Alexandra Ampofo is an entrepreneur and promoter at one of the UK's leading gig promoters, Metropolis Music, part of the conglomerate of live music giants, Live Nation Entertainment. She has worked on the shows and tours of some of the world’s leading talent’s such as; Ms Lauryn Hill, SiR, Nao, Mura Masa, Goldlink, Jordan Rakei, Ghetts. As well as up can coming talents, Kojey Radical, Etta Bond, Arlo Parks, Che Lingo and to name a few.
With over 7 years’ experience, Alexandra has been making her mark on the creative industry since she has a teenager. Founding Acoustic Live in 2013, an award-winning events company, dedicated to the manifestation of acoustic talent, she has since built a dedicated community and provided a powerful platform that offers artists a chance to flourish.
She has championed some of London's best musical talents through her event curating, from the likes of Little Simz and Tiana Major9, to JP Cooper, Samm Henshaw and many more. She has been instrumental in the growth and development of the acoustic scene within London. And recently co-founded Women Connect, a female focused collective creating safer, all-inclusive spaces, good fortune and equal opportunities for women in the creative industry.
With so much intrigue into her world, we felt it was time to sit down with her to find out more about what inspires her in the industry and what she hopes will change in the future.
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Hi Alexandra, how are you today?
Hi, I’m good thanks.
Can you tell us what first made you want to invest in a career in live music?
It was the lack of opportunities for young women of a similar demographic to me. I had to create a lot of avenues for myself and wanted to be in live music to hopefully open up that window of opportunities for people who were also passionate, but had no real way into the industry.
And what do you think is the key to putting on a great event?
Trial and error, there’s no blueprint. You have to work out what works for your audience. If you’re organising music events for senior citizens, you’re going to have different requirements to an event organised for 18 years olds. I think it’s important to do market research before curating an event so you know what elements are important to your potential market. Listen to your people!
What would you say has been your proudest moment in your current role?
My proudest moment was working on the SiR tour. I am a massive fan of him and to get to be a part of the team curating his live show was a dream come true. We turned around a whole event at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in a matter of days, that’s definitely something to shout about.
And what about your current plans? What are you hoping to achieve once the lockdown on live events is fully lifted?
I’m still trying to adjust to the new normal, I’d really like to incorporate the virtual experience into physical events more regularly. I have seen how immersive and creative people have made their virtual shows and I hope to think there are components that we can retain. Slightly off topic but I would also really like to go back to tap dancing when lockdown is fully lifted, I underestimated how much I relied on social aspects of my life!
And do you hope that there will be new reforms when the industry finally gets back on its feet?
Yes definitely. I always love to think about ways in which the live music industry might change in the next ten to twenty years. More needs to be done to protect independent venues, more needs to be done to promote up and coming female musicians on festival line ups and without subscribing to tokenism AND more needs to be done to improve racial equality within the industry. If the live industry survives this pandemic, it would be good to see it stripped bare to start rebuilding its values.
Finally, where are you hoping to be in the next five years?
Happiness is a destination and that’s where I hope to be in the next five years. Helping marginalised communities and underprivileged women through my companies Acoustic Live and Women Connect!