Eve Norman

Our Music Business and Entrepreneurship alumna Eve Norman has kicked off her career in the music industry with the brilliant independent record label Mute Records. 

Set up in 1978 by Daniel Miller, Mute has been a bastion of all things independent and leftfield in the music industry. 

Artists on its roster range from the likes of Erasure, A Certain Ratio and Sonic Youth’s guitarist Lee Ranaldo to newer acts including HAAi. 

Eve initially took on a role as Label Assistant and has now been promoted to Label Coordinator. This role sees her working across the label's Art & Production, Marketing and A&R departments, on everything from managing our release schedule, to booking mastering sessions and vinyl cuts, and project managing campaigns. 

What led you to ICMP to study in the first place?

I studied music performance at college but I always naturally fell into the supporting roles round releasing and performing. I heard about ICMP via a friend and it felt like a good opportunity to move to the hub of the industry and to strengthen my skills and knowledge in those supporting roles.

What were your ambitions when you began? 

Honestly, my ambition was just to learn more about the industry, but I was always drawn to promotion and live music.

As I learned about the scope of areas that you could possibly sneak employment in, I became very open to where I might end up."

What was the most important thing you learned about the industry from your time at ICMP?

One of the things that stuck with me the most was simply the concept of viewing artist careers in a stepping stone format. I think it’s very easy to get warped perception of artists just blowing up and approaching it from that mindset really helped to create a healthier outlook on how I could help build sustainable careers. 

What is the most exciting part of working with such a prestigious record label? 

The most exciting part for me is when we have an artist in to talk about a project.

I love hearing about the creative processes and getting an insight into the stories behind a record. With Mute having such an eclectic roster those conversations are always so different and interesting, and love listening back to the record after those conversations with a much more informed ear."

Ken Foreman, ICMP's Associate Dean and Programme Leader of the Music Business and Entrepreneurship degree, said: "Mute Records has a great track record for developing young people who then go onto greater things. Eve will be mentored closely by inspirational people and should get exactly what she wants out of it."

During her time with ICMP, Eve studied closely with tutor Jamie Johnston. 

Eve said: "I’m so incredibly appreciative of Jamie as throughout the course and his words of encouragement and feedback, it was fundamental to understanding my ability."

Jamie Johnston, said: "Eve has always been extremely dedicated to the course and her career path. Her consistent hard work, diligence and self-management made her the perfect candidate for this role."

Mute is a fiercely independent music company, with a rich heritage of diverse and successful acts such as Depeche Mode, Moby, New Order and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. This makes it an exciting place to start her career in the industry and we wish her every future success."

Congratulations to Eve on her latest role at Mute.

Watch the video below with Eve filmed during her time at ICMP: