Austen Holman ’04 on Music Industry Innovation through Art and Human Connection

Written By: Gena Wynkoop, Editorial Content Manager

Seattle Academy alumna Austen Holman ’04 has carved her own path (or should we say blazed her own trail) in a fickle and often times male-dominated space: the music industry.

“I’m very happy with where I’m at,” said Austen, an Artist Manager at Votiv, a local record label. “This is a brutal business. Very few people get to have it all–have a family and live in a beautiful place like Seattle. I feel very fortunate to be where I am and can control my business and spend time with my kids.”

A self-described “lifer” at SAAS, meaning all seven years of her middle and high school experience were spent here, Austen was always drawn to music. She herself is a singer and was involved in choir and other vocal programs, harboring an appreciation for teachers like Mark Hoover, describing him as an inspiring, committed, and involved educator.

But it wasn’t the music programs that really influenced her go-getter attitude and entrepreneurship skills now—it was actually the unique sports and outdoor travel programs that helped her hone her grit.

“Honestly, it was more the athletic and travel programs and those really mentally challenging activities and projects that make what I do now possible. Those moments where I feel like ‘this is the hardest thing ever,’ I know I’ve done something harder and use that as fuel to overcome my fears.”

“Those experiences at SAAS help me now when I am talking myself through the more challenging parts of my job.”

In her freshman year at the University of Colorado Boulder, Austen thought she wanted to do something in the social science spaces but was never 100 percent clear on what her path was going to be. “The thing I [continuously found myself] being pulled towards was how much I cared about music. The music space, the live music scene, and the people that were involved with music.” 

As she continued her courses in Boulder, she felt a lack of interest in what she was studying. “I was trying to figure out my passions and I just became this emo-indie-music-girl that nerd-ed out on Napster,” laughs Austen. “That’s how I spent a lot of my time and I just decided that this was something I would do professionally.”

She decided to return to her hometown and transfer to the University of Washington where she joined a program called Sony BMG.

“Sony BMG, which has now broken apart, had this amazing program where they would hire between 48 and 50 college reps nationwide. The whole idea is that you have a grassroots marketing person on the ground that’s targeting college campuses that are based in college towns or big cities,” explained Austen.

At that time, Sony BMG worked with hundreds of artists, namely Rooney and Shakira to list a few.

“Our job was to hang up posters, go to shows, throw contests—this is when Facebook was such a college-centered platform. So, everything was run from our Facebook pages and was automatically connected to our college campuses.”

She was paid in free concert tickets, CDs, flights to New York City with limousine transportation, and access and invitations to all the trendy artist parties which, you know, is how every college student dreams of being compensated.

“That was my first step into the music industry and it was the most critical honestly, like almost every single person involved in that program landed a job working in music in a very substantial way,” she said.

After feeling that she had met the proverbial ceiling of the music industry here in Seattle, Austen was thinking bigger–like Big Apple big. She relocated to New York City working with different companies like Wildlife Entertainment where she represented UK’suber popular band, Arctic Monkeys.

From there, she was fortunate to work with Lever and Beam to represent Sharon Jones, St. Vincent, Sleater Kinney, and The Budos Band. 

“This is the time when St. Vincent and Sharon were winning Grammys,” remembers Austen. “St. Vincent and I designed the first female designed guitar together and that was a never forget kind of career-changing opportunity.”

[Read: Jasmine Miller (Azpiri) '04 Transformed Passion for Running into a Thriving Business]

Austen has lived the dream of many in the music industry, gaining a behind-the-scenes view of iconic moments for her managed artists (turned friends), as well as having that front-row seat to the American entertainment zeitgeist.  

“Watching St. Vincent play on Saturday Night Live and watching Sharon Jones perform at Carnegie Hall for a David Byrne tribute was unbelievable,” Austen said. “Standing backstage with David and observing the absolute pinnacle, in my opinion, of musical performance…goosebumps.”

After leaving Lever and Beam, she returned to the West Coast, working for Constant Artists in Los Angeles and managing bands like Washed Out, The Voidz, and Future Islands. Although being in LA is great for this industry, when the pandemic hit, Austen and her husband felt a calling to come home.

Connecting with the owner of Votiv, an entertainment agency here in Seattle, Austen asked if she could bring some clients with her, and joined the roster as an artist manager at the PNW label.

Now, Austen feels that she can balance working and hanging with her family while living in a city she truly loves–and still gets to work in an industry that she is passionate about.

“So much of what I do is ever-changing. There is no roadmap or 100 percent guaranteed way of being successful in music, so you have to be fluid,” said Austen.

With her return to Seattle, Austen can be more involved with the SAAS community and she is returning to her alma mater as a guest of honor to speak at the SAAS Summit, happening October 22nd. The SAAS Summit is an all-ages, multi-modal experience - part forum, think tank, laboratory and networking experience all in one setting: the Seattle Academy campus.

In reflecting on the themes of entrepreneurship and innovation, Austen has a more brass-tacks approach to the music industry moving forward.

“You can drive yourself crazy in this industry. It’s the kind of industry that [is very hard to find a pathway to success]. But in art, if you go back to the very basics, it’s about feeling—it’s about human connection. Putting yourself in that human level, feeling good, feeling sad, nostalgic.”

“I think many people forget about the human connection aspect and overthink and spend too much money on digital ads. You can’t just think of people as data points–when artists are making decisions with data, it just doesn’t work.”

“It’s about asking yourself ‘What am I connecting with?’ That, to me, is the innovative way nowadays to promote and push out art.”

Being innovative in this industry, says Austen, is to explore the human experience with connection.

“It’s an amazing thing to observe the power of the human experience,” said Austen. “It’s still the most valuable approach. Innovation [in the music industry] doesn't necessarily need to be something brand new. It might just be like going back to a very rudimentary way of doing things.”

As for the SAAS Summit in October, Austen is stoked to return to her old stomping grounds.

“I am such a steadfast supporter of SAAS,” said Austen. “I had such a good experience. My teachers were my family. Anything I can do to add value now, I don’t even think twice about doing it.” 

While she is still crafting her presentation for the Summit, Austen shared what she wants to leave with the students and community.

“Support other’s ideas and support your own,” said Austen. “Don’t be afraid to speak up and workshop things with people. By speaking up hopefully, there will be a trickle-down effect where you’ve inspired other people to do the same.”

And above all else, “Get creative! The creative spirit is something that should always be treasured and supported. That’s what keeps my industry going.”