Ilya Zinger is a Brooklyn-based music industry marketing consultant with over 15 years of experience spanning independent label operations, artist and label development, global campaign strategy, and client services. He has built his career working closely with artists, management teams, and labels at some of the most respected companies in the independent music world, including Nettwerk Music Group, AWAL (Kobalt Music Group), and Secretly Group.
At Nettwerk, Ilya served as Sr. Marketing Manager, leading integrated campaigns for priority artists across digital, social, paid media, radio, PR, and physical channels. He partners closely with artists and their teams on platform strategy, audience development, and release planning, while managing cross-functional teams and overseeing campaign budgets from brief through post-release.
Prior to Nettwerk, Ilya spent nearly four years at AWAL as Director of Artist & Label Development, where he worked as the primary strategic partner for a portfolio of independent artists and labels within Kobalt's investor-backed ecosystem. There, he developed bespoke marketing strategies, advised clients on DSP and platform adoption, managed marketing budgets, and leveraged Kobalt's proprietary analytics platform to drive data-informed decision making for his clients.
Earlier in his career, Ilya spent six years at Secretly Group as a Project Manager, where he owned end-to-end campaign execution for priority artists, oversaw physical production across vinyl, CD, and other formats, managed agency relationships, and helped run the day-to-day operations of the label. It was there that he developed his deep appreciation for the independent music ethos and the craft of supporting great art with transparency and care.
Ilya holds a B.A. in Management of Musical Enterprises from Baruch College and completed all graduate coursework toward an M.A. in Musicology and Ethnomusicology at Brooklyn College. His academic background in music history and culture informs the thoughtfulness and depth he brings to every project.
"Ilya understands music in a way few project managers have. He is an empathetic, understanding, and hard working leader who is passionate about the projects he works on. He instills an honest confidence throughout a release cycle that is refreshing to experience in this industry. He adapted to my idiosyncrasy but was firm when he believed something was the right path. And above all, he’s easy to get along with. I would recommend. "(Harmless - Artist)
