People don't realize how emotionally intense this business is.

Manager Žiga Drofenik has described the emotional intensity of managing one of Slovenia’s most prominent music groups, MRFY, stating that people often fail to grasp how deeply involved they are in the process. His insights come from a career spanning decades in the music industry, marked by diverse roles ranging from event organization to publishing rights management. Drofenik's journey into the music business began through unconventional channels. Initially working with an advertising agency, he was responsible for organizing concerts featuring well-known bands such as The Killers at Stožice Hippodrome, Gossip in Križanke, Florence & The Machine at Cinematheque Šiška, and Gorillaz Sound System at the Bavarian Palace. These projects exposed him to multiple facets of the music industry, from booking and concert organization to publishing, allowing him to build relationships within the sector. When the opportunity arose to switch careers, he seized it and spent ten years in publishing, specifically with Universal Music Publishing’s representative in Slovenia. There, he focused on international and domestic artists’ copyright issues, particularly synchronization rights for Slovenian advertisements and films. He played a key role in creating memorable soundtracks, including the successful ad “Naj sije v očeh” for the group Muff, which featured then-emerging star Senidah. For Nino Pušlar, he collaborated with producer Anže Kacafur, Senidah, and guitarist Tadej Košir to create the song “To mi je všeč,” which became a hit. He found particular satisfaction in selecting music for major Slovenian companies, such as the award-winning ad “Obilna Straža” with Jurij Zrnec for insurance company Triglav. In 2019, Drofenik, along with Igor Ivanič and Tadej Košir, founded SonicTribe, a record label that continues to operate today. Their clients included MRFY, Batista Cadillac, SBO, and currently Masharik. This venture allowed Drofenik to further explore different aspects of the music business, ultimately leading him closer to project management, a role that enabled him to integrate all his accumulated knowledge up to that point. As manager of MRFY, Drofenik oversees a wide range of responsibilities. He maintains control over everything happening both within and outside the band, including organizing large-scale concerts like MRFY Praznik, coordinating video shoots with production teams, overseeing studio recordings with producers, engineers, and press, and managing the band’s schedule with their booking agent, Alex Mladenov. He also organizes the team required for each performance, coordinates with the band’s public relations team, Ajda Gregorc, regarding media releases, public appearances, new song launches, album promotions, and online store management. He handles merchandise creation with the help of creative collaborator Bele Pak, secures sponsorships with partners like NORD and Crocs, manages copyright issues through SAZAS, and deals with performing and phonographic rights via IPF. Additionally, he prepares new content for streaming platforms, collects royalties from services like Spotify and Apple Music, and handles synchronization projects, such as MRFY’s music in ads for the Slovenian Lottery and Telekom. Financial oversight of the entire system involves managing a small team of around ten people, handling payments, issuing invoices, and conducting accounting tasks. The workload is intense, and there are moments when the sheer volume of information and impulses threatens to overwhelm him. Currently representing one of Slovenia’s most recognizable and popular bands, Drofenik recounts how he discovered MRFY. In early 2018, he attended a concert at Gala Hall where he met then-editor of Vala 202, Žiga Klančar, who introduced him to a new band from Nova Gorica called MRFY, whom he believed would be great. Intrigued, Drofenik watched their song “Klic” on YouTube, finding it interesting though not immediately compelling. However, the song stuck with him, much like typical MRFY tracks. When he learned that the band was set to perform at Metelkova, he invited colleagues Igor and Tadej to hear them play. He recalls being instantly convinced that this would become one of the best live bands in Slovenia.