Learning business the rock ‘n’ roll way, with Kate Hardcastle

Yorkshire-born TV business and consumer expert Kate Hardcastle MBE has launched a new platform uncovering the business secrets and insights behind the music industry.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Business sees Kate delve into her past career as a singer and music manager, when she toured the world and sang with stars like Martha Reeves and Candi Staton. She’s hit the road again (Covid-safely), to go behind the scenes at iconic musical landmarks like Abbey Road Studios, Wembley and over to Nashville, LA and New York, where she’s spent time with some of the industry’s most influential movers and shakers.

Learning the secrets of success from those both on and off stage, Kate hosts a series of fascinating interviews with insiders like Shep Gordon, on whom the Mike Myers movie Supermensch is based, hearing how he helped Alice Cooper break the UK by making ‘parents hate him’. Dolly Parton’s team shared with her the genius story behind her infamous 00’s career turnaround and she meets Nic Collins and his band Better Strangers to see how you go about launching a band when your father is already huge in the industry (Nic’s father is Phil Collins…).

The exclusive interviews are supported by Kate’s unique insights and analysis to help anyone in business take learnings and actions, whatever industry and organisation they operate in.

Kate says, “Not many people know about my first career as a singer and band manager and before I enjoyed some ‘pinch yourself’ moments with huge stars, playing in front of thousands, I spent my teenage years performing in smaller venues, including many social clubs and pubs across Yorkshire. For many years, I never truly realised just how much every moment of this shaped me as a leader and helped me achieve success in business.

There’s no rulebook in the music industry - you either make it or you don’t – but in this current time of change (and often uncertainty) affecting businesses of all shapes and sizes, there are so many lessons to learn from this fascinating industry, which is full of constant change and evolution.”