Photo by Nishant Gita
Rufy Ghazi is a seasoned music business professional with deep experience in product management, digital operations, and research. A Tech Nation alumna and Abbey Road REDD mentor, she has held key roles at companies like ByteDance (TikTok) and Amra (Kobalt Music Group), alongside fractional roles at several music tech startups.
She is the co-author of PROMPT for Musicians, a practical guide to AI language models for artists and industry professionals. Her research work includes the "Third UK Electronic Music Industry Report" for NTIA and "Sound Investments", the first in-depth mapping of the UK music tech ecosystem for Music Technology UK.
Rufy has written for publications like Billboard, where she explores AI’s role in music production, marketing, and operations, and Attack Magazine, where she tackled the economic realities facing DJs today.
Her recent speaking engagements include Slush, Eurosonic, IMS, and WISE, where she continues to advocate for ethical innovation and a more sustainable, equitable music industry. Passionate about the intersection of music, technology, and innovation, Rufy’s work is driven by a commitment to meaningful change.
You’ve worked across major platforms like TikTok and Kobalt, as well as early-stage music tech startups. What’s one key difference in how innovation happens at each level?
In bigger companies, innovation is about scale. They have the money, the talent, and the market recognition but innovation is often shaped by pre-existing infrastructure and is hence slow. Startups, on the other hand, are where the edge lives. Bootstrapping, tough conditions, but huge ambition. Their reach exceeds their resources, which forces creativity. Ironically, the smaller the company, the bigger the ideas. And that’s where real disruption begins.
You co-authored PROMPT for Musicians. What’s the most practical way artists can start using AI tools like ChatGPT in their day-to-day right now?
My mentor, David Boyle, with whom I co-authored the book, makes a great analogy - he says LLMs are like an electric bike for your mind, you still steer, but you get to your destination faster. Artists can use AI where it lightens the cognitive load: drafting press releases, generating promo ideas, writing emails, or even sketching a track layout.
They can explore tools such as Just 4 Noise, DAACI, and Delphos AI (from saving artists from doom scrolling through sample packs to providing compositional support tools) like these exemplify how AI is being deployed to enhance creativity. The magic happens when you treat AI as a collaborator, not a replacement; something you iterate with, not offload to.
For teams working on AI-powered music tools, what ethical questions should they be thinking about from day one?
Rufy Ghazi at WISE 2025
Two questions and both pertain to how the models have been trained. Firstly, whose voices does this model amplify, and who does it erase? Bias exists in code and we can’t let AI undo years of work on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Secondly, are creators fairly credited and compensated if their work is used to train the system?
Ethics isn’t a box to tick; it’s a design principle. We need to make sure we're using tools that follow these basic ethical guidelines. I encourage you to do the research and pick the companies that have taken the right approach, especially when choosing generative AI creation tools. Fairly Trained is one such organisation that certifies AI companies for the fair sourcing of training data.
You led research on the Third UK Electronic Music Industry Report. What’s one key takeaway from the findings that more music professionals need to hear?
What struck me most is how innovative this scene already is, even the live sector, which is often the last to evolve. From curation to tech adoption, artists, promoters, and venues are doing the work.
The sector has always been deeply DIY, resourceful, and entrepreneurial, but unfortunately, underfunded compared to other creative industries; it lacks the structural support. Diversification of revenue streams is the strategy for sustaining and thriving in this climate. Promoters need to think beyond ticket sales, and DJs need to think beyond just playing a few shows
How can data and research more directly support things like funding, policy, and equity in the music industry?
Data is a bridge; it connects lived experience with action. Research gives legitimacy to what marginalised voices have been saying for years, but lacked the resources to prove. A great example is The Jaguar Foundation’s report on gender representation in UK dance music.
Whether it’s analysing user behaviour to prove the effectiveness of the product or highlighting the economic impact of electronic music on the UK economy, good data turns anecdote into advocacy. But it also has to be accessible not just for policymakers and company CEOs, but for the communities and all stakeholders involved. Data should empower, not gatekeep.
What advice would you give music tech founders trying to solve real problems for artists and rights-holders?
Two things: First, start with listening, not coding. I can’t stress this enough: the best tools in this space come from founders who treat artists as co-creators, not “end users.”
Second, we need more product thinking in this space. Coming from a product background, it genuinely pains me when founders say they don’t have a dedicated product manager in the team. Fundraising, marketing, PR, none of that matters if the product doesn’t solve a problem grounded in reality and can’t scale sustainably. Focus on building something useful, not just fundable.
Photo by Cxrryboi x DnBIndia BLRMassive
Outside of your strategy work, you’re also a DJ. How does DJing influence your perspective on product?
There’s a direct link. DJing teaches you to be present, reading energy shifts, trying things out live and responding in real time. That’s also how one can approach product. You build, observe, and iterate.
Whether you’re planning a timely drop or building a new feature, if it doesn’t move someone even metaphorically, it’s not doing its job (damnnn, I should trademark this!!).
We remember how passionate you are about drum & bass and it’s been amazing to see the genre’s global resurgence. Why do you think it’s connecting so strongly with new audiences right now?
Honestly, I don’t think drum & bass ever left. But yes, it’s having a moment and rightly so. I recently researched the genre for BPI, and some of those insights were included in the 2025 IMS report.
It’s incredible to see a UK-born genre become truly global. People connect with it because it is unapologetically intense. In a world where everything’s filtered and flattened, D&B feels raw, real, complex and emotional. And sonically, it’s flexible—there’s space for jazz, soul and more. I think D&B will always resonate with people.
In your article for Attack Magazine you discovered that only 1.6% of DJs have five or more gigs lined up. That stat really challenges how we think about success in electronic music. What patterns stood out to you while analysing this data? What do you think artists and industry professionals need to take from it?
What stood out was the disconnect between the visibility of electronic music as a booming industry and the lived experience of most DJs. The numbers show it clearly: success is hyper-concentrated. Technology has made it easier than ever to enter, but the number of opportunities hasn’t grown at the same rate. So while more people can call themselves DJs, only a tiny percentage are working consistently.
That said, we are also seeing a shift in mindset. Many DJs aren’t waiting for gatekeepers; they’re throwing their own parties, building collectives, and creating new paths entirely. The takeaway? Success today isn’t about who books you, it’s about how you create and convert your own momentum. Think like an entrepreneur, not just a performer.
What are you listening to at the moment, and name three things you never leave the house without?
Currently obsessed with Paranoid London, I’ve rinsed their discography. Also deep in a 909 rabbit hole: Larry Heard, Frankie Knuckles, Inner City. And, I never leave without my earbuds and earplugs (obviously!), the book I’m currently reading, and my favourite lip colour!