In this episode, Mental Health Expert Lauren Reading-Gloversmith - former music publicist and artist manager turned person-centred experiential counsellor - shares what she’s learned from a decade on the frontline of alternative music, and why support for creatives shouldn’t begin only when you’re in crisis.

From discovering her local scene as a teenager (“grayscale to colour”), to promoting and managing artists, to retraining as a counsellor during COVID, Lauren breaks down the real pressures behind the industry: identity confusion, burnout, comparison culture, and the always-on demands of social media.

She also unpacks the emerging role of AI in mental health - what it might help with, what it can’t replace, and why safeguarding and human relationship still matter.

This conversation is hosted by Mark Adams, Founder of Blinding Talent, a leading UK management and marketing agency.

They explore:

⬛ DIY roots - finding the scene, putting on gigs & learning by doing

⬛ PR → management - why “industry connector” is the real job

⬛ Burnout & early warning signs - emotional, physical, relational & creative shifts

⬛ Therapy as self-care - not just for crisis moments

⬛ Identity & boundaries - onstage/offstage roles and lifestyle careers

⬛ Social media pressure - authenticity vs obligation (and TikTok fatigue)

⬛ AI & counselling - tools, risks, ethics and safeguarding

⬛ The next 10 years - keeping wellbeing and humanity at the centre

⏱ Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:06 Meet Lauren - finding the alternative scene

04:08 First gigs & the community feeling

05:50 Putting on shows & DIY promotion

08:45 From “let me in” to PR

10:43 From publicity to management

13:45 COVID, trauma & discovering therapy

16:06 Speak To Lauren - counselling for creatives

17:43 Mental health in music: what’s changed

20:43 Early signs to watch for (your “mental garden”)

22:52 Common misconceptions about counselling

25:23 Individuality, community & connection

33:26 Social media - good, bad, and pressure on artists

41:06 AI - benefits, dangers, and ethics

45:02 Is the industry taking mental health seriously?

46:28 The future - wellbeing, VR and human contact

51:12 Closing thoughts

Speak To Lauren:

🌐 Website: https://www.speaktolauren.com/

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speak_to_lauren

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speaktolauren

Lauren offers a free 20-minute exploratory call.

Further support (UK):

In an emergency, call 999 or go to A&E. If you need urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk. Call Samaritans on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.

Follow Mark Adams:

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markadamsai/

Follow Blinding Talent:

🌐 Website: https://www.blindingtalent.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blindingtalent

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blindingtalentinsta/

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blindingtalent

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlindingTalent

🎧 Please rate, like & subscribe!

Please rate, like and subscribe it really helps us get bigger and better guests.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Jo — PR veteran turned artist manager for Pendulum, Knife Party, TesseracT, TRASH BOAT, Saint Agnes and more - breaks down the truth about modern artist development in a world of burnout, algorithm-chasing, and 200,000 new songs a day.

From gig-obsessed teenager to navigating EDM’s U.S. explosion, to guiding Pendulum’s comeback through a pandemic, to building her own management company UNHOLY - Jo shares the real mechanics of longevity: branding that’s actually you, fan ecosystems built on intention not virality, and live shows that create impact instead of just competence.

She unpacks the difference between growth and “going viral,” why the live world still fails women, and how artist managers survive the emotional, operational, and financial pressures of modern music.

This conversation is hosted by Mark Adams, CEO of Blinding Talent — brand expert, strategist, and former Director of Music Programming across Bauer, Emap, and Channel 4.

They explore:

⬛ The early spark - music magazines, gigs & the path from journalism to PR

⬛ Pendulum’s return - pandemic chaos, rebuilding momentum & selling out Ally Pally

⬛ Artist management reality - boundaries, burnout & why no one should start in management

⬛ Branding beyond buzzwords - authenticity, extraction & what artists get wrong

⬛ Familiarity & fan psychology - why great brands feel “inevitable”

⬛ Live shows that convert - technology, theatre & leaving a mark as a support act

⬛ The hidden bias of live crews - microaggressions, credibility & why allyship matters

⬛ The 10% rule - tastemakers, community & why real breakthrough happens offline

⬛ Data that matters - core fans, superfans & why 500 people can power a career

⬛ The trap of virality - growth vs. spikes, emotional resilience & artist expectations

⬛ Streaming economics - value erosion, royalties & what must change

⬛ AI’s real future - tools not replacements, humanity as the competitive edge

⬛ The next 10 years - micro-communities, patron models & scaling intimacy

⏱ Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:49 Meet Joe — journalism dreams to global dance PR

