Employee Spotlight: Amy Strack, Chief Strategy Officer
Been with Music Health since 02/2022
Tell us about yourself and your journey to Music Health
I’ve been working in the music industry my whole career! After finishing my undergrad at USC, I worked in the entertainment practice of a law firm just a few years after music piracy started to be heavily regulated, Spotify had just launched and the industry was undergoing a lot of transformation. I was instantly drawn to how the music business was being forced to evolve to make space for digital music rights. After that, I jumped over to the product side of music tech, working in both legal and engineering at SF-based music startup, Rdio, where I truly fell in love with the pace and culture of the startup world. Rdio was acquired by Pandora, I got to work really closely with Pandora’s product and content operations teams to build and launch some amazing Pandora products and features that are still live today. This is when my career takes a turn towards trusting my gut, when at 1am at a Pandora-hosted Snoop Dogg performance in Las Vegas, I ended up meeting my next boss. After talking a lot about his vision and the team he was building at Universal Music Group focused on digital innovation, he offered me a role on the record labels global digital strategy team. In addition to business development and digital strategy, I got to specialize in music innovation and fostering the startup ecosystem. At UMG, I met our very own COO, Steve, where he was doing similar work out of the Sydney office. While at UMG I felt drawn to social impact and took a course at NYU’s business school on Corporate Social Responsibility. The more I talked to Steve and Nicc, the more it felt like Music Health was such an amazing opportunity to work at a company centered around social impact while still driving forward innovation in the music industry.
What made me go into strategy
I’m so thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to work on digital strategy and licensing in both the product and record label sides of the music industry. I learned a lot working on different ends of the music tech spectrum and love seeing how the two can support each other's business growth and create new opportunities, which is exactly where I know Music Health will play a key role!
What does your regular day at Music Health look like?
Everyday is always a little different, which I really enjoy, (startup life!) but my current priorities are sales and strategy. I get to spend a lot of time talking to some amazing people in the dementia care industry and showing them the power of Vera. On the Strategy front, I get to brainstorm and craft partnerships with other important players in the space and am always thinking about creative opportunities we should be plugging into.
If you could take one album, and one thing with you on a deserted island, what would it be?
Paul Simon’s Graceland and a sailboat!
What are you most proud of so far while working at Music Health?
Seeing how well the team works together and as a result of that, how quickly we have been able to accomplish some amazing things.
What do you find most challenging about your role?
Most of our amazing team is currently in Australia, so it’s hard being away from them! This also means that I get to travel to Australia often, so that’s a win for me.
What is your best memory while working at Music Health?
We had a team offsite in Sydney earlier this year where I got to finally meet the whole team in person! Prior to that, I had only met Steve, so it was really special to get to meet and spend quality time with everyone.
What is your favourite Music Health ‘practice’?
Team above all. As a former water polo player, the dynamic of supporting each other in the day to day work but also with larger professional and personal growth is important to me.
Lastly, what would you say for someone who is thinking about applying to Music Health?
If you’re passionate about our mission and like to jump in and get things done…all while having fun with some great people, we’d love to talk to you!
