Live shows and tours are starting to come back, the need for merch is so important, and with pressing plants continuing to be booked out a company like Diggers Factory provides a great service for bands. Diggers Factory started in 2015 by two friends, Victor and Alexis, who met at the University in France and are both passionate about music and vinyl. Now they are a team of ten and the person you’re being introduced to today is Mathilde Vanhassel who works in label relations. 

Mathilde is born and raised in Paris, and in her free time she enjoys meandering around, getting lost in her city, and stopping for a coffee at a bistro on a sunny day. 

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

I got into the music industry early, at 23 years old as a booking agent at Miala, booking for DJs.  Miala is the show production agency created by Antoine ‘Kraft’ Caudron in 2014, within entities such as the UWE label, the Social Club, or the Savoir Faire. It was a great first impression of the music industry.

What is a day in the life like?

I start the day at the office with a coffee, talking to colleagues, and checking emails. I always deal with “problems” first to begin the day clean. Then I take the time to check in on every artist I work with to see if they need help, how their project is doing on sales, visibility, etc. The afternoon is set for calls, prospecting and listening to music. I love what I’m doing but I also take care to finish the work at the office, and try not to bring work home.

What has been your favorite / the coolest thing you’ve worked on?

I have two things that come to mind. The first one would be two years ago, when I organized a festival of 4,000 people per day in 4 months.  It was hard but one of the greatest moments of my career. The second one would actually be receiving my first test pressing here at the office. It was for the first project I prospected and it was a delight to have it in hand.  

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

There is no particular hard time in Diggers Factory, it’s a good thing to love the work. If I had to answer, it would be dealing with timing. Sometimes artists need to have vinyl by a certain date and we know that delays come in production, and that’s part of the job… it’s nobody’s fault, everyone wants vinyl!

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

Be aware that you can adapt to any situation, don’t be afraid to change jobs, to move to another situation, take risks. Surrender yourself with good people, a great team, they will be a huge help when difficulties come to you.

I do have vinyl at home, I love listening to them on sunny days. I did not begin my career in the vinyl industry but in live music. The music industry was always the one that makes me happy.

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.