Thoughts & Insights

Exploring the intersection of music, technology, leadership, and creative entrepreneurship. My thoughts on building sustainable careers in the digital age.

Confessions
General
Press
Development
Imbr
Songwriters
Music Publishing
Industry Trends
Music Industry
AI
Rights Management
Industry Insights
PROs
29 posts found

Featured Posts

I've launched a Podcast!
Development
Jan 07, 2026
I've launched a Podcast!

Conversations about purpose, identity, and the messy middle for people navigating change or burnout.

What the Death Industry Taught Me About the Music Business
Confessions
Oct 24, 2025
What the Death Industry Taught Me About the Music Business

On legacy, empathy, and the quiet business of what remains

Adventures in Vibe Coding
Imbr
Aug 20, 2025
Adventures in Vibe Coding

From experimentation born out of necessity, here's my journey (so far) into the mind blowing - and sometimes mind-boggling - world of Vibe Coding!

All Posts

I've launched a Podcast!
Development
Jan 07, 2026
I've launched a Podcast!

Conversations about purpose, identity, and the messy middle for people navigating change or burnout.

 Jump.Global Helped Me Find My Centre Again
Development
Nov 19, 2025
Jump.Global Helped Me Find My Centre Again

Why everyone should go to Jump Global Summit 2026!

An Excerpt from My Forthcoming Book, 12 Steps to Success: Finding Your Purpose
Development
Oct 31, 2025
An Excerpt from My Forthcoming Book, 12 Steps to Success: Finding Your Purpose

Lessons on Hope from my Mum

Leadership
Development
What the Death Industry Taught Me About the Music Business
Confessions
Oct 24, 2025
What the Death Industry Taught Me About the Music Business

On legacy, empathy, and the quiet business of what remains

The CEO as Content Creator (and Why That Terrifies Me)
General
Oct 07, 2025
The CEO as Content Creator (and Why That Terrifies Me)

Apparently, it’s not enough to run a company anymore, you have to narrate the experience while you’re doing it. Leadership is now a live performance.

Welcome コンフェッションズ音楽出版
Confessions
Sep 24, 2025
Welcome コンフェッションズ音楽出版

Launching Confessions Music Publishing Japan

It Shouldn’t Take a Breakdown
Development
Sep 02, 2025
It Shouldn’t Take a Breakdown

What happens when culture that has normalised 'collapse' as entertainment and how to we come back from this to genuinely care again?

The Untapped Power of Scripted TV
General
Aug 27, 2025
The Untapped Power of Scripted TV

A deep dive into music-driven TV shows. Not just the ones that use music as wallpaper, but the ones where music is the story; and what would it take to create more of these shows, and make them globally sustainable?

Adventures in Vibe Coding
Imbr
Aug 20, 2025
Adventures in Vibe Coding

From experimentation born out of necessity, here's my journey (so far) into the mind blowing - and sometimes mind-boggling - world of Vibe Coding!

Breaking Borders: What J-Pop Can Learn from K-Pop’s Global Playbook
General
Aug 13, 2025
Breaking Borders: What J-Pop Can Learn from K-Pop’s Global Playbook

Japan produces world-class music, with songwriting, production, and performance standards equal to any major market, but has not translated that into consistent global presence. It’s a music industry built for domestic dominance, treating the rest of the world as optional - while neighbouring South Korea, with a market a third the size, has spent the last 20 years building an export machine

Industry Insights
SESAC’s $889M Debt Raise: What It Signals for Strategy, Restructuring, and Stakeholders
Confessions
Aug 06, 2025
SESAC’s $889M Debt Raise: What It Signals for Strategy, Restructuring, and Stakeholders

SESAC has just executed one of the most ambitious capital moves we’ve seen in the music services space to date. Through a whole-business securitisation, the company has raised $889 million in senior notes, bringing its total debt load to approximately $1.1 billion.

