- Zac works in A&R for indie label Heist of Hit, based in Manchester. The label’s roster is currently made up of artists such as Indigo Bay, cruush, Eades, Her’s, Lei Hope and many more.
- He also works to platform a range of upcoming artists on his blog, Listening Party.
- Zac has worked on all fronts, including releasing his own respective tracks as sleepy zac.
What have you been up to recently?
Lately I’ve been listening to lots of new music and going to gigs around Manchester to find the best grassroots artists, there’s so many great ones that don’t have any music out which is always a treat.
Tell us about your shift from musician, to blogger and writer and now A&R Assistant?
It was all just natural progression really as I put performing into a more casual ‘hobby’ bracket after some time which took away the pressure of having to create which benefitted me a lot. Creating Listening Party came from a lack of opportunity to be honest as after I finished UNI I applied to so many creative jobs and found no luck so I decided to try and help artists out whilst building my own portfolio.
Becoming A&R is a blessing that came from having previous contact with Heist or Hit and keeping it up and an opportunity which came at the right time, which was super lucky. I think secretly everyone would love to A&R as it’s the perfect middle ground of working in music and learning the technical sides whilst still being connected to the creative musical side, it was never really a main goal though as it’s tough to aim for roles that don’t specifically have a path or an application process, it’s a position I’m constantly learning about as the Social aspect of it are just as important as the musicality side.
What’s been your experiences of running a platform/blog, what’s the best and most difficult aspects?
Running Listening Party is great I love the outlet and supporting artists every single day, sometimes it’s difficult to keep on top of, but being organised and having great contributing writers has definitely made it easier.
I don’t think anyone really inspired me writing wise, I just wanted to create an outlet and force myself to listen to new music every day. It’s also been great for chatting to artists and making great connections.
What made you decide to set about featuring artists the way you do?
I think narrated Reels are the best for engagement with a link to longer form web page always linked. I separate the reviews into sections to make it super easy for the listener to gauge the artist/ track and not overcomplicate it so its accessible for all listeners and writers.
What would you say to other music journalists and platform runners that are just starting out?
Just make sure you love the music you’re writing about and just start it, no matter how bad you think it is, you will improve everything over time.
I had no experience in Website Creation, Music Reviewing or the Social Media Creation but I just got on with it, now after months it has become natural and the process has become streamlined and looks far more professional, but the most important part is to persevere and reflect on how to improve the content as you are working
“Just make sure you love the music you’re writing about and just start it, no matter how bad you think it is, you will improve everything over time.”
Have you noticed any trends in your periphery in music, globally or in Manchester?
The main trend I suppose is matching great music with great personality and breaking the wall between you and your fans to create a friendship almost.
It’s great to see artists doing things such as taking time to interact with everyone, showing behind the scenes of what you get up to, creating exclusive assets for close fans or giving guest list to fans in a discord/ whatsapp chat are really effective ways of building that loyalty and friendship
How do you handle setbacks?
I think the main way to handle set back is to bounce back and use that negative energy as a positive to motivate you.
There is definitely a lack of opportunity, particularly outside of London. I think this is also effected by the competitiveness of the creative roles in general since they’re the most sought after. When hunting for roles you have to often broaden your horizons to other roles in order to try and find your place in the creative industry.
“When hunting for roles you have to often broaden your horizons to other roles in order to try and find your place in the creative industry.”
What motivates you?
Recognition is always really nice and love from artists but mainly knowing I’m working towards a great future in music motivates me.
Artist recommendations?
There’s so many hahah, a couple I’ve been loving at the moment are M4x, Rushbonds and Ladylike, I can’t wait to see all of their rise!
ARTIST AVENUES 