PAY KOLMÜS
MUSIC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL
Music Journalist • Artist Consultant • Business Mentor
MUSIC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL
Music Journalist • Artist Consultant • Business Mentor
Pay has been active in the music and entertainment industry for 25 years. Having a musician as a father put her in that scene at an early age. She’s been a studio and performing artist, hosted her own radio show and as a DJ, she released promotional mixtapes for artists.
As a music journalist, she has interviewed artists, DJ’s and producers such as Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Dwele, Little Dragon, Nas, Ne-Yo, Black Thought (The Roots), Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan), DJ Premier and Vince Staples. As well as important industry people such as Shanti Das (Silence The Shame), Claude Zdanow (Stadiumred) Nicki Farag (Def Jam) and Rob Stone (The Fader). Her resume also includes actors and comedians like Kevin Hart, Charlie Murphy, and Romany Malco. Her journalistic experience led to also being a host, moderator, and speaker at several international (music) festivals and conferences such as Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). This also landed her a seat on the Supervisory Board of The Melkweg, one of Amsterdam’s most known music venues. She is the host of Game Changers (presented by Team Beats), a live talk show where she dives into the influences and creative process of producers, and The Pay Check, an online show focused on the culture, through talks with different creative guests who share knowledge, information and stories.
Having a background that includes marketing degrees, in combination with having worked in different areas of the music industry, she has built an entire network consisting of artists, managers, labels, booking/talent agencies and more. Because of this diversity and the expertise that she has built over the years, she is able to advise artists and help them strategically brand their name and art. She is Head of Curriculum and professor of Music Business studies and mentors as well at several academies and music institutes, helping students by giving them the right tools for their starting music careers. Pay also manages several artists and creative talents
How do I release music? How do I find the right label? What should I consider when working on collaborations? These are examples of questions that artists often have but don’t have the answers to. Pay provides help regarding releasing your music, dealing with labels, collaborations, and other related topics. Being a bridge between the US market and the rest of the world puts her in a position to connect different artists, producers and songwriters from all over the world and tap into audiences outside of your own territory.
How do I promote my name and music? How do I get more shows or get my song played on the radio or TV? Nowadays there are so many ways to put yourself out there. It is important to understand when the right time is and what the right channels are, for you, in order to make a significant impact, in between all of the competition. Pay can help you put together a strategy for branding your name and music.
Having expanded her network into other creative industries such as Film & TV, she also helps other creative artists aside from musicians, with strategising for their career and expanding their network. Being able to structurize, strategize and maximize through a detailed plan, is her expertise.
Do I need a manager? How do I find the right manager? How do I handle certain business inquiries? When you don’t have a manager, it is important to conduct yourself in a professional manner. Working with a structure and knowing how to handle difficult situations or negotiations can be the difference between becoming successful or not. Pay helps creatives establish if or when they need a manager. She can also provide help with structuring their business affairs such as dealing with accounting, contracts, deals, how to handle and negotiate for bookings etc.
Her years of journalistic experience expands to being a host, presenter and moderator at several international (music) festivals and conferences such as Amsterdam Dance Event ((ADE)). Doing the research, knowing how to make artists feel comfortable and relating to the audience as a fan myself, makes it easy for Pay to smoothly flow through a Q&A between an artist and their fans. Having been around high level industry players, has her connecting on their level one on one, making for great conversations with valuable information and knowledge for the audience.
Having 25 years of experience in the music and entertainment industry, Pay is able to share her knowledge and expertise through panels at conferences and festivals, or through workshops.
Pay offers a Music Business Course, tailored to your needs. The course offers masterclasses consisting of different important industry subjects with the needed knowledge and information for artists, as well as anyone who is looking to take on a professional role in the music industry. She has implemented and taught this course at several music academies and institutions, creative foundations and studios around the world. If you or your business is interested in more information about this course, feel free to send an email.
For all bookings or for more information please use the contact form.
“I have been fortunate enough to work with Pay for the past 4 years now. She is a committed and enthusiastic manager who has fulfilled various roles in my life, including being a big sister, momager, and even a friend to vent to. Pay is known for her quick responses and hands-on approach, which makes working with her very easy and time-efficient. Despite her swiftness, Pay is still very meticulous and detail-oriented. Collaborating with her has helped me improve the quality and reach of my work, as well as secure collaborations with renowned artists. Thanks to Pay’s global network, I received invaluable advice from well-respected music industry professionals.”
“Over the years Pay has become an important part of our moderating team at international hip-hop conference ADE Beats. If you are looking for a professional to host your Q&A’s and panels, you definitely want to roll with Pay. She is an experienced journalist and interviewer and always goes the extra mile, and knows how to keep conversations lively and on track and engage the audience as well. Also, she is a very social person and cool to be with, so if you have the opportunity to work with her, go for it.”
“Sound Education has had very good experiences with Pay Kolmus. What was immediately noticeable from the start was the good communication and the thorough preparation for her masterclass with us. This resulted in a well-structured evening that fitted in perfectly with our other lesson program and thus proved to be a valuable addition for the students. In addition, there was very good interaction between Pay and our students that continued even after the masterclass. Very happy with our choice for this sincere, honest and professional lady!”
“Pay has been a joy to collaborate with, in helping the Ivy Chanel Music Academy’s students learn the tips and skills that enhanced their music careers as independent and recording artists. In addition, she shared her wisdom, insight, knowledge, and experiences as a manager and consultant for many years in the music industry, which helped guide the students on their musical journey. I recommend that others hire Pay as a consultant and team member, as she brings professionalism and knowledge. As an Artist, she has helped me create strategies and execute my plans for three audio-musical art projects (singles and EP) that were successfully launched to the world. Not only she’s a colleague, but I call her a sister who genuinely loves people to live their passion and win.”
“Pay is my manager, my friend, my big sister, and even my therapist at times. I’m just thankful to have her as my teammate. I’m a person that believes ‘Everything Happens For A Reason’ and I truly believe that’s the case with Pay or PK as I call her, becoming my manager. She has made so much happen for me in such a short time and I’m looking forward to all the success we have together. She truly has your best interests in mind and wants it as bad if not badder than you do. I thank God for her and I’m happy to have her in my corner! #SSM”
“Pay is someone who is incredibly kind, and understanding. Initially when we met it was via IG Live with her interviewing me to understand my footprint in the music industry. At this time I was figuring out my next direction into the next phase of my career, in which we both kept in contact quite frequently. Through all of my crazy experiences that she knows about she continued to inspire, motivate, and help me in any way she could. She saw greatness, and strength in me that other people didn’t see which made me respect her even more. Moving forward she is now an official team member of my squad Humble Sound Music Group. Thank You Pay for all that you do for me.”
“Pay is incredibly patient, understanding and perceptive. When I met her I had no intentions of furthering my music career. I hadn’t even written in 2 years. But she still took the time to understand who I was, where I was coming from and where I hoped to be. She saw greatness in me where I’d long forgotten it existed. It’d be a whole year of conversation before we even put pen to paper, and then another 3 months or so before I even started writing again. That’s Paytience, and also why I believe her when she says that we’re gonna do things right, rather than rush.”