Melanie McClain

Melanie McClain is a cultural strategist, music programming executive, and founder of Blurred Lines, a platform that uses verified attendance data to track real world participation in music, nightlife, and other cultural spaces. 

She began her career in music journalism and PR, helping break G-Eazy while still in college. Over the past 15 years, she has worked across artist management, A&R, editorial, digital strategy, and community building, creating systems that spotlight the people shaping culture before AI and the algorithms catches up. Her previous roles include the first full time publishing A&R at Secretly Group, Head of Community at the web3 creator loyalty platform P00LS, Head of Digital Culture at Sean Parker’s Cantina (formerly Airtime), Experiential Music Manager at Budweiser, and Staff Writer at Solange’s Saint Heron. 

In 2021, she was recognized as a Billboard Change Agent for diversifying Secretly Group’s publishing roster with Black and brown artists whose work earned Grammys and sync placements in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Euphoria, Insecure, Malcom & Marie, and the Sundance winning film, Ricky. 

Melanie has spoken at SXSW, NYFW, Amsterdam Dance Event, Reeperbahn, Permissionless, Music Biz, A2IM Indie Week, MONDO NYC, and universities including Princeton’s DeCenter.