Fantasy Records was created in 1949 in San Francisco on the foundation of essential American soul, blues, jazz, and rock. Throughout American music culture, Fantasy has built a legacy and a history that still represents innovative creativity, fearless vision, and a fierce sense of independence.
Record making and music marketing at the legendary label remain both audacious and modern, and we met the label's senior marketing manager, Gulce Turek, who spoke with us about her career path, work experience, mission and the artists she represents.
A long-time music industry professional, Gulce Turek started out at festivals and clubs, becoming an award-winning marketing mind for Fantasy Records/Concord Music.
In Istanbul, where Gulce grew up, her first gig in the industry was a Reggae Festival. She went on to work in the local industry as an Artist Assistant and as an Events Coordinator. Upon moving to Los Angeles in 2012, Gulce Turek's career took another turn when she was offered an internship with Fantasy Records, a Concord Music division. The company hired her soon after, as Label Coordinator. “I had certain creative ideas for our releases but I didn't have enough access to be a full on marketer as the label coordinator. I wanted to be involved with the release process at a higher level.”
Since 2021, Gulce Turek has been the senior marketing manager at Fantasy Records, handling campaigns from artists in development to the biggest mainstream artists signed on the label. Here’s how she works:
“I work as a product manager to build and execute marketing plans around artist development and Music/Video releases. My main job is to play the manager role at the label side, and oversee the entire process of music release from the moment of internal delivery through street date. This includes building timelines around the release, working with the Art team on the design of the package, decision making in the video creation process, and collaborating with the following departments from a marketing standpoint: Radio Promotion, Sales, Streaming (Digital Streaming Platform relations), International Marketing/Sales, Licensing, Advertising and Publicity. I also collaborate with various content teams (Art, Video, Digital etc) in creating marketing tools for our projects.” explains Gulce.
Gulce had a lead role in marketing Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats' self-titled and sophomore albums, which were gold-certified on both album and single levels.
Another recent project for Gulce Turek was the release of a double live album by the Irish band Kodaline, a band that has over a billion streams under their belt. She worked on the campaign as follows:
“They're an Irish band with over a billion streams, and the live album consisted of some of their most successful songs but in a non-produced, intimate live setting.
We have used many social media tools as well as mailers to engage fans and tell the band's story of reimagining these songs. Previously the band has felt the pressure to deliver highly produced songs that fit in a certain box, and our album has marked the first ever record where they have felt the creative freedom. We have filmed a series of content to promote the album.
The band is currently on a three month long European tour in support of the release. It's definitely a fan piece and so far fans have been really enjoying the acoustic versions of the band's most beloved songs.”
Gulce Turek and her team are already working on 2023 releases. According to her, finding entry points for new fans is the most enjoyable part of her marketing job. The music should be relatable to people in their own way and musicians must be able to express themselves creatively.
Fantasy Records’ current artist roster includes : Tanya Tucker, Steve Perry, James Taylor, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Allison Russell, Paul Simon, L.S. Dunes, Seether, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Valerie June, Grace Potter, Lake Street Dive, Devon Gilfillian, Avi Kaplan, Kodaline, Natalie Hemby, Andrea von Kampen, Rachel Bobbitt, Layla Tucker, Gov’t Mule, and BAILEN.
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