Today we have the pleasure of chatting with the Sr. Manager of Catalog Marketing at a record label you may have heard of before, none other than BMG. Meet Cristina Esteban who has been in catalog work for 5 years, mainly working with rock and metal bands such as Mötley Crüe, HIM, Black Sabbath and Motörhead, but also some Prog Rock with the likes of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and even the iconic Jamaican record label Trojan Records. Cristina was born and raised in Spain, but split time between Los Angeles and London, until finally making Los Angeles her home a little over a year ago.

When she isn't helping market iconic bands Cristina love hiking, going to movies, and spending Sundays browsing record stores for new finds!

How did you get into your industry / What motivated you?

Music had always been a big part of my life, but I never really thought I could work in it if I wasn't an artist. Then, my first year of University, I had to get a summer internship and as luck would have it, I met someone who worked at Warner Chappell and gave me an opportunity in their Synch department. This was my first experience working in the industry and I absolutely loved it!

I moved around in different industries for a while after that, but music was always in the back of my mind, and when I was 25, I quit my job in Spain and moved to Los Angeles. There I was able to get back into the industry thanks to Warner Records, after which I moved to London where I started working at BMG in their Catalog department, which had always been a big goal of mine.

What is a day in the life like?

Every day is different. Since we're a relatively small team, we each look after our own releases from start to finish, which is something that I find very rewarding. Some days are spent trying to make production deadlines, working on delivering and approving artwork and audio, while others are dedicated to putting together marketing plans for our releases, and talking to the different teams involved around the world. I would say that no day is the same, which is part of the fun.

In your opinion what has been your favorite / the coolest thing you've worked on?

I've been lucky enough to work on many cool campaigns so far, but one of my absolute favorites would definitely be Mötley Crüe's 'Shout At The Devil' 40th Anniversary campaign in 2023. I've always been a huge fan of the band, and getting to work this release was definitely a career highlight!

What has been / is the most difficult part of your job?

Sometimes we have a really cool concept in mind for a release, but the high manufacturing costs and tight deadlines make it very hard to execute, so we have to swerve in a different direction. It can be a bit frustrating, but at least it makes us come up with alternatives which can end up being just as cool.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to get into pursuing what you’re doing?

My main piece of advice would be to not let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Do your research, talk to as many people as you can, and don't let anyone stop you.

Are you a vinyl collector yourself? What drew you to it?

I am! I started collecting at the same time that I got started in the industry, and it's become a true passion of mine. I cannot walk by a record store without having a peek inside, and i'm always looking for rare versions of my favorite albums.

What types of things are happening in your industry / with vinyl that you’re excited or worried about? i.e. innovation, or trends you’re seeing.

I love that we can get very creative with vinyl nowadays and come up with crazy variants that make the product fun, collectible and appealing to a wider audience.

Who has been influential to you and your growth as a professional in this industry? 

There's a lot of people who have helped me get to where I am today, but I would have to say that Susan Leon from Warner Records was instrumental in my career and is one of my greatest role models, as well as Didier Dehauteur, who gave me my start in Catalog, and Michael Kachko, Jeff Christian and JJ Mellon from BMG, who always share their extensive knowledge with me and support my professional growth on a daily basis.

Anything else you’d like to add; if not tell us what you're listening to: 

Rock and Metal have always been my passion, and if I have to pick my favorite band at the moment it would have to be Bad Omens.