Where are you based?
Brighton
Where do you work? What do you do?
I’ve been working as a publicist for London-based PR company A Badge of Friendship for about six years now. I also work as a digital streaming manager and radio plugger for an independent record label called VETA. Both fabulous companies and people to work with, I am very lucky.
What are you listening to?
Right this second? Cymande – Brothers On The Slide.
How do you discover new music?
Oh so many places! Mainly I’d say it’s via Spotify’s algorithmic and editorial playlists though. They’re bloody great! As a publicist, I’m always on the look-out for new sites and blogs cropping up as well, but I’d say some of my faves are The Line of Best Fit, Clash, Earmilk and Complex. Getting recommendations from your pals is always fab as well. I share playlists with a number of mates on Spotify, so we can introduce each other to new stuff we may not have stumbled upon otherwise.
What formats do you usually listen to? LP, CD, Cassette, Digital, Streaming Services? Why?
I’m 28 so I’ve been fortunate enough to experience all formats but streaming is definitely the way forward, it’s just so easy and endless! I am bit of a hoarder though and have always been a collector of CDs, so if it’s an album I really, really like, I’ll usually buy it on CD, only for it to gather dust and never be used because I’ll end up streaming it anyway…
Where do you do most of your music listening?
As often as humanly possible! I will listen through my laptop at work usually and I hate walking around or commuting alone without tunes, so I always make sure I remember my headphones if I’m going out, otherwise I get very sad. At home we usually cast music through the TV or via speakers.
How do you find and listen to pre-release music?
I find the best way to send pre-released music to press is via Soundcloud or YouTube, but our artists usually send it to us initially via Dropbox or WeTransfer. As a blogger, I also use a site called Submit Hub, which is great for discovering new artists from all over the world.
What are your frustrations with listening to music digitally? Any benefits?
A pet peeve of mine is when artists send me music to listen to via email and attach an MP3, it just slows my emails down and it’s so much simpler just to click a link and stream it via Soundcloud or Spotify, if it’s been released. If I am planning to download files, I usually prefer either via WeTransfer, Dropbox or Soundcloud. Back in the day, all I ever did was download music and walk around with a 120GB iPod, so I do have a soft spot for it still, but streaming is definitely the way forward for me.
“A pet peeve of mine is when artists send me music to listen to via email and attach an MP3, it just slows my emails down and it’s so much simpler just to click a link and stream it.”
How do you keep track of everything you are listening to?
I am a lover of making playlists, so I’m pretty organised with it. We have our own ABoF account with Soundcloud as well for uploading music and I’m a big geek and also have colour-coded my emails to find things easily.
Do you tip other people off to new music? How?
I do! I also have my own little labour of love blog called HRMNY Presents, which I’d love for you to check out! I set it up with an illustrator pal of mine called Tori Bodine and the premise is that we hope to bring the world of music and art together by interviewing a different artist every month and they get their own personalised, hand-drawn image to go alongside of it! I also include other features such as Song of The Day and making monthly playlists, which has been a lifesaver since being in lockdown. Our current guest illustrator is the amazing Emma McGowan, who you should also check out.
Anything you want to “promote”?
I could be here all day telling you about new artists but a few of my favourites recently are Dana Williams, Remi Wolf, Eliza Shaddad, Dream Nails, JGrrey, Arlo Parks and Still Woozy.
A few Brighton-based faves for you too: Normanton Street, Bobbie Johnson, Animal House and Kaisha.
