Amuse’s Post

Why You Should Respect Your Product Manager... Let's face it, a lot of people in the music industry wouldn't recognize a "Product Manager" at a label from a sound engineer. But for those in the know, this role is the silent powerhouse behind every hit song. We all talk about the A&R – the "kingmaker" who discovers talent. But once a song is signed, the A&R hands the baton to a crucial, yet often overlooked, figure: the Product Manager. Think of them as the project manager extraordinaire. They're the ones who handle everything: uploading the audio, crafting marketing materials, securing radio play, building playlists, analyzing data, coordinating with everyone involved (artists, managers, marketing teams), sometimes even negotiating certain deals, and ensuring deadlines are met. Product Managers at music labels are like data whisperers sometimes. They understand the intricacies of the music industry and can forecast potential outcomes for different release strategies. That's why a smart A&R always consults their Product Manager before promising the moon to an artist. My golden rule? Never make promotional or timeline commitments without checking with my team. In fact, when in doubt I will always ask them to assess a situation and offer their expertise directly. This isn't to diminish the A&R's role. Theirs is a pressure cooker with constant competition. But a lot of times once that song is signed the A&R will turn their focus on the next potential hit. The Product Manager, however, is just getting started – meticulously crafting the song's path to success. So, the next time you interact with a label, remember the quiet force behind the scenes. Artists, producers, songwriters, managers, and fellow A&Rs – show some love to the Product Manager! . . . #MusicIndustry #ProductManagerLife #BehindTheScenes #UnsungHero #MakingHitsHappen #RespectTheGrind #MusicBiz #ArtistDevelopment #MarketingMusic #DataDrivenMusic #RadioPromo #PlaylistGame #MusicCareers #LabelLife #MusicManager

As a Product Manager, you're not an enabler, or a facilitator, or a conductor. You're a jazz bandleader in an ensemble of talented professionals. Like in a jazz band, each team member - engineers, designers, marketers - is a virtuoso in their own right, craving autonomy and the freedom to express their expertise. Your drive comes from creating an environment where: - Engineers improvise on the technical melody, crafting robust compositions - Designers riff on user experience, creating delight through intuition - Marketers groove with market rhythms, harmonizing with the audience As the bandleader, you don't dictate every note. Instead, you're excited by the prospect of setting the key and tempo - providing the product vision and context - then stepping back to let the ensemble create joyful magic. You find purpose in nurturing an atmosphere where each member can take solos, make bold choices, and respond to each other's cues. The key is listening to each other. You're motivated by the art of subtle guidance - knowing when to spotlight a team member's idea, when to modulate the product direction, and how to keep the group in harmony without stifling individual creativity. The flow in the team is the thing you're after. Your goal is to foster an environment where the team collectively owns the product symphony, each of them free to contribute their unique sound to the overall composition. But it's not your spotlight. The stage belongs to all of you. You're driven by the thrill of orchestrating a product jazz session where the notes of each member flow freely, risks are embraced as part of the creative process, and the final product emerges as a harmonious blend of individual brilliance and collective synergy. In this ensemble, there's no obvious lead - just a seamless, collaborative performance that delights your audience: the customers. Keep jamming below 😙 🎶 👇

🌟 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗠𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆: 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁! 🌟 Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege to conceptualize and lead the development of Spotify Spotlight, a fan-driven feature that empowers users to influence exclusive Spotify Original content, as a part of the Product Management Specialisation track at the University of Washington Information School. This experience allowed me to blend creativity, strategic planning, and technical problem-solving to bring an innovative idea to life. 🚀 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁? Spotify Spotlight lets Premium users and top listeners vote for their favorite artists, shaping exclusive podcasts and accessing behind-the-scenes content. It’s all about deepening artist-fan connections, enhancing user engagement, and expanding Spotify Originals. 🎯 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 Leveraging Scrum and Agile frameworks to plan and execute sprints effectively. Bridging technical challenges and user needs to align products with strategic goals. Collaborating across cross-functional teams to turn a product vision into a tangible deliverable. 🙏 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 This project wouldn’t have been possible without the guidance of my professor, Terri Eccles, and the incredible efforts of my teammates, Riddhi Mistry and Soham Naik. Thank you for your insights, support, and dedication! ✍️ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 I’ve shared the detailed story of this project, from ideation to execution, on Medium. [Read the full article here!] https://lnkd.in/gGx9RuRr 👩💻 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 As I conclude this project, I’m eager to continue contributing to impactful product initiatives. I am actively seeking opportunities as an Associate Product Manager, Technical Product Manager, Program Manager, or Product Analyst. 📩 Let’s connect! If you have any opportunities in the product space, I’d love to discuss how I can bring value to your team. #ProductManagement #SpotifySpotlight #AgileDevelopment #OpenToWork #Innovation #Teamwork

