The Glossary: Aly Gillani | Artist & Label Relations Lead

Aly Gillani is Artists & Labels Lead for Bandcamp, a thriving, global music community where fans discover new artists, intimately connect with them, and directly compensate them for their work.

A regular on panels at festivals including The Great Escape, Reeperbahn Festival, ADE and Aim Connected, he is also an educator, having been a guest lecturer on artist development and DIY releasing for Royal Northern College Of Music, Westminster College, Guildhall School of Music, Take Five (Serious Music) and Future Bubblers.

Aly (aka DJ Gilla) is also the founder and A&R of First Word Records, home to Children Of Zeus, Tall Black Guy, Allysha Joy, Kaidi Tatham, Tawiah and many more. Starting out as a club promoter in his adopted city of Leeds he ran seminal nights Funky Mule and New Bohemia as well as becoming a respected DJ across across the North of England.

He started First Word in 2004 to shine a light on a under-celebrated local music scene; since then First Word has grown to over 300 releases, as well as being recognised as ‘Label of The Year’ award at Gilles Peterson’s prestigious Worldwide Awards in 2019.

Now in it’s 20th year, First Word has become a byword for genuine music with soul, helping launch the careers of the likes of Yazmin Lacey, Homecut and countless others.

We caught up with Aly to find out exactly what his role at Bandcamp entails...

What is your role in music and what does your day to day look like?

I’m the Artist and Label Relations Lead at Bandcamp. My day is pretty varied: it’s a mix of helping artists and labels with issues with their Bandcamp pages, reaching out to people not on Bandcamp to try and change that, liaising with trade bodies to spread the word about what we do, managing our small team of reps across the world, passing on feedback from our sellers to our product team and representing the company at conferences, artist communities and much much more.

How did you get into your line of work?

I started as a club promoter and DJ, 25 or so years ago. Meeting a lot of amazing artists with no outlet for their talent I started a record label called First Word Records in 2004. I started using Bandcamp for my label and after getting to know the folks that ran it, asked if I could work for them. A 3 month freelance contract became 6 months, then 9 and eventually a full time role.

What skills are important in your job?

Training, qualifications, experience, personal qualities, soft skills…

I don’t have any specific qualifications - I did a masters in business which is occasionally useful but not specifically to my role. Having an inside out knowledge of what it’s like to release music as an independent label is pretty important, as that experience means I understand the issues that indie labels and artists face. Being able to diffuse tricky situations when labels are upset about things requires a level of tact and diplomacy, plus knowing when to own-up and apologise when things have gone wrong. Largely though it’s about being reliable, quick to respond to issues and personable with people you meet that really is the most important part of my skillset.

If someone is excited to do what you do, what advice would you give them?

Immerse yourself in the community that you want to work in - there’s no substitute for genuine knowledge and that comes with time. Over the years I’ve done most things in independent music from radio to DJing to management, tour management, promotion etc etc. It’s great to have that knowledge in the bag but also it helps you figure out what you don’t like doing as well as what you do enjoy.

What have you found surprising about your role?

I think the big one is how many ways there are to run a successful label. Our sellers run things in all kinds of different ways and it’s interesting to see how different set ups can lead to different kinds of success (or failure).

What are your top 3 tips for someone who wants work in the music industry in general?

Be polite, reliable and helpful. First impressions count and you never know where the people you’re speaking to are going to end up. They could decide if you get a job one day!

Maintain your love for music. It sounds silly but it’s easy to get consumed in the job so much that you forget that you actually do it because of your love for music - always be curious to discover new artists and scenes. 

If you have an idea for something then give it a try. If you delay someone else will probably do it instead and even failures can teach you something for the next project. 

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