most of the clients I get are via word of mouth and via my relationships. I have a lot of trust within the scene and have built a solid reputation and have been able to work with and grow with amazing talent. I'm grateful for every client/company I have ever worked with for putting their trust in my company.”
What advice would you offer young women about enjoying a successful career in music?
“Be a good person, stay true to yourself, don’t allow people to walk all over you and remember to have a life outside of the music business.”
What’s the best advice you’ve ever had?
“Focus on the work! When I first met my now business partner Riki Bleau we were at showcase in Barbados and that was one of the things he said to me. He said this is all great and fun, but remember it's the work that got you here, without the work all this will fade away. That statement has really stuck with me, people are always surprised when I turn down exciting events or awards shows to stay in and work, but it’s always going to be important to me to keep on top of our work and keep our clients happy.”
What’s your biggest lesson from 2021 so far?
“Don’t overthink anything! I used to over plan every single detail of my day, week even year. One thing Covid taught me was that you really can’t make too many plans, you just have to do the best you can.”
