Ayo Adepoju

Name: Ayo Adepoju

Company: We Plug Good Music

Job Title: Music Publicist

Ayo Adepoju is the founder of WPGM PR (We Plug Good Music), a UK-based PR and publicity company that believes in the power of good music. We help artists promote, raise awareness and garner visibility for their music by getting their work featured and their stories told and amplified in the biggest music and culture publications, magazines and media outlets, some of which include Billboard, The FADER, Complex, i-D Magazine, MTV and Wonderland Magazine, among others. With over 10 years PR and media relations experience, we’ve provided successful press and publicity campaigns for the likes of Island Records, Warner Music, First Access, Platoon, OneRPM, emPawa, Marathon Artists and EMPIRE.

Question 1: Who would you say is someone pivotal to your journey so far?

I would have to say my wife (she was indeed with me shooting in the gym)

Question 2: Who would be your ideal mentor, and why?

Dr. Yvette Noel-Schure and Taponeswa Mavunga (very often, black music publicists tend to be seen as only being able to land specialist press (black press if you will), but these two women were among the first people in the industry to burst that myth in my eyes)

Question 3: What advice would you give the next Trailblazer looking to break into your field?

(1) You’re going to hear a lot of NOs but that’s just part of the game, don’t let it deter you from continuing to put your clients forward because you miss the shots you don’t take (2) Don’t be afraid to follow-up (a lot of success comes from that 2nd or even 3rd follow-up sometimes) but not within 24 hours though (3) It can be a thankless job sometimes, so do not go into this looking for praise or a tap on the shoulder (4) You’ve probably heard this one before and take it from me, it’s very easy to forget – it’s PR not ER

Question 4: Who would you like to spotlight as your Trailblazer?