The 2026 Music
Marketing Cohorts
Presented by ELEV8ED
Artists are starving.
“Music artists are starving.” Yet they’re being fed endless courses with no heart. Influencers are selling dreams they’ve never lived and industry playbook promises that vanish after the checkout screen. In a digital world where everyone is creating content, music artists are drowning in the pressure to feed the algorithm, stay visible, and go viral. The result? Burnout. Confusion. Isolation. What artists really need isn’t another formula — we need support. We need strategy. We need community.
That’s where the Music Marketing Cohort comes in. We’re building a space where artists grow together — with clarity, confidence, and consistency.
If you’re ready for your music journey to be re-energized, this is the experience for you.
What’s the Cohort?
A virtual 8-week, artist-first experience designed to teach and empower independent musicians at varying levels of their artist journey.
What’s the Mission?
To support indie music artists through community-based programming, workshops, brand exercises, strategic planning, and goal-setting. By holding ourselves accountable for our creative consistency, we take ownership of our music careers and how we want to meet the world.
Vision Setting
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Embodiment
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Personal Branding
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Content Creation (As A Practice)
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Curating Experiences
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Engaging Your Audience
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Diversifying Your Revenue
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Community Building
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Strategy with Intentionality
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Vision Setting
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Embodiment
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Personal Branding
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Vision Setting • Embodiment • Personal Branding • Content Creation (As A Practice) • Curating Experiences • Engaging Your Audience • Diversifying Your Revenue • Community Building • Strategy with Intentionality • Vision Setting • Embodiment • Personal Branding •
Our Cohort Highlights
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![Promotional flyer featuring a hip-hop artist wearing sunglasses and a dark shirt, sitting against a yellow background. Text announces an event titled 'Next Thursday,' a conversation with hip-hop artist and LXVE Fest Curator Alfred Nomad, scheduled for Thursday, July 31st at 6:30 PM. The flyer has abstract metallic and orange design elements and logos of Elevated and Cohorts.]()
Music Industry Q&A's
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![King Cooley, The Rolling Jane, Kenny Keys and friends]()
Community-Oriented
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![A round dining table with three laptops open, two people working on virtual meetings, a can of San Pellegrino Lime soda, a glass of water, and various items in a cozy home environment.]()
Tailored Learning
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![Music marketing - behavior design]()
Virtual Workshops
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![ELEV8ED Music Marketing Cohort, Quarter 2]()
In-Person Programming
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![Promotional graphic for a virtual music marketing cohort event featuring Audrey Pray Jr., with abstract black glossy shapes on an orange background, and a smiling woman in a photo frame.]()
Marketing Industry Speakers
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![ELEV8ED Music Marketing Cohort, Quarter 1]()
Open-Studio Sessions
Program Details
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Our virtual course is designed to accommodate busy, full-time schedules by offering online programming and a flexible curriculum. Participants can access course materials, engage in discussions, and complete assignments on their own time, ensuring they can balance professional and personal commitments without sacrificing the quality of their learning experience.
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Our virtual course is co-created and community-led, offering an 8-week flexible curriculum that adapts to each artist’s unique journey. Designed to foster collaboration and personal growth, the program empowers artists to shape their learning experience in ways that ensure both accountability and ease.
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Our Cohort workshops focus on tackling common industry challenges through immersive, hands-on experiences. Designed as “parallel-play”, these interactive sessions encourage creativity and collaboration, helping artists develop practical marketing skills and solutions in a supportive environment.
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Our cohort combines assigned homework with in-session exercises. We all progress at our own pace. This instructional approach balances guided learning with structured practice and creative freedom, ensuring that artists feel equipped to apply the skills learned to their craft.
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Our free, open-studio sessions are weekly work sessions offering a virtual studio space to co-create, solo write, record, yap-it-up, and receive constructive feedback. All sessions are open to the public every Thursday evening.
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Guest speakers aligned with weekly themes are invited to share skills, industry knowledge, Q&A’s, and product demos.
Past Speakers Include:
Kevin Cruz of 24/Artists
Erinn Knight of BYOB
Sharod Holmes of Holm Site
Premium Artist Experience
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Two, 1:1 consulting sessions with selected industry speakers
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Premium Cohort attendees recieve access to ELEV8ED's digital marketing services and freelance design directory to Build Your Own Campaign.
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Receive one pitch opportunity with a premier Sync Licensing agency upon completing your Cohort course
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Guest Speakers
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![Erinn Knight]()
Erinn Knight
Owner of Build Your Own Dreams
From managing tours, to building a catalog of branded experiences around the Southeast, Erinn Knight is an "artists advocate", devoting her career to teaching creatives how to maximize their impact by owning their IP and activating their dreams. -
![Kevin Cruz]()
Kevin Cruz
Co-founder of 24/7 Artist, a community membership-based platform on a mission to connect artists with the resources and opportunities they need to create free and independently.
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![Charles Rainey]()
Charles Rainey
Writer & Marketing Strategist
Charles has spent his career helping artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and corporations build their brands by designing creative content strategies that connect to culture. -
![Sharod Holmes]()
Sharod Holmes
Founder of Holm Site a new digital platform for creators and entrepreneurs who want to build intentionality behind their brand experience and audience engagement.
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![Audrey Pray Jr.]()
Audrey Pray Jr.
Founder of A2 Collective, a creative agency designed to support cause-based or community-led organizations. Audrey has a wide range of experience with community service, behavior design, and advocacy for the underserved which has led to a breadth of knowledge on building sustainable (and practical) support networks.
