Meet Nicolle Johnson | Music Clearance Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicolle Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicolle, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I started off working in the music industry. My first experience was at Universal Music Publishing Group in Los Angeles. I worked in different departments within the company. I took on whatever opportunities were available. Later, I landed a permanent position within the music clearance department. I learned everything I could about film and TV and all the ins and outs of the music industry itself. After nine years, I moved to Warner Chappell Music in Los Angeles.

Building a reliable network and excellent relationships with peers helped me grow an engaging platform and an extensive list of credits. The success of my brand is solely due to my integral work ethic. I am reliable and efficient, which makes me highly sought after in music clearance. An essential factor in running a successful business is being teachable; you don’t know everything, so ask questions; it’ll propel your career to new heights.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a music clearance consultant I clear and license music for television, film and digital media. Anytime you hear a song play on a television commercial, film or any type of public use, a company like mine had to negotiate and clear the rights for use of that particular song.

As the owner of NJ Music Clearance, what sets me apart is that I am personally available for client consults and highly knowledgeable about the music industry. I have worked as a music clearance consultant for many years and understand the ins and outs of this field.

I am most proud of being recommended and working with high-profile directors and networks, including Ava DuVernay, Netflix, Paramount, and HBO to name a few.

The journey to owning my own Music Clearance company didn’t come without its challenges. I worked to prove myself by working hard, learning as much as I could, and I remained humble throughout the process. During my acceleration to where I am now I learned to assert myself as an intelligent and knowledgeable music executive who earned her place in the industry.

I want the world to know that you can overcome any obstacle placed before you. Keep going, keep learning and keep growing. As a wife and mother finding balance in my everyday life can be a challenge in itself. However achieving harmony by creating stability in both my personal and professional life has helped me excel in my career.

If I can leave the world with anything its the legacy I’ve created as business owner. As the owner of NJ Music Clearance, I pride myself in being reliable, direct, and honest. Building quality relationships with music industry experts and potential and existing clients.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend was visiting me I would take them out around the city. I’m an outdoorsy kind of person, so anything that includes fresh air and picture worthy views is my kind of fun. We would start with an early morning hike at Runyon, where we can workout and snap selfies in front of the Hollywood hills and all of LA. After our hike, we would head home to freshen up then head out to grab brunch at one of the many cafe’s on Ventura, a few of my favorites being Blu Jam Cafe, Marmalade and Jinky’s Cafe. After brunch, we would run over to the Westfield Sherman oaks mall to go shopping and grab an outfit for the evening. After shopping we would go home to relax before going out for a nice dinner with friends at Mastros in Malibu or Ocean Prime.

On a different day, I would take my bestie to hike the canyons in Malibu which gives you views of the ocean. Then head to Melrose later to find some food and shop, once the sun sets we can go to the urban lights at lacma for more outdoor fun.

There’s just so much to do in LA. I’d want to take them to Sky’s Tacos on pico, they have some of the best tacos. Afterwards, we can visit Leimert Park to check out some of the African Art stores and listen to some live music.

Since Cali has the best Mexican food, we’d probably go to my favorite spots in the valley, Tequila’s Bar &Grill, Casa Vega, El Presidente, El Toritos or El Cholo’s, Don Antonio’s or La Serenata’s in LA. I could eat Mexican food everyday!!

Visiting restaurants is one of my favorite things to do, so our week would be filled with visiting new and old restaurants.

During my friends visit, we would take a trip to the Grove and shops in the area. We would also plan to visit Santa Monica pier to eat some really good seafood at Seaside on the Pier and ride some rides with the kids.

And Lastly, While my bestie was visiting, I would definitely take out a day or two for us to hang out with family and friends, I enjoy entertaining, so if the weather was warm enough I would invite some family and friends over to my dads house for a small pool party and bbq. Spending time with family and friends is the ultimate fun even if we’re just hanging out at house enjoying each others company.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
DMG Clearances has been an essential asset to my success within the music industry. I am grateful for the opportunities to work on high-profile projects with the DMG team.

Website: www.njmusicclearance.com

Instagram: NJ_musicllc

Linkedin: nicolledbate

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/nicolle.bate