Noelle Chesnut Whitmore - Goldenvoice, Festival Marketing Manager ; Founder, More In Music
Noelle and I met while we both worked for The Recording Academy. At the time, I was working for The GRAMMY Foundation on GRAMMY Camp, and Noelle was working in awards. Even after we both went on to work elsewhere, we remained friends, and eventually became colleagues when some years later, I began my current role at AEG Presents. Noelle and I were able to grab some time in between the chaos of festival season prep to chat about her career journey, her organization More In Music, and the future of Black Women in Music.
Getting Started
In the beginning of her career, Noelle didn’t know that many of the functions she was performing were marketing. While in college, Noelle oversaw her student production board, booking and producing concerts and events on campus. As part of the event cycle, she would have to promote shows with the overall goal of getting students to purchase tickets and come to the events taking place. As that passion evolved, she eventually partnered with her cousin Jordan and a group of promoters to produce a concert in their native Inland Empire, California.
The concert was Drake and Trey Songz during a time when both were on the rise. It was 2009 and Drake had a popular mixtape, “So Far Gone,” and he had also appeared on Trey Songz popular song “Invented Sex.” The idea to produce the concert grew from a desire to put together a concert that Noelle and her friends would want to attend. After securing a location, and finding the contact information for Trey Songz management team through some good ol’ internet research, the newly minted concert producer (Noelle) and the collective she had formed, pooled their money together to secure a deposit for Trey Songz, and the other artists that they eventually booked for the show. YG and Miguel were also artists that were booked for the show, and the icing on the cake was securing Drake as a surprise guest. Producing the concert has been one of the highlights of Noelle’s career so far. Even though the collective lost a bunch of money producing the concert, it prompted Noelle to think that the next time she did something of this scale, it’d be with someone else’s money.
““I think the beautiful part of being able to work on this project, was being able to work on something that I grew up with my childhood. Being able to have the experience of working on something I had been around my whole life.””
Working With Artists
As her career continued to grow and evolve following the Drake and Trey Songz concert, the common thread in Noelle’s career thus far, has been her work with artists. Whether that be working at The Recording Academy (GRAMMYs), shortly after finishing school, as a production assistant for GRAMMY Week events and in the Awards department, or her current role as a Festival Marketing Manager at Goldenvoice.
In her current role, she has been able to work on some of the most recognized festivals in the world, including Coachella and Stagecoach. It was during the 2019 Coachella festival that Noelle experienced what she now considers to be her top career highlight (so far) — helping produce Kanye West’s Sunday Service at Coachella on Easter Sunday. What began as a focus on the marketing components of bringing the program to Coachella, quickly grew an opportunity to serve as a liaison between the Sunday Service team and Goldenvoice. Focusing on fulfilling artist relation needs and event logistics, Noelle was able to draw from her artist-centered experiences to work on a project that was in many ways familiar to her as someone who grew up around gospel music and the culture that surrounds it.
More In Music
Founded by Noelle in 2019, More In Music is an organization that grew out of the desire to build legacy and create ownership. With the mindset of how she can use her gifts to be of service to others, educate young people on the importance of hard work, history, God and overcoming obstacles while fusing her passion for music and giving back. The centerpiece of the program’s offerings include quarterly speaking panels during which attendees can hear from a variety of music industry professionals about their journey and experiences in the music industry.
The organization has grown immensely, and this month (February), will be its one-year anniversary. Noelle credits her team for helping her bring the mission of More In Music to life.
Black Women In Music
When asked about the current state of Black Women in music, Noelle noted that there is a lot more visibility in this area compared to what there had been, even a few years ago. With rise of the Black Girl Magic movement, among other key moments, it has been exciting and inspiring to her and to Black Women as a whole.
Looking towards the future, she states that the focus should be on educating the next generation and introducing them to a variety of career paths. Noelle hopes to see an increase of “fierce amazing black women in a bunch of different spaces in the music industry.”
