3Q Episode Sixty Nine: Nicole Plantin

No matter where you are in your career, you’ll benefit from listening to 3Q. 3Q provides a window into the careers of some of the best in the music business. Every episode is an insider's view of the realities of life as a music executive. Topics include issues of empowerment, uncertainty, trust, finances, etc; issues that will impact you both personally and professionally. The executives we interview represent every aspect of the industry including but not limited to A&R, Marketing, Music Supervision, Artist Management, Promotion, and more.  About Nicole: Nicole Plantin was most recently General Manager of award winning television and film producer and director Kenya Barris’ joint label venture Khalabo Music/Interscope. Previously she was head of A&R at Rostrum Records, an independent label born in Pittsburgh and known for launching the careers of both Wiz Khalifa and the late Mac Miller. While an undergraduate student at NYU, Plantin cut her teeth in the industry as an intern in the A&R admin department at Elektra Records, then helmed by Sylvia Rhone and whose roster included Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott and Ol' Dirty Bastard. Nicole’s professional journey crystallized at Star Trak in 2001, where she joined president and CEO Rob Walker in managing the day-to-day operations of a label partnership with Arista Records, as well as the management needs of artists and producers like The Neptunes and Kelis. As the A&R coordinator for all of the label’s releases, Plantin is credited on notable projects such as Clipse’s ‘Hell Hath No Fury’, Kelis’s ‘Tasty’, N*E*R*D’s ‘Fly Or Die’, and more. Following five successful years at Star Trak, Nicole was enlisted by super producer Rich Harrison to help launch his joint venture with Atlantic/Richcraft Records. Shortly after the label folded, Nicole was offered a role at BMI as the Director of Writer/Publisher Relations in Los Angeles, where she was responsible for discovering new talent such as Jhene Aiko, Schoolboy Q, Nipsey Hussle, Joey Bada$$, T-Minus (Nicki Minaj, Drake), Illangelo (The Wknd) and more, and signing them to their roster—a position that reflects one of the most important parts of her career. As a multidimensional executive with both a flair for tastemaking and a mastery of the business of the music industry, Plantin “connects the dots” in ways that align nurturing artist's creative talents with the promise of success. While at BMI, Plantin brought a much-needed showcase to the west coast with Next Fresh Thing, a series whose stage was graced by L.A.-based artistsMiguel, Dom Kennedy, Big Sean, Priscilla Rhenea (now Muni Long) among others. After five years at BMI, Nicole returned to working on the label side of the business with the desire to work more intimately with artists and their projects. As VP of A&R at Rostrum, Nicole worked alongside President and founder, Benjy Grinberg to oversee the curation and growth of the label as it entered into its next phase. While there, she took on the projects of existing artists Mod Sun and Vali (now Emotional Oranges), and signed a variety of talent reflective of the many diverse sounds emerging from regions throughout the US and the UK. Her signings included DC rapper Inannet James who was deemed “one of the best new talents in hip-hop” and whose album Keep it Clean “one of best projects, front to back of the year” by the lifestyle publication Hypebeast. Other signings included UK R&B singer-songwriter Taliwhoah, DC rapper Kelow Latesha, Atlanta based multi hyphenate Natalie Lauren and Baton Rouge rapper Caleb Brown. Nicole sits on the board of the Recording Academy. In her spare time, Nicole volunteers as a Grammy NEXT and Next Gen Femme mentor, travels and collects art. Nicole is also the creator and host of the podcast Soeur Lab which highlights creative womxn who drive culture and set trends from behind the scenes.