Music Publishing
Rights Management
AI Isn't the Apocalypse. It's Just the Music Industry Doing What It Always Does
Imbr
Jul 30, 2025
AI Isn't the Apocalypse. It's Just the Music Industry Doing What It Always Does

Everyone's got an opinion on AI right now. Panic. Outrage. Wild optimism. Deep fear. And understandably so as the pace of development is staggering, and the implications for creativity, authorship, and income are massive.

Technology
AI
The Indie Illusion
Confessions
Jul 23, 2025
The Indie Illusion

As the Majors Consolidate Power, What Does “Independent” Even Mean Anymore?

Music Industry
Industry Trends
12 Steps to Success Book 2 - Coming Soon!
Development
Jul 16, 2025
12 Steps to Success Book 2 - Coming Soon!

Book Two Is Coming: From Leadership to Purpose, and Why the Next Chapter Matters Even More

Leadership
Development
Bring Back the Middle-Class Songwriter; Reinvented, Not Forgotten
Confessions
Jul 11, 2025
Bring Back the Middle-Class Songwriter; Reinvented, Not Forgotten

In the so-called “glory days” of the music industry, there was room for the middle-class songwriter. These writers were a creative force who weren’t famous, but could make a sustainable living writing album tracks, contributing to niche projects, or landing syncs in ads and TV. They weren’t household names, but they were the engine of musical diversity and innovation. Today, that space has all but vanished. The industry has shifted towards extremes: chart-topping stars at the top, struggling independents at the bottom, and a vast void in between.

Songwriters
Music Publishing
The Future of AI Can’t Come at the Cost of Human Creativity
General
Mar 25, 2025
The Future of AI Can’t Come at the Cost of Human Creativity

There’s been a lot of noise lately around the UK government’s stance on AI – and I’ve got to be honest, it’s completely understandable why it has raised some serious alarm bells with all of us in the creative industries. Not because we’re against progress or scared of tech (this couldn’t be further from the truth), but because it feels like our rights and the rights of the incredibly talented creators that we get the honour to work with – the very core of what makes creativity valuable – are being treated as collateral damage in the race to lead the AI arms race.

Music Industry
AI
Eric Mackay of Imbr and Confessions Music on Knowing Your Value
Press
Feb 18, 2025
Eric Mackay of Imbr and Confessions Music on Knowing Your Value

"2 Minutes With..." series

Staying Sane and Sober during the Holidays
Press
Dec 20, 2024
Staying Sane and Sober during the Holidays

Tools to tackle the peer pressure around the holidays

Former Warner Chappell exec Eric Mackay reveals new venture Imbr
Press
Nov 01, 2022
Former Warner Chappell exec Eric Mackay reveals new venture Imbr

Imbr Announcement

Departing Warner Chappell
Press
Sep 01, 2021
Departing Warner Chappell
SheSaidSo: Alternative Power 100 List 2020
Press
Dec 11, 2020
SheSaidSo: Alternative Power 100 List 2020
Billboard: 40 Under 40
Press
Nov 05, 2020
Billboard: 40 Under 40
Billboard: Pride List 2020
Press
Jun 12, 2020
Billboard: Pride List 2020
Billboard: Digital Power Players 2019
Press
Nov 18, 2019
Billboard: Digital Power Players 2019
Billboard: Digital Power Players 2018
Press
Nov 12, 2018
Billboard: Digital Power Players 2018
Eric Mackay Appointed EVP Global Digital Strategy Warner/Chappell
Press
Oct 26, 2017
Eric Mackay Appointed EVP Global Digital Strategy Warner/Chappell

Warner/Chappell Music has appointed Eric Mackay to lead its global digital strategy and team

SheSaidSo: Alternative Power 100 List 2017
Press
Mar 08, 2017
SheSaidSo: Alternative Power 100 List 2017
Warner Chappell promotes Eric Mackay to VP of Digital EMEA and Asia Pacific
Press
Sep 19, 2016
Warner Chappell promotes Eric Mackay to VP of Digital EMEA and Asia Pacific
Eric Mackay appointed Head Of Digital, Europe at Warner/Chappell
General
Apr 15, 2015
Eric Mackay appointed Head Of Digital, Europe at Warner/Chappell