01:17 Discovering the magic of curation & live culture

03:01 Early PR years — Swedish House Mafia, Tiësto, Marshmello & EDM’s boom

05:09 The U.S. festival shock — scale, spectacle & glitter everywhere

07:01 From PR to management — learning the whole machine

08:59 Pendulum’s pandemic return — chaos → sold-out arenas

12:06 Artist management loneliness, identity & rebuilding a roster

15:46 What new managers must learn before managing

17:28 Branding myths — authenticity, consistency & extraction

22:30 Familiarity bias — why great branding feels like déjà vu

25:05 Community, tribes & the fractured culture of 2025

27:04 The collapse of gatekeeping — TikTok, algorithms & equality of access

28:46 The biggest artist mistake — chasing virality over growth

30:54 Algorithms, expectations & why numbers don’t define success

33:09 Old metrics vs new metrics — what “success” means now

35:04 Live innovation — DJs, rock bands & creating unforgettable shows

37:14 How emerging artists stand out on support slots

39:40 Gender in live music — bias, microaggressions & real lived experience

43:52 Why allyship is the real accelerator of culture change

47:14 Breaking through in 2025 — finding your pocket, people & purpose

49:34 The 10% that matters — influencing influencers

51:12 Data, funnels & why 500 fans can fuel a career

54:03 Rethinking monetisation — the real cost of undervaluing music

57:01 AI realities — humanity vs soulless replication

59:40 The decade ahead — micro-communities, subscriptions & sustainability

1:03:00 Closing thoughts

Follow Mark Adams:

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/markadamsai

Follow Blinding Talent:

🌐 Website: https://www.blindingtalent.com

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blindingtalent

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blindingtalentinsta/

🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blindingtalent

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BlindingTalent

🎧 Please rate, like & subscribe!

Please rate, like and subscribe it really helps us get bigger and better guests.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast – Best of 2025 🎧

This episode rewinds the biggest “did they really just say that?” moments of the year—raw confessions, wild stories, honest truths and practical insights that shaped conversations across the industry.

A full year of legends, disruptors and future-shapers dropping their guard and revealing how the business actually works.

Hosted by Mark Adams, CEO of Blinding Talent, brand expert and industry leader with 20+ years at Bauer, Emap and Channel 4, working with major artists and global platforms including YouTube and Spotify.

This Best Of explores:

⬛ Kurt Cobain’s death, empathy in journalism & Eddie Vedder’s most emotional interview

⬛ MTV, Seattle & the bands who held each other—and the media—together

⬛ Spice Girls, Debbie Harry & Alanis: how 90s women rewired confidence and expression

⬛ “Queen of Metal”: women in heavy music and the OGs today’s presenters stand on

⬛ Sleep Token: anonymity, branding and why great songs come first

⬛ From broken arm → Metallica’s stage: fandom turning into career moments

⬛ AI as drum machine 2.0: tool vs threat in mixing, mastering & Atmos

⬛ Duty of care: managers, mental health and confidence wobbles

⬛ “Put your phone down”: social media as dangerously brilliant and toxic

⬛ Direct-to-fan 2.0: Open Stage, data capture & owning your audience

⬛ ChatGPT & sheets: predicting ticket sales and supporting artists, not replacing them

⬛ AI artists & virtual stars: switching talent “off” and the ethics of synthetic personalities

⬛ Sync 101: why supervisors search YouTube and how tags/moods get you placed

⬛ 100+ syncs later: discovery, cross-pollination & why TV beats big-budget ads

⬛ Streaming fraud & bot farms: fake plays, stolen royalties & why education matters

⬛ Adele, Lady Gaga, Girls Aloud & Boyzone: showcases, risk-taking & “Top Trumps 10s”

⬛ Heritage vs relevant: ageism, longevity & why great songs still cut through

⬛ Kylie, Padam & queer fandom: authenticity, identity & loyalty

⬛ TikTok, Gen Z & storytelling: why emotion beats trends

⏱ Episode Timestamps:

00:00 Intro – Why a Best of 2025

01:02 Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder & the interview that changed everything

04:25 Band support & fan loyalty

06:02 Spice Girls, Debbie Harry & 90s empowerment

09:05 Queen of Metal & women in heavy music

11:10 The phone call that led to MTV

13:22 Discovering Sleep Token

17:05 Metallica cassettes → stage moments

20:18 AI as tool, not replacement

24:05 AI vs human engineers

27:16 Sobriety & industry addiction

31:10 Duty of care & check-ins

34:02 Social media & mental health

37:40 Direct-to-fan & Open Stage

41:03 ChatGPT & revenue projections

45:00 Virtual AI talent ethics

48:15 Sync basics & YouTube

52:02 100 syncs later

55:30 Streaming fraud

59:05 Adele, Gaga & Girls Aloud

1:03:12 Boyzone & solo success

1:07:25 Kylie, Padam & ageism

1:10:40 Queer fandom & authenticity

1:14:22 TikTok & emotion-led storytelling

1:18:05 Young voices in the room

1:21:00 Closing thoughts & community

Follow Mark Adams:

LinkedIn – /markadamsai

Follow Blinding Talent:

⬛ Learn more – www.blindingtalent.com

⬛ LinkedIn – /blindingtalent

⬛ Instagram – /blindingtalentinsta

⬛ TikTok – /blindingtalent

⬛ YouTube – @BlindingTalent

Please rate, like and subscribe it really helps us get bigger and better guests.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.