Published 22 October, 2020

Leesa Snider’s entry into the Melbourne music scene started as saxophonist, playing in bands around the city. After a stint of working in New York for Weller Media Agency, she realised there was a gap for social media strategy in the Melbourne music industry. This lead her to starting her own business, Achord Agency, which is dedicated to offering digital and social media strategy for Melbourne venues, artists and businesses. We spoke to Leesa more about what inspired her to start her business, what her average work day looks like and her plans for the future amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please tell me a bit about yourself (how did you start in the music industry, where have you worked previously)
I started in the music industry as a performer. I’m a saxophonist and I completed a Bachelor of Music Performance at Monash University in 2017 and played in various bands all around Melbourne. I then went and studied a Bachelor of Music Business at Collarts and spent time abroad in the US, studying and working in a creative agency in New York, called Weller Media Agency.

I’ve always loved live music and performing, but I realised after completing my performance degree that I needed to know more about the industry I was entering. I then found further passion for the industry side of things and decided to continue to play professionally on the side, but to dedicate most of my time to working in the industry with musicians, creative businesses and like-minded people. I now work part time at a music venue called The Night Cat as head of Marketing and Promotions and I run my business Achord Agency, a social media/digital strategy agency aimed specifically at the music industry. Before this, I worked across music festivals in publicity and marketing roles, musician bookings, music teaching and live performance.

Places I’ve worked include:

• Weller Media Agency

• The Night Cat

• Falls Festival

• The Village Festival

Achord Agency clients I’ve worked with include:

• Sarah Hamilton (One of One)

• Emma Donovan (Artist)

• Lisa Mitchell (Artist)

• Harry James Angus (Artist)

• Amaru Tribe (Artist)

• Victorian Music Development Office + VMDO First Peoples

• Arts Ready

• Music Victoria

• Rice Is Nice Records

• Vicious Threads Merchandising

• Collarts University

• Lyrical Road

• Multicultural Arts Victoria

• The Retreat Hotel

• Festival of Jewish Arts

• Music Hear Them Holler

What inspired you to start Achord Agency?
When I returned from my time abroad in the US, I noticed a gap in the market when it came to social media strategy in the Melbourne music industry. I thoroughly enjoyed working in America on large artists with creative teams on social media strategy and it only made sense to continue this on in Australia. I’m passionate about working with musicians and creatives and this was the perfect way for me to utilise my skillset and help artists and business at the same time. My connections with performance alumni, university contacts, colleagues and mentors made starting Achord Agency quite seamless and I felt very supported from day one. Seeing other powerful women in the industry was also truly inspiring and I wanted to be one of these women. I am so grateful to my mentors and supporters who have really helped my business flourish from nothing into a business that turned a profit in its first year!

What does your average workday look like?
I have two incredible interns currently, one in Melbourne and the other in the UK. On their assigned day I brief them with the daily tasks which can involve client jobs, scheduling posts for Achord Agency, developing IP, searching for new opportunities and clientele and brainstorming sessions to keep our client’s social media fresh and up to date. I have so many incredible mentors that offered great advice and support, and I strive to replicate this day to day for my interns.

A day for me can include managing my interns, creating logo designs, website builds, content creation, ad builds, social media posting, social media audits, monthly reporting, attending/hosting networking events, attending live shows, hosting live workshops, one on one sessions and meetings with regular clients to touch base and offer advice.

How do you foresee social media evolving in the music industry post COVID-19?
Thankfully, a lot of what we do is online and so everything was transferrable during lockdown. We did lose some valued clients whose businesses were in line with touring and live shows, so that was disappointing but very understandable. Additionally, most people have gone into saving mode so we make sure we are affordable and reasonable for new potential clients.

Connecting with new clients has been tricky because I would normally attend and host regular networking events to build authentic relationships. However, I’ve been attending online networking events and staying active online to achieve similar results. We have also looked internally to create a solid branding structure; a comprehensive service breakdown and we are in the process of creating an online series of workshops that clients will be able to take at their leisure.

What are you plans for the future?
Expansion and collaboration! We are working towards launching an online workshop series, obtaining more clients which will assist in expanding to an office space that includes a fully-fledged team inclusive of publicists, marketers, a social media team, a graphic design team, photographers and advertisers. A team allows further collaboration and this means more innovative strategy for clients!

Click here to learn more about Achord Agency services.

To learn more about Achord Agency visit:
https://www.achord.agency