Katia Giampaolo manages ETEP top 5 artist JoyCut, who have toured extensively across North America, Europe and Asia. At Estragon, Katia (Co-Director and Vice-President) is part of the team running Bologna’s famous 2.000 capacity Estragon Club with shows from Paul Weller, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys and others.
Katia is also part of the management team for the Botanique open air festival, with a capacity of 3.000 visitors. Estragon is the Italian arm of the Europavox Project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. Katia is Chair of MMF Italy, as well as a music lover, a sportswoman and a dreamer.
To get to know Katia better, please read the interview with our jury member from Italy below.
What’s your opinion of the European music scene?
The European music scene has always been characterised by an immense stylistic variety, cultural intertwining and specific languages. Europe is ready to leave the Anglo-Saxon music trend behind, it opens up to the global market. Contemporary artists can break free, barriers have fallen, they can express all the new languages that today, more than ever, enjoy equal dignity.
What are you looking for in new European artists?
I want to find someone to get excited about, an artist that knows how to both cry and laugh, who has an identity, and who allows curiosity to flourish.
What is you personal favourite music genre?
I love electronic music, particularly when it is refined, polished, sensitive, liquid, and deep, and especially when it is hybrid, mixed with acoustic elements. Of course I love any “sound” that goes to the heart. Being a juror allows me to elevate myself to the utmost, greatest impartiality with no personal interest involved. Music never lies.
What tips do you have for artists that want to make it big?
Start by asking yourself “why I am doing it, what is my real purpose?” If in 10 years, there are no record deals or any Hollywood managers have been in contact, “would I continue to make music”? My golden rule is: “Do not think to use music, on the contrary, be at its service”.
What should emerging artists know about the music business?
Emerging artists should absolutely study the relationships between recording companies and publishing, never stop studying the regulations on copyright, be aware of the fact that music is the first and only inalienable pillar around which you build everything else. Being independent is a philosophy, it is a spirit, but it does not mean being alone. Teams are the key to every success.