Where are you based?
Brooklyn, NY.
Where do you work? What do you do?
I’m a Founding Partner at Collective Entertainment and the Founder / CEO of #iVoted. I’m also an author & podcast host of How to Build a Sustainable Music Career & Collect All Revenue Streams
What are you listening to?
Literally Noel Gallagher all the time.
How do you discover new music?
I have to say, younger me would be so disappointed! As I listen to a lot of the music I grew up with as well as classical. At the same time, I grew up in a world of finite music, where I knew just about every artist in every genre. I often wonder how teenage me would handle a world of what is ultimately infinite music. That said, I read Brooklyn Vegan daily and also pick up new artists to check out from trusted folks I follow on social media. We also book artists per the data on the top trending artists in key states at #iVoted. So we discover A TON of amazing talent through that work as well.
What formats do you usually listen to? LP, CD, Cassette, Digital, Streaming Services? Why?
Streaming and downloads; the latter to support artists with dollars and data. I can’t recall the last time I listened to a CD and of course vinyl is great too.
“Younger me would be so disappointed! As I listen to a lot of the music I grew up with as well as classical. At the same time, I grew up in a world of finite music, where I knew just about every artist in every genre.”
Where do you do most of your music listening?
At work for sure. One of the reasons I wanted a career in the industry was because it’s socially acceptable to listen to music all day. In fact, when music is turned off, I have trouble concentrating. I used to have hard wired speakers but Amazon Music kindly gave our company an Alexa and we’ve been using that for a speaker the past few years.
How do you find and listen to pre-release music?
I tend to note upcoming releases in my calendar when I see them announced. That’s one of the pitfalls of otherwise relying on any form of media or algorithms. I recall years ago reading that Damon Albarn had a new album coming out. I figured I’d remember. But didn’t realise until months after it was out! So I try and make a note if I’m not on the artist’s email or text list to be directly contacted when new music is released.
What are your frustrations with listening to music digitally? Any benefits?
I think it’s pretty awesome tbh. It can be overwhelming for sure. But it’s really a dream for anyone who grew up in the pre-digital era that had so many limitations on how we listened to music due to the technology of that time.
How do you keep track of everything you are listening to?
I think search and one’s listening history on streaming platforms solves this problem pretty seamlessly.
Do you tip other people off to new music? How?
Sometimes! And definitely through our work at #iVoted and #iVoted Festivals over the years. We get a ton of compliments on the music discovery nature of our events. When in reality we’re just booking the talent that people are actually listening to in low voter turnout locations.
Anything you want to “promote”?
We just announced Season 3 of my hit podcast, How to Build a Sustainable Music Career & Collect All Revenue Streams! Join us in Brooklyn at Tower Labs in June for live tapings where we’ll cover the entire modern music industry, from recording to release, while ensuring artists aren’t missing a single revenue stream along the way. All info can be found here!