🎶 Spotify is Hiring Across Multiple Roles! 🎧🚀 Spotify, the world’s leading audio streaming platform, is growing its global team and actively hiring for roles in tech, support, sales, product, marketing, and more. If you’re passionate about innovation and want to help shape the future of audio, this is your chance to join the iconic brand redefining how the world listens! 🌟 💡 Land Your Dream Job with NotifyAI: Keeping track of opportunities at leading companies like Spotify can be time-consuming. NotifyAI is here to make it seamless. 🔔 Why NotifyAI is a Game-Changer: Monitor career pages of companies like Spotify in real time. Add custom keywords such as "Software Engineer," "UX Designer," or "Marketing Specialist." Get instant alerts for new roles that match your interests. With NotifyAI, you’ll never miss the chance to apply for your dream job at Spotify. 🎯 👉 Check out NotifyAI https://notifyai.tech and supercharge your job search today! 🌟 Don’t wait—start tracking Spotify’s openings and take the next big step in your career! Spotify Jobs: https://lnkd.in/drHqwGAu #Hiring #Spotify #AudioStreaming #TechJobs #NotifyAI #Innovation #DreamJob #CareerOpportunities

🌟 I’m thrilled to share that I’ve joined Rostrum Pacific as the Lead Software Engineer / Senior Tech Lead! In this role, I’ll be leading all things technical, helping to drive innovation at the intersection of music and technology. Rostrum Pacific has a rich legacy of shaping music culture. With a unique blend of personalized catalog management and a data-driven, AI-first approach, we are expanding our reach. As part of this vision, we are building SpaceHeater under Rostrum Pacific—a platform designed to enable record labels, artists, catalog managers, and private equity firms to effectively manage, protect, and optimize their assets. By developing innovative tools and solutions, we aim to empower stakeholders to thrive in today’s fast-paced, digital-first landscape. As the Tech Lead, I’ll be focused on building scalable solutions that enhance music distribution, analytics, and IP protection, ensuring creators and rights holders have the tools they need to thrive. If you’re in music, catalog management, private equity, or tech enablement, let’s connect! I’d love to discuss how we can collaborate and push the industry forward. 🎶 📢 Special thanks and press links in the comments! #NewJob #Leadership #MusicTech #HipHop #SoftwareEngineering #CatalogManagement #IP #AI

As product managers, one of our key tasks is to ensure that our team shares a unified vision for a product. This is where a Product Requirements Document (PRD) becomes invaluable. 📍 A Product Requirements Document (PRD) is a comprehensive guide that outlines the specifications and features of a product that is to be built. 📝 It serves as a critical tool in the product development process, ensuring that all stakeholders—from developers to designers are aligned on what the product will do and how it will meet user needs. So why is a PRD soo important for product managers? 1️⃣ Alignment: Ensures every team member is on the same page, with a unified vision for the product’s objectives. 2️⃣ Clarity: Provides clear, concise guidelines on features and requirements, reducing ambiguity and confusion. 3️⃣ Efficiency: Optimizes resource allocation by helping prioritize development tasks and preventing scope creep. 4️⃣ Communication: Serves as a central communication tool, keeping all stakeholders informed and engaged. 5️⃣ Risk Management: Identifies potential risks early and outlines strategies to mitigate them. A PRD is not just a document, it’s a roadmap that evolves. In a nutshell, a well-crafted PRD is crucial for translating product manager vision into actionable, successful products. 🌟 Made a PRD on Increasing User Engagement and Retention for Spotify, Do check it out! https://lnkd.in/gcUGcsfj #productmanagement #productmanager #PRD #business #startups #spotify #engagement #revenue #retention

One of the biggest mistakes most product manager job hunters make is only contacting the hiring manager one time. This is just one of many postings from last week that are still looking for a product manager to join their team. Steal my LinkedIn follow-up message templates here. https://lnkd.in/gCsMZ-Ab PS Please do not buy into the hype that companies are not hiring for product managers during the holidays and apply to as many jobs as possible. Hiring teams have a budget that they will lose if they CHOOSE not to use it. This is the time of the year when a role can go off the market extremely quickly. I remember one year a company finished the entire interview from the first phone screen to the final round all in the same week. #productmanagement #productmanagementjobs #productmanagementcareers #productmanagementtransition #productgym #speedtolead

Yesterday, I shared how my experiences as a musician and a product manager are deeply intertwined. Today, I want to dive a bit deeper into specific skills that seamlessly transition between these two roles and how they've shaped my approach to both fields. 1. Adaptability and Flexibility In music, especially when performing live or collaborating with other artists, things rarely go exactly as planned. You learn to adapt on the fly, whether it's improvising a solo or adjusting to a new arrangement. This adaptability is crucial in product management, where market conditions, user feedback, and internal dynamics can shift rapidly. Being flexible and responsive to change ensures that both the music and the product stay relevant and engaging. 2. Empathy and Listening Creating music that resonates requires a deep understanding of human emotions and experiences. As a musician, you learn to listen—truly listen—to your bandmates, your audience, and your own creative instincts. This skill translates directly to product management, where empathy for your users and active listening to your team's input are essential. Understanding the pain points and aspirations of your users helps in crafting products that genuinely solve problems and delight users. 3. Precision and Attention to Detail Both music making and product management demand a high level of precision and attention to detail. In music, hitting the right notes, timing, and dynamics can make the difference between a good performance and a great one. Similarly, in product management, paying attention to the smallest details—from user interface design to feature functionality—can significantly impact the user experience and overall product quality. 4. Perseverance and Patience The journey of creating music or developing a product is rarely a straight path. It involves a lot of trial and error, long hours of practice, and the patience to see a project through to the end. Whether it's perfecting a musical piece or iterating on a product feature, perseverance is key. The ability to stay committed and motivated through the ups and downs is what ultimately leads to success. For me, music making and product management are not just parallel paths but intertwined journeys that enrich each other. The skills and experiences I gain from one domain continually inform and enhance my work in the other. It's a holistic approach that keeps me creative, adaptable, and deeply connected to my work. #Adaptability #Empathy #Precision #Perseverance #Communication #ContinuousLearning #MusicAndProductManagement

You know that the product manager is urgent when the Director is posting for the product manager role themselves on LinkedIn. Are you noticing the pattern it’s the same types of companies that are hiring product managers over and over again that are looking for the same types of experience. This should be a clue as to where the market is headed and why you may or may not getting any traction on your product manager job hunt. You can see the data on my LinkedIn feed. The majority (not all) of these product manager roles are in the following niches: Digital Payments Healthcare or Health Tech E-commerce Data Privacy  Cybersecurity Growth AI Product Strategy and Roadmap Recently Funded Startup of First PM Hire (💰💰💰) Automotive Product Leader (ie Head or Director of Product Management) I have a resume template for each type of product manager role in Skool! https://lnkd.in/gtQjCfUH See you in Skool.  https://lnkd.in/gtQjCfUH Don’t be late to Skool.  https://lnkd.in/gtQjCfUH PS Are you curious how my team is able to get to these roles as fast as we do? You can find out the hack in Skool! https://lnkd.in/gtQjCfUH Don’t be late to Skool! https://lnkd.in/gtQjCfUH #productmanagement #productmanagementcareers #productmanagementjobs #speedtolead

I want to share a post from my website, this 5 minute read is an article I wrote about the impact of walled gardens on customers, and the fascinating strategy some product managers use to become the hero when competing against competitors with walled gardens. This article shows off some product manager research skills, as well as the product manager skill "user personas". The article is about a new feature that recently launched on TIDAL. I hope you enjoy it!