Right now I\u2019m in Melbourne, Australia, where I\u2019ve been based for almost four years after relocating from London. I gave my heart (and soul) to London for almost eight years but I\u2019m originally from Bristol in South West England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I split my time between Frankie magazine<\/a> (I\u2019ve been Marketing Manager there for the last year or so) and Bad Seed<\/a> – where \u2018officially\u2019 I head up content. What that tends to mean in practice is relentlessly coming up with new campaign ideas and all things strategy, content marketing, social media, paid media, brand partnerships and influencer\/PR outreach. Somewhere in between all that, I also run a podcast called Don\u2019t Fret Club, which provides a platform to help music fans talk about mental health. Bad Seed has some other bits underway too, like a brand-new magazine called Hammerhead which is centred around alternative style, culture and heavy music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My playlists have become even more divisive since the world went into lockdown, but I\u2019ve been loving Idles<\/a>, Creeper<\/a>, Orville Peck and the astonishingly-beautiful debut album from Hayley Williams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve always relied heavily on recommendations from people I admire – whether that\u2019s friends, folk I follow online or even trusted publicists. Once I\u2019ve locked into people that are on my wavelength, I try to check in with what they\u2019re listening to and that\u2019ll usually be via their socials. But playlists are notoriously helpful for me and I\u2019ve really tried to utilise local playlists like \u2018Homegrown + Heavy\u2019 since moving to Melbourne. Playlists are also handy when using voice activation (and Alexa practically runs my house), as I find it easier to request a genre rather than one specific artist. I still spend a lot of time looking through Spotify\u2019s \u2018fans also like\u2019 section (though you\u2019re less likely to find something new there) and daily scroll through Instagram stories. Radio still plays a big part in my music discovery actually; I try to make a habit of catching up with BBC Radio 1\u2019s Rock Show online but having the radio on in the car can lead to hearing some nice new gems! Another big one would be turning up to see support bands. That\u2019s always my biggest tip for discovering new music – get down to the shows early!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m digital but my vinyl collection was thriving before I moved overseas. Having duplicates of your favourite records can get quite expensive! Digital is definitely the most convenient format for me and from a lifestyle perspective, my tiny apartment isn\u2019t very CD-compatible. That said, there\u2019s nothing quite like filling the house with the slightly scratchy sound of real records on a sunny weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Playlists are also handy when using voice activation (and Alexa practically runs my house), as I find it easier to request a genre rather than one specific artist.<\/em>“<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Commuting is a big one for me, which explains why my music habits have altered slightly during the lockdown. As I\u2019m usually writing during the day, I can find it distracting to listen to something new but will happily have anything familiar in the background. We have an Alexa device in every room and each has either an in-built speaker or is attached to a decent amp. But when I\u2019m commuting, or just really enjoying a record at home, I rely on sound-cancelling headphones with extra bass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m lucky enough to receive pre-released music to review or get a grasp of before interviewing the artist. These streams can be limiting to playback on mobile though, which is usually how I control my house speakers or headphones, so it can occasionally impact the experience. Otherwise, the majority of premieres I see will be directly on the artists\u2019 own social channels, as it\u2019s easy to watch in-app while I\u2019m already scrolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My emails can be overwhelming, so sometimes I\u2019ll simply miss a stream link or not get to it before it expires. Streams generally are useful when reviewing music, but the delay between tracks loading can impact the overall experience of listening to an album in full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wish I was more organised and could tell you I routinely create custom playlists but in reality, I rely heavily on algorithms to know me better than I know myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are you listening to?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you discover new music?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What formats do you usually listen to? LP, CD, Cassette, Digital, Streaming Services? Why?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Where do you do most of your music listening?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you find and listen to pre-release music?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are your frustrations with listening to music digitally? Any benefits?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you keep track of everything you are listening to?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n