From PR Powerhouse to Queen of the Stage – Meet Tina Gibson!
On this episode of Local Music Somewhere, we’re sitting down with Tina Gibson, founder of IMAGINE Music Group—the woman behind some of the Southeast’s most unforgettable concerts, festivals, and rising Southern artists.
From booking stages to building careers, Tina has been the secret sauce in Charlotte’s music evolution. Hear how this industry vet went from record retail to managing national acts—and why she’s betting on the South as the next entertainment powerhouse.
Don’t miss this episode if you’re a musician, event planner, or dreamer ready to break through.
Tina Gibson, Founder of IMAGINE Music Group, live on Local Music Somewhere
Key Takeaways
- 🎤 From Retail to Record Labels: Tina’s Origin Story
- 🎟 Behind the Curtain: Booking, PR & Production Power
- 👑 Passion + Precision: How IMAGINE Music Group Shaped the South
- 💬 Advice for the Next Generation of Music Managers
About Me – Tina Gibson, Found of IMAGINE Music Group
One dream, many goals and a lot of passion, a very good description of Tina Gibson. She is one of those rare individuals who has always known what career path she wanted to take in life. Having the dream to own a successful artist management company, she set out early on to accomplish that goal. “Back when I started out, there were no schools you could attend to learn about the music business, so I had to educate myself through experience”, says Tina. “I wanted to be knowledgeable and experienced in every area of music possible in order to make me (what I felt) was a well rounded manager and better advisor to the artists I represent”, she added. Through the last 20+ years she has worked in and educated herself about many different aspects of this business and has built her company, IMAGINE Music Group to become one of the region’s top entertainment/management agencies.
As owner and president of IMAGINE Music Group, her vast experience in many areas of the music and entertainment industries have made her a much valued advisor to her artists and clients. Starting out many years ago learning the ins and outs of the record retail business through management of a popular retail chain, Tina has definitely accomplished her goal of being a well rounded and knowledgeable advisor to her artists. Since her days in record retail, she has worked with one of the south’s top rock attractions (who garnered not only regional but international success) overseeing everything from advancing their shows, promotion & marketing to their transportation needs and merchandise sales to the day to day business of their successful independent record label. She has worked in radio promotions extensively making two stations she worked for the most promotionally active stations in the market which assisted in increasing their ratings, concert production with a national company producing shows with such artists as Garth Brooks, Tanya Tucker, Ronnie Milsap and Marie Osmond. She served as Director of Public Relations & Marketing for Charlotte’s #1 outdoor amphitheater Blockbuster Pavilion, she has also worked extensively in the North Carolina film industry working on such projects as an HBO Comedy Special to consulting CBS Productions on local filming needs for a music related mini series.
After leaving Blockbuster, she decided to form IMAGINE Music Group. With IMG, Tina has overseen the careers of many of the south’s top regional artists, booked regional and national shows, produced shows for awards galas and a local public television station, produced full scale national concerts as well as many regional festivals & events. In addition, she handled regional PR for many regional entertainment companies and artists such as Swing 1000 and The Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra to national entertainers such as Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy and The Average White Band. She is very involved with her community and has served on the board and worked with several local non-profit groups and has been honored by The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for her assistance with their annual Christmas Project for underprivileged children. Although her company has an array of services they provide, Tina’s love is managing and building long term careers for her artists. “Promotion & marketing are my specialty and through unique & innovative ideas we have been able to build long term careers for many of our artists” says Tina. “We are very different than most other companies, we take a hands on approach with everything we do and put our years of experience to work for each client”, she added.
Being the detailed person she is, she could not work with her artists and garner their respect without understanding the ins and outs of what they do, their equipment as well as sound production. She has kept herself up to date on the musical instrumentation of her artists and their needs, she has run sound, worked on various recording projects, handled tour management for several artists and currently serves as the Vice-President of a small music publishing company and a local independent record label both owned by one of her artists.
Music is not just a business for Tina, it’s her passion. And you can see that in each and every project she takes on. “I don’t feel I’ve even touched on all that I could accomplish yet”, she said. “I’m always looking for ways to take it to the next level”, she added.
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