Eleni Psaltis

“It’s all about little steps — little steps towards improving the environment for others, while giving them the support, guidance and tools they need to feel like they can achieve success.”

As a music executive at Q Prime, Eleni Psaltis runs the day-to-day operations of artist-owned labels including those of Metallica, Silversun Pickups, Baroness, The Murder Capital, and more. She also manages the company’s vinyl presses and works closely with independent retailers. While Q Prime has been around since 1982, Eleni is the first woman to hold this position (NBD!). Most recently, Eleni was an executive producer on The Metallica Blacklist, a 53-track Metallica cover album in which all proceeds went to charity. The Hall of Femme honoree was nominated by Alyssa Ruderman, who described Eleni as “an incredibly smart, incredibly talented woman” who is “often the only woman at any given table."

Though the music industry can be very male-dominated, Eleni sees that the tides are beginning to slowly change. “There are so many women in rock now who are making a difference – ranging from artists to tour photographers to tour managers to label execs,” she says. “It’s easy to put other women down and consider them competition, but why do that? Supporting each other and offering resources to minority voices is the only way we will all have a chance at succeeding. This philosophy is not isolated to women; it’s also for non-binary folks, who have an even more muted voice than women do in this industry.”

Eleni also admits that her idea of success has changed over the course of her career. “It’s incredibly challenging to find a balance and some weeks are more ‘successful’ than others,” she says. “But at the end of the day, if I do my job without sacrificing my core values of who I am as a human, and am able to help someone even just a little bit, I can call it a success.” 

Find Eleni on Instagram and Twitter.