Kaylee Nieves went to work for Warner Music Group in spring of 2024 and Sony Music Entertainment the same spring.
By: Demori Louis
Sitting on the edge of the bed in her Staten Island home in November, anxiety made Kaylee Nieves write and rewrite her application to Warner Music Group, trying to break into the music marketing scene.
“I applied for the Warner Group Spring internship 2024. Before that, I had no music industry experience (even though I did have one social media internship),” Nieves said as she was waiting to hear back. “I honestly forgot about it, then I was accepted.”
Nieves got the privilege to work with artists like Paris Hilton, Nems, and Joey Valence. Nieves started as an intern, getting coffee and copying papers, slowly inching her way into meetings on how to do artist campaigns. As she gave input on how to convert social media engagement into real streams, she began to catch the ear of the marketing department. This led to an extension of the internship, causing Nieves to stay onboard Warner Music Group another six months. The office, located at 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, in the big city and due to Warner’s history, was at first intimidating to Nieves. Her shy, timid demeanor, she thought, would hinder her, but it made her approachable and seem humble.
“A big company like that, I expected the place to be unwelcoming and cold,” Nieves said. “But it was very professional and somewhat family-oriented, you know.”
Nieves’ peers didn’t hold her hand but guided her through how to present ideas to a mass audience—how to do elevator pitches, a technique to quickly tell someone why they should work with you. She also got a chance to experience first-hand what marketing is outside of the classroom. With these new skills, Nieves will be able to translate her knowledge into any aspect of marketing. Always seen with her headphones, music was the right path for her abilities and gaining experience.
The opportunity she received rarely comes to undergraduate students, especially from CSI. Most of her co-workers are NYU graduates whose resumes are far more accomplished, but Nieves saw the chance and took it. This led to everything she learned on campus being applied at her job while staying up-to-date with every current trend.
Nieves enjoys marketing, and her definition of marketing is connection—learning how to connect something to someone, an idea to something, and then weave it together. This journey through the music business side showed her how to network, which does not come naturally to her. Nieves is a self-proclaimed introvert, preferring to do her thing behind a screen rather than through in-person interaction.
This opportunity forced her to break out of her shell and chase her dreams. But through it, she ended up learning invaluable skills for life. She also enjoys listening to projects before anyone else and appreciates the work put into a campaign. She hopes to continue growing in this field and inspire others.
Finally, the advice she leaves for anyone interested in marketing is: “You are your worst enemy when you don’t put yourself out there.”
