A new episode of The Blinding Talent Music Industry Podcast features veteran TV promotions executive Jacqui Quaife discussing how pop audiences were built before social media.
Quaife’s career covers more than four decades, from the New Romantic era to the global pop expansion of the 2000s. Over that time, she has worked with artists including Spandau Ballet, Prince, Westlife, Beyoncé and One Direction.
Jacqui began in the early 1980s running the Spandau Ballet fan club, handling thousands of letters and newsletters at a time when direct communication with fans relied on post and telephone rather than digital platforms.
She later joined independent PR company Ferret & Spanner before co-founding Intermedia. Her career then moved into senior label roles, eventually becoming Director of TV across Arista, BMG, Syco and Sony Music.
During that period Jacqui worked with artists including Britney Spears, Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Justin Timberlake, Pink and Little Mix. She also helped break acts such as Maroon 5, Kings of Leon and Natasha Bedingfield.
In the podcast, Jacqui reflects on how artists built audiences before online platforms. Campaigns often relied on school tours, Radio 1 roadshows, Smash Hits coverage and repeated television appearances to create awareness and maintain fan engagement.
She also shares behind the scenes detail from working during Prince’s “symbol” era, when the precise colour and size of the artist’s symbol required approval before appearing on television broadcasts.
The conversation also focuses on her experience during the early rise of One Direction after their appearance on The X Factor. Jacqui describes watching the group’s fanbase expand rapidly as their visibility increased across television and promotional appearances.
Reflecting on the intensity of the band’s audience, she says: “The fandom was outrageous. Scarily so.”
The episode also explores wider industry changes, including the economics of label promotion, the risks of artist overexposure and the continued importance of relationships and direct fan connection.
This latest episode is available now on YouTube and major podcast platforms.
