I am a Research Fellow in the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research at Birmingham City University. My research explores contemporary popular music reception