Today we’d like to introduce you to Bree Petrillo.
Hi Bree, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been involved with music my whole life – I think I joined my first band when I was 13. I went on to complete two degrees – Music Production and Engineering and Songwriting – at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
I had visited Raleigh a few times during my college career and really fell in love with the music coming out of North Carolina. To this day I think North Carolina has the best music scene I have ever experienced, and I have been all over the US and beyond.
After completing school in 2017 I moved here to pursue a job at a record label and cycled through so many different positions in the music industry since then – from tour managing to audio engineering to managing festival stages.
I got a job at an artist management firm and started channeling my past experience in the music industry into this very specialized field. During this time I started to build a deeper connection with my own creative community and I felt very inspired to start my own boutique music agency that centered the work of traditionally marginalized artists in an effort to bring more diversity to the Triangle and beyond. Now I have a small but mighty team at Black Cat Music Agency that specializes in booking, marketing, and most importantly artist management.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not! Being an artist manager means that you wear lots of hats, and most of your job is problem solving. Whether it is a broken down tour van, a flooded music festival, or an airline losing all of a band’s equipment, these things happen and you have to learn to be cool under any circumstances.
One of my mentors always used to say “It’s not heart surgery, it’s just rock n’ roll”.
Aside from the logistical challenges of the job, this can be a fairly lonely field to be in if you are a woman. Most artist managers, tour managers, label and production staff, and the musicians themselves tend to be men. At this stage in my career I have been able to seek out other women who are doing really inspiring things in management and other fields in music and I feel that it is important to build those connections as much as possible.
We’ve been impressed with Black Cat Music Agency, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Black Cat Music Agency (BCMA) is a boutique music agency based in Raleigh, NC, focused on artist management, booking, and marketing. We got our start in 2019 as a group of musicians and industry folks who saw a need in our local scene — and it’s grown into something much bigger. These days, we help shape lineups for festivals around the country and support our artists in building long, meaningful careers.
At BCMA, we’re passionate about working with women, LGBTQ+ and BIPOC artists, and other creatives from underrepresented communities. We put a lot of care into making sure our shows, tours, and events are as accessible and inclusive as possible — always thinking about the real, evolving needs of the people who come out to support live music.
We also love giving back to our North Carolina community. Each year, we donate a portion of our proceeds to a nonprofit chosen by our artists. Right now, we’re proud to be partnered with Musicians for Overdose Prevention.
I love that we bring much needed diversity and inclusion to stage in North Carolina and beyond. I am also proud that we try and make our shows as accessible as possible to people who are differently abled, and prioritize working with venues who are ADA compliant. At all of our merch tables free ear plugs are easily accessible, and we have worked with ASL interpreters during shows whenever possible. We also have a big emphasis on giving back to our community and often bring on non profit partners who benefit from fundraising during shows we work on. I want people to know that a BCMA show is a safe space, and that care has been put into the lineup on the stage as well as your experience as an attendee.
Really my greatest achievement has been the roster of artists that I am so fortunate to work with. It is an honor and a really special bond that you build with a musician when you are assisting them with their art and their career on such a deep level. The work they do and the joy it brings to people is really indescribable. I was inspired to work with all of the artists on BCMA’s roster – Babe Haven, Bev Rage & the Drinks, BANGZZ & Rhinestone Pickup Truck – because they make music that makes people feel more seen and accepted. I think that is the through line that connects them all.
Most of the time when I am at a show for one of my artists or a show that BCMA has produced, I watch the crowd. There is nothing better than watching people connect with the music and escape from the weight of life even if it is just for a few hours. Seeing that and feeling that energy makes everything worth it.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a very outgoing kid and was always on stage whether it was in theatre, choir, orchestra or playing as many battle of the bands as me and my friends could enter. I was really lucky to grow up in an environment where my mom always encouraged me to be creating something – whether that was music, writing, or visual art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blackcatmusicagency.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackcatmusicagency/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackcatmusicagency/
