Tell us a bit about you and what you do…
I’m Assistant Editor at TENEMENT TV, an online music platform based in Glasgow. We help music fans discover amazing new artists from Scotland and all over the world through our website, live sessions and Tenement Trail festival. I lead a great deal of our editorial content, keeping our website and social media channels up to date with news stories, features, interviews and reviews and I also manage our New Music section. I’m always looking to unearth exciting new stories in music and often work with PR companies and our editorial team to source the best up-and-coming artists to cover. I’ve worked with the TTV team across multiple projects such as Tenement Trail and the International Women’s Day Takeover and I’ve also worked onsite at festivals such as TRNSMT, The Great Escape, Belladrum and others. I juggle my work at TTV with my job as a support worker.
How long have you been working in the music industry?
I was doing a Masters in Music at UWS a few years ago and started reviewing gigs as part of a project. This led me to apply for an editorial internship with TTV in the summer of 2016 and I’ve been working with them ever since. I’ve worked on a number of freelance projects in that time too, mostly in journalism and PR.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
I just love listening to new music every week, coming across a great band or track I’ve never heard before and giving them a platform. It’s so great being able to share the music I’m passionate about with so many people. At TTV, we often work with artists who are at the very formative stages of their career so it’s a real buzz to see them go on and do really well. I’ve also been lucky enough to meet and work with a lot of talented people. I’ve interviewed some of my favourite bands and I’ve also learned a great deal from those around me.
Who are some of the people you’ve worked with?
It’s a very small, close-knit team who work at TTV and I’ve learned a lot from them over the last few years. Content Director Nadine Walker and Founder Chae Houston are both incredibly creative and have always been a regular source of encouragement, particularly in the last 12 months. I also feel that my writing skills have vastly improved thanks to fellow journalists like Robert Blair. In terms of artists, I’ve been lucky enough to interview the likes of Frightened Rabbit, Ride, Fontaines D.C., Dream Wife, The Ninth Wave, Honeyblood, The Lemon Twigs, The Twilight Sad and many more. Outside the world of TTV, I’ve worked on a number of freelance projects. Since 2016, I’ve written for Gigwise, Mill Magazine and more recently The Line of Best Fit. Before the pandemic, I was working as a PR Assistant at creative agency Material which was an amazing experience, assisting on massive campaigns for TRNSMT Festival, Summer Sessions, The SAY Award, Sport Relief and Nordoff Robbins. I’ve also done a bit of PR work on behalf of numerous local bands and musicians such as DRIFT and The Vegan Leather, helping them spread the word and get their music out to the press.
Where do you see you/your organisation in the next five years?
I believe that TENEMENT TV will continue to grow and be a leading force in Scottish music. We have a very loyal audience but it would be great to extend this beyond the central belt and become more prominent in other areas of Scotland and down south. Scotland has an abundance of great musicians covering all genres and styles and there are many areas we’ve still to tap into. Personally, I see myself leading a team of writers at TTV and managing a website that is the go-to place for new music. I’d also like to secure a permanent position in media/comms.
What’s coming up for you?
One of the few positives we can take from the last year is that, despite a lack of live gigs, our musicians have remained completely undeterred when it comes to releasing new music. There’s always something new to cover on TTV and that will continue to keep me busy over the next few months. Please send any new music my way! With everything going on and the live industry under threat, it’s really important to support independent musicians and small music businesses at the moment so we’ll continue to look for ways to promote them. The TTV team are always working behind the scenes on new content ideas as well so keep your eyes peeled.
Unfortunately, with all that’s going on, I’ve found that some of my freelance work has dried up so I’m also on the hunt for new a new project in media/comms!
What’s the best thing about working in music in Scotland?
Easily, the people. I’ve met amazing friends while working in music. There’s a real sense of community here and people are driven by a real passion for what they do. The talent is also genuinely amazing and very diverse. We’ve seen a lot of great artists break through over the last couple of years and it’s great to see them get the attention they deserve.
What do you feel Scotland’s music industry needs to excel?
In many ways, continue as we’re doing. There’s many events and support networks which are a great help for artists and organisations in Scotland and with all these exciting new artists breaking through like Joesef, The Ninth Wave, Wuh Oh, Lizzie Reid etc, there’s a real buzz about the Scottish music industry right now. I think it’s important now more than ever to keep supporting one another, to collaborate and share ideas. The main focus now obviously is that the industry gets through this situation in the best shape possible and that our music venues, rehearsal rooms, recording studios and other cultural spaces are still around to keep our music scene thriving when this is all over. We’ve also seen business models such as Bandcamp and Patreon work well in the pandemic. The streaming model is clearly unsustainable for artists so it will be interesting to see what comes of these platforms which put the artist first.