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![Jonathan Tease]()
Jonathan Tease
Financial Planner & Entrepreneur
Jonathan Tease is a multifaceted marketing professional.From working in Systems Strategy, to social media campaign management, Jonathan’s experience within music and advertising is vast and invaluable. His newsletter and social platform “Creative Cash Flow” is an artist’s guide to financial wellness.
Your Instructor
Katrina “Cooley” Lenzly
Katrina Lenzly aka “King Cooley” is an award-winning Art Director, neo-soul/hip-hop artist, and owner of ELEV8ED USC. Skilled in brand strategy, cross-functional leadership, and creative conceptualization, Cooley’s ten-plus years of Ad Industry experience includes work with global brands like HBO, The Coca-Cola Company, Jeep, Michelob Ultra, and the NBA. Her creative contributions to campaigns like 2018’s Sprite Lymonade Launch and the 2024 Fiat 500e showcase of her ability to lead teams and translate business objectives into revenue-generating solutions.
Cooley’s human- and heart-centered approach to music and visual design has led to a diverse portfolio of industry awards, mentoring opportunities, and musical success. Her breakthrough track, "Climate Change," brought critical attention to her ability to address complex issues with authenticity, gaining over 300,000 streams on Spotify. Following this success, King Cooley’s music video, “Get Down,” has racked up over 140,000 views on Youtube and songs like “Enter the Dragon”, “I Need More”, and “Reunion Season” have been synced internationally on Netflix’s Forever, Love Is Blind Brazil, Burn the House Down, and BET’s Sistas, respectively.
Ready to Get Started?
Follow the simple guide below to register:
Step 1:
Tell us more about yourself
Complete our short intake form giving us a better idea of your artist journey.
Step 2:
Select your artist experience
Popular
Early Admission
$250
8-Week Virtual Course
at a discounted price
Includes industry speaker sessions, workshop replays, and open studio
(ends two-weeks before each Cohort)
General Admission
$497
8-Week Virtual Course
Includes industry speaker sessions, workshop replays, and open studio
(begins one week before each Cohort)
Premium
$997
8-Week Course, plus
• Two, 1:1 consulting sessions with selected speakers
• Custom EPK design
• One pitch opportunity with a premier Sync Licensing agency
• Access to ELEV8ED's digital marketing services and visual design directory to build your own campaign.
Workshop Hosts Discount
Want to host your own Cohort Workshop?
We’re now offering discounted pricing for creatives bringing valuable knowledge to share through hosting workshops. We honor your time and expertise by providing a reduced rate to join our Cohort. To submit your workshop proposal, please Email Cooley directly.
Cohort Payment Plan
Need more flexibility?
We now offer payment plans for artists looking to lock-in their Cohort spot without the financial stress. Email us directly for more details.
Step 3
Attend Your Orientation
Your opportunity to meet the other artists, share your music, discuss your goals, and collaborate on your curriculum before your quarter’s Cohort begins.
Ready to join? Want to learn more?
YOUR COHORT EXPERIENCE
"We don't need permission to lead or shine"
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"We don't need permission to lead or shine"
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"We don't need permission to lead or shine" • "We don't need permission to lead or shine" •
The Reset
& Rebirth Cohort
Our Q2 Reset & Rebirth Cohort is reclaiming the power of authentic artistry by embracing the instinctual. Through our co-curated curriculum of practical marketing exercises, guided self-discovery, permissible play, and constructive peer feedback, we’re building a toolkit that allows us to approach music marketing from a uniquely honest, cohesively branded, and deeply intuitive perspective.
Q2 2025
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Missed the
Q2 Cohort?
Check out our
Open Studio playback!
How to Build and Sustain Healthy Community
with Audrey Pray Jr., Founder of The A2 Collective
Week 7: Networking Strategies
The R&R Cohort
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The R&R Cohort •
"We always go further together"
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"Siempre llegamos más lejos juntos"
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"We always go further together" • "Siempre llegamos más lejos juntos" •
Q1 2025
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The Sunset
Cohort
The flagship Sunset Cohort was birthed out of a single text message: “I miss you guys.” Soon after, a virtual songwriting meet-up transformed into an 8-week intensive designed to empower six budding music artists with marketing knowledge and confidence. Their co-written manifesto read: “Our goal is to redefine the music industry for ourselves in a way that honors our authenticity, goals, and creative spirit. By holding ourselves accountable for our creative consistency, we take ownership of our music careers and how we want to meet the world.”
Testimonials
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“Overall the information was really solid. I think that this cohort is good for different levels — everyone can take something from it….I would recommend this to a friend and anybody else who’s in the process of getting their project together.”
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"I feel like this Cohort has helped me redefine my relationship with making music and what I want from it, and how I want it to be apart of my life. I just got some more clarity around how music can show up differently in so many different lives and not feeling any heaviness around my own relationship music. I hold two passions…with this cohort I’ve been cultivating the music relationship."
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“I had a really great experience. It allowed me to peek into taking a product to market. [Do] you have all your market research done? Comparisons? To go about it professionally speaking — this whole time has allowed me to realize the level of seriousness I need on the other side of things too…we’re really putting in the work here.”
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“I can't stress how much ELEV8ED changed my perspective on Music Marketing. Setting goals in the beginning, tracking progress, and getting feedback to EP ideas was extremely valuable. The Guest Speakers were super insightful on their subject and I left the course feeling more clear on my vision. If you want to make a living as a music artist, this course will help provide clarity as an artist!”