March 2024

Professor Susan Dodes is a trailblazer in the world of A+R, co-chair of mentorship at She is The Music, and a professor at NYU Steinhardt. She recounts her experiences navigating and leading in the music industry during the ‘80s and ‘90s. She also emphasizes the crucial role of music publishing… sparking my interest in diving deeper into this industry sector!

When and how did you first discover your love for music?

I've been around music literally since the moment I was born. I come from a very musical family. I would never describe anyone in my family as a casual listener, let's just put it that way! My parents were musicians and performers; they instilled in me a love and respect for the power of music. I was always curious about the people who created and performed it. 

How did you get your first job at Chappell Music (Warner Chappell Music)?

I had worked at my college radio station in Boston. We were a powerful station. A lot of artists and managers of bands that were getting big at the time, like the managers of REM and The Police would come to the station, wanting to be played. That was my first glimpse into the music business. 

When I graduated college, I went to Los Angeles. I thought because I knew every band and every cool artist on the planet I was ready, but I didn't know anything about the music business. A music supervisor told me to go learn about ASCAP, BMI and songwriting rights, and that once I did, I could come back to see him. I did this, and saw him two months later. He connected me with someone, who connected me to someone in New York.

I went back and interviewed for two jobs in New York: a record company job and a Chappell Music publishing job. Even though the record company really seemed cooler at the time, I took the job at the publishing company. The reason for this was my father, who suggested that I take a look in my piano bench and see what the sheet music said (90% of it was published by Chappell Music!) It was the best move I've ever made. I think music publishing is possibly the most important construct of the music business structure to understand, since everything is based on it. 

I’m also interested in your journey with starting your own A+R and production consulting firm SuLeDo Music Consulting. Could you describe the process and the steps that you took to succeed in this endeavor?

At Chappell Music, I learned everything about music publishing and rights management, while closely watching the process of how great songs are created. Then when I moved to doing A&R at record companies, I was first and foremost concerned with the material that was going to be recorded. 

By the time I started my own company, its success came from the fact that I had great training both as a music publisher and in A&R, and the knowledge of what record companies and artists needed to craft their record. My company provided management for producers and engineers, and A+R consulting for record label projects. My background provided a great baseline for doing this work. 

She is The Music’s goal of empowering and providing accessible opportunities to women in music is inspiring! Could you share a bit about She is The Music?

​​We’ve had over 150 young women from around the world participate in our summer mentorship program, and about 30 of them have been placed in internships and jobs from She is The Music. It’s helped a lot of young women find their pathway into the music industry. One of the young ladies in our first mentorship program did such a great job with her final project that a mentor at ABC Disney Television offered her a job at ABC Music Television and Supervision. She's been really successful there. Now she's on our mentorship committee, supervising our college rep program! 

We also do some amazing songwriting camps. We bring young songwriters from all over the world together to work with an artist or more experienced songwriter, and they build a community together.

What are some key strategies for fostering greater inclusion in the music industry? How can any of us music lovers contribute to this change?

Be aware of who’s creating the music you love; be aware of women in the music industry who’re making noise and changing things. There's so much information available now - lots of publications that write about different things that women are doing. Find out who's doing what. If you like what they're doing, support them, whether that means buying a ticket to their show, purchasing some merch, or sending some money to their Instagram performance. 

Lastly, what is the one piece of advice you would give aspiring female-identifying creatives, or you wish someone had given to you?

Don’t let walls stand in your way. Don't put up walls yourself. People or institutions will try to put up walls - figure out a way to go around them. Perseverance with positive belief in your talent and ability is a winning combination.

There were plenty of walls that were in my way - there weren’t a lot of opportunities for women in the 80s and early 90s, and we didn't have many mentors we could turn to for help. I tried my best to go around them. I always believed in treating music with respect and respecting the creators. I only ever did my job because I loved the music. That was what motivated me.