The Glossary: Lara McAlister | Growth Marketing Lead, Resident Advisor

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

I’m the Growth Marketing Lead at Resident Advisor. My focus is on user acquisition and retention - bringing new people onto the platform and making sure they keep coming back.

Day to day, that means understanding what matters to our audience and making sure we’re showing up in the right places, in the right way. I work across paid media, SEO, CRM and product journeys, and spend a lot of time analysing data to understand user behaviour. A big part of my role is testing ideas, measuring performance and using those insights to shape strategy.

Ultimately, it’s about connecting the right people with the right music and events.

How did you get into your line of work?

I wasn’t 100% sure what I wanted to do at first, but I knew I wanted something that was both technical and creative. I studied Commerce at university, specialising in International Business and Marketing, as that’s where my interests aligned most.

After graduating in Australia, I started working at a marketing agency and quickly realised I loved the technical side of marketing - understanding how platforms work, analysing performance and improving results. When I moved to London, I joined startups where I gained broad experience across growth marketing: paid search, paid and organic social, SEO, CRM and conversion rate optimisation.

I’ve always loved music and always hoped I’d find a way to work in the industry one day. It’s been a constant in my life - going to shows, discovering new artists, planning trips around festivals. I didn’t jump straight into music professionally, though. I focused on building my skillset in growth and performance marketing so when the opportunity at Resident Advisor came up, it felt like a natural fit - bringing together something I genuinely love with my skillset.

What skills are important in your job?

In growth marketing, having a strong data skillset is incredibly important. The more comfortable you are working with data, the more opportunities you’ll create for yourself.

That includes statistical thinking, experimentation, database querying (like SQL), and using analytics tools to understand performance. Being able to design tests, interpret results and translate insights into strategy is key.

Beyond technical skills, curiosity is essential. You need to constantly test, learn and adapt as what works today might not work tomorrow. Clear communication is also important, because you’re often translating complex data into simple insights that teams can act on.

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

Start building practical skills as early as you can. You don’t need to wait for the perfect job, you can experiment with your own projects, take online courses, or volunteer to help with marketing for a small brand, event or community.

Get comfortable with data. Even a basic understanding of analytics and experimentation will set you apart.

And most importantly, stay curious. Growth marketing is about solving problems creatively, so the more you enjoy figuring things out, the more you’ll thrive.

What have you found surprising about your role?

One of the most surprising things is how transferable the role is. With marketing, you can work across completely different industries.

I’ve worked in four different sectors during my career, all serving very different audiences. That flexibility allows you to explore what you enjoy most - which is ultimately how I ended up in music. Being able to combine a personal passion with your professional skillset is incredibly rewarding.

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

1. Understand your audience and the industry.
Pay attention to what matters to people, how culture is shifting, and how technology is changing the landscape. Music moves fast.

2. Reverse-engineer the role you want.
Find a job you aspire to, look at the skills required, and start building them intentionally. 

3. Keep learning and take initiative.
Try to solve problems yourself before asking for help - you’ll learn more that way. There are so many free tutorials, courses and communities online!

Explore jobs in electronic music on Doors Open here.