In conversation with Eric Karsenty Founder of Bridge The Gap Management
Eric Karsenty sits down with Undercurrent to talk music, career, label and working with underground artists.
Bridge The Gap is an artist management and Label Services company founded by Eric Karsenty, music-obsessed and former music exec with 20 years’ experience delivering successful global programs, partnerships and campaigns for multinationals in music.
Bridge The Gap helps independent musicians release their music with a clear understanding of the market and their audiences, giving them the tools to tell their story efficiently to as many people as possible.
Can you talk us through your journey in the music industry to this day?
I did a jazz degree in my native France, then studied international marketing at a business school, which led to an MBA. I then combined my unwavering obsession with music with these skills to start working in the music industry.
My first job was as a junior product manager at Warner Music in Paris. A taste of the world of major record labels which, I decided, wasn't really for me. I then moved to Spain and worked for several record companies, doing a bit of everything. I started at BlackBerry (if you're old enough to know, you will!), where I ran music relations for Europe, and then at Sonos (the wireless speakers), where I ran their 'Sonos Studio' cultural space in the heart of Shoreditch, just a few hundred metres from where Brick Lane Jazz Festival. It was there that I really began to build meaningful relationships within the UK music industry, as we dealt with hundreds of artists, labels and management companies over three years.
Tell us more about the genesis of your artist management organisation, Bridge The Gap and its vision…
When a much-needed 'stay at home dad' period sadly came to an end in 2017, it was clear that setting up my own business was the right, and only, thing to do. Bridge The Gap was born.
Alongside Sonos, I'd been helping friends release music because I was frustrated that their incredible abilities and talent were being wasted by a lack of understanding of the business side of the industry. You could say I was 'bridging the gap(s)' between them and the different layers of the market.
Bridge The Gap's mission is to help independent musicians release their music with a clear understanding of the market and their audience, giving them the tools to tell their story effectively to as many people as possible. We focus on storytelling, strategy and planning, getting the music heard and developing compelling marketing plans by leveraging all the channels available to artists.
We work with artists every step of the way, from A&R to playlist pitching, PR, content creation and campaign management, enabling them to be as creative in the way they promote their music as they are in creating and producing it.
The team includes Max Purcell-Burrows, who joined the company two years ago as an assistant and quickly proved his worth as chief press officer and campaign manager.
We’re looking forward to seeing some of your artists play at this year’s Brick Lane Jazz Festival…
Yeah absolutely! We have four acts playing across the festival: Raquel Martins, Rosie Frater-Taylor, MADELEINE and Myele Manzanza.
In the wider management roster, we have Scottish Future Jazz sensation, corto.alto who’s currently making waves with their debut album ‘Bad With Names’ and touring Europe. I’m talking to you from our tour van in the middle of Denmark, in fact!
We also manage poetic alt-soul artist B-ahwe, whose ‘26% MIXTAPE’ was released in November and got a lot of love from DSPs and national radio before she headed out on a UK tour.
On the label side, we work with artists such as pianist Raffy Bushman, French combo Monsieur MÂLÂ, Australian future soul singer/songwriter Sunny Reyne or French-Congolese singer and composer Claudia Isaki.
You’re helping underground artists shape their careers. How do you choose the artists you’re working with?
When I started out, the roster only included my good friends who needed help, drummer Richard Spaven, bassist Rob Mullarkey and guitarist Stuart McCallum. I was also doing consultancy work for Brick Lane Jazz Festival’s friends Jazz re:freshed, working on their 5ives series with Rosie Turton, Nubya and Sarah Tandy. When I started to promote the brand in London, artists contacted me and we slowly started to build up a catalogue. Today, we're lucky that people come to us mainly through Bridge The Gap artists and the releases they see on the market. Recommendations also play an important role.
I attach a lot of importance to the brand I'm building with Bridge The Gap, a sound and a world that I want people to recognise and associate with high quality. As a result, our selection process is pretty ruthless these days, not out of arrogance, but rather because we know what our brand stands for. What's more, we want to work with nice people with whom we have human contact, because that's essential if we're going to have a good time and succeed.
What kind of services do you offer exactly when working with an artist or a company and what do you feel they need the most support with, in general?
Bridge The Gap is a hybrid company offering a range of services on the "labelling services" side of the market: A&R advice, ‘Understand your WHY’: building your story and your narrative, defining audiences, strategic deployment plan, digital distribution, PR: raising press awareness in-house and broadcasting on the radio, DSP & Bandcamp pitching, publication and even UK bookings, if required.
The other aspect of the business is the full management service which includes taking care of all facets of the artist's career: long-term strategy and planning, building teams around them, creating opportunities at all levels, and of course day-to-day management which includes weekly therapy sessions for them (and me!) haha.
If you were to give one piece of advice to an emerging artist or young music professional, what would it be?
Difficult question, but in line with the company's mission, I think all artists should absolutely understand WHY they do what they do, whether it's writing songs, singing, playing an instrument, producing, DJing... Knowing their WHY will inform everything they do, from the way they present themselves (identity) to the values they stand for, the messages they want to convey, the audiences they target and the objectives they set themselves. Working on narrative and storytelling will help them stand out in a world where there is a plethora of music on offer.
Oh, and of course, the key word: HUSTLE, HUSTLE and HUSTLE again.
The hustle is key! Is there anyone you’ve got your eyes on for the label?
We have our ears wide open all the time for new music, within the Bridge The Gap world and beyond. As for the next great thing on BTG, we do have a few plans indeed, but nothing firm that I can tell you about yet.
By the way, do you play any instrument, produce or write any music yourself?
I started playing piano at the age of 4 and trained as a jazz musician, which helps me to understand in depth the music my artists write and produce. This adds a very interesting layer to the relationship I have with all the artists on the BTG roster. However, given that I work with some of this country's finest musicians, I'd say my musicianship is mediocre at best!
Is there a particular project you’ve worked on in the past and that you’re particularly proud of?
I'd say I'm proud of almost everything BTG has published or worked on, but three projects definitely stand out for various reasons:
Richard Spaven’s ‘The Self’ EP: This is the first ever full release that I've fully managed, working closely with Rich on the campaign. It ended up in places we could never have dreamed of, including BBC6 Music, millions of streams and bucket list press reviews. It was confirmation that we could work in a totally crafted way and be heard and seen through amazing music and a strong campaign.
Rosie Frater Taylor’s ‘ Bloom’ album: Again, it was all DIY, and the album was incredibly well received by critics and audiences alike, with the likes of Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum, KCRW, Gibson guitars, Pickupmusic and many others championing Rosie and the album. We played over 80 concerts in Europe and the United States. Rosie has gone one better with her album 'Featherweight', which we recently released on Cooking Vinyl.
Claudia Isaki’s ‘Flowers’ EP: I was sent this music and I knew it wasn't part of the BTG sound universe, but I fell in love with it and thought we could position it on our network, which we did. It's been an even bigger success than I'd anticipated, with Claudia proving popular with radio stations, the press and editorial playlists on DSP as far afield as the US.
What’s your dream project?
I'd love to get a supergroup together, not just for a one-off gimmick, but for them to write a profound album and tour the world. It would include people from completely different worlds, like Björk, Kaidi Tatham, Puma Blue, Joe Talbot, Daniel Rossen, Billy Woods, Jill Scott, Thom Yorke , Bat For Lashes , Nova Twins, Brad Meldhau... Yes, it's completely absurd, but you said 'dream'!
More from down here on earth, I'm slightly obsessed with a band called Do Nothing at the moment and I dream of working with them in some way.
Are you working on any new projects that you’d like to share with us?
Yes! BOREAL SUN: Formed in London, BOREAL SUN showcase the best talent from the city's jazz, groove and indie scenes. Their debut EP 'Dawn', released on 17 May, features contributions from bassist/producer Robin Mullarkey (Brotherly, Jacob Collier), saxophonist Emma Rawicz, percussionist Yahael Camara Onono (Balimaya Project), drummer Josh Blackmore (Troyka, SiZE) and many more.
Àbáse: Àbáse is the brainchild of Hungarian producer and keyboardist Szabolcs Bognár. Creating an exquisite blend of jazz, West African, Brazilian, hip-hop and electronic music, he is preparing to release his second album 'Awakening' in collaboration with Analogue Foundation in July 2024.
Raquel Martins has written and produced some incredibly exciting new music and we can't wait to start sharing it with the world. Watch this space.