Natasha VonCastle -The most sought out music marketers of our time!

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Some people are so scared; they don’t know that there are genuine people who actually want to see you succeed.”

She has a risk-taking mentality and a massive love for music. She is known for her excellent relationship building abilities and confidence, even when speaking to some of the largest music stars in the world. Her networking abilities have defined her success, and even when life has pushed her to her limits, she has maintained her motivation.

Music marketers are incredibly important players in the music industry, and there is no greater example of this than the Canadian music Queen, Natasha VonCastle. Even though the job of a music marketer is challenging and competitive, she has gone on to create an incredibly lucrative career.

Now working with the VP Records, the largest independent reggae label in the world, Natasha has promoted musical legends including: Beres Hammond, Alborosie, Romain Virgo, Jah Cure, Spice, Busy Signal, Jah9, Raging Fyah, Christopher Martin, and Ikaya. With her help, VP has worked with a broad array of reggae and dancehall artists releasing singles and EPs for:  Kabaka Pyramid, Gyptian, Queen Ifrica, Squash, Daddy1, Intence, Jahvillani and others.

Many people enter the business without fully understanding the demands of the job, so turnover and job burnout is high, but not with this superstar. Natasha has combined her passion for music with her education to propel musicians to stardom, and I thought that it was time that we give this fabulous lady her flowers. It is my pleasure to have you join me on a journey into the life of the incredible, sensational, and dynamic Natasha VonCastle

“I love this journey that I am on, and I want more of it.”

As she sat down in front of me, I couldn’t help but observe how strong her energy was. She took me back to the very beginning of her incredible inception.

“I was born in Toronto to two beautiful parents,” Natasha shares with me. “My mom is an opera singer, and my dad is a Soca entertainer, and a retired teacher. Music was always in the family.

I was introduced to Band Class, and my teacher suggested that I try the clarinet. I went and told my dad what my teacher said and played for him. This began my journey into music.”

When Natasha entered high school, her love for music was there, but something felt different. For her, the joy came from promoting musicians, not making the music herself.

“My dad (King Cosmos) was away performing, and the only way to channel my feelings of missing my father was promoting him. When he came back, he was surprised at how many people knew about his music. My mom filled my dad in on the promotion I did when he was on the road. 

There is something about that time of my life that stuck with me,” Natasha reminisces, Now, I look for artists who need the promotion. It comes from recognizing at a young age that I really missed my dad. I wasn’t mad at him because I got it. I knew why he was doing what he did; it was for the love of the music.

I learned at a young age how to redirect energy. Things were a little tough at home, and I ended up moving out at sixteen years old. I lived in my truth, and whenever I stepped out of my truth, it brought all kinds of negative energy. Caribbean parents have an idea in their minds about what they want their children’s future to look like, and for years I did things that did not bring me the same joy that promoting did. I noticed that whenever I came back to my centre, everything would come together. My spirit has always led me. I had to learn at a very young age to trust myself.”

“Say what you will, but there is a level of pride and respect that people feel knowing ‘you did it’ on your own. No handouts, no strings pulled, just you knocking on the door and handling business.”

In 2007, VP Records heard about the amazing talent that Natasha had become.

“I was the only woman doing email blasts to radio stations. I would take it to the next level by labelling the tracks that I sent to Dj’s and people were not doing that. I was also telling the story about the song. It was a unique style of promotion.

People started referring artists to me, and my list grew. Shane Brown, who was managing Bizzy, called me and asked me to do the same thing that I was doing for Riche Spice. I heard his voice, and I knew I had to work with him.

My list grew, and I started representing artists in Canada, Germany, France, the UK, and the United States. Bizzy started to get radio spins, and it took off from there. Money started to come in, artists started to notice the work that I was doing. Money kept coming in. I was like, God, are you serious right now.”

Natasha became the Executive Assistance to Michael Friisdahl, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and held a part-time retail job. Regardless, she kept her ear to the ground, and continued her work in the music industry.

“We were going through a recession, and things were hard, but things were going well for me. I began to travel, and I learned the tour side of things like how to route a tour. You don’t want an artist to be bouncing all over the place. I learned how artists have vices; I saw what artists could get into that is harmful.

L3 Magazine was born around that time. I wanted the DJ’s to be praised, and without them, the artist’s music would not be played.”

Natasha founded L3 Magazine in 2006, which at the time was the only publication in Canada that focused on the accomplishments of DJ’s and Sound Systems. The magazine was successful and grew quickly, expanding to include some of reggaes most notable talents: Buju Banton, Shaggy, and Chuck Fender are some of the talents featured in L3. What started with a few readers in Toronto grew to become thousands of faithful monthly readers from every country around the world.

“I went from being a single mother on Morningside Avenue to living on Yonge St, and now I travel from Toronto to New York, and all over the world doing what I love.”

Wow! I am so proud of her evolution. Her hard work, dedication, and ability to take risks makes Natasha VonCastle one of the most sought-after music marketers of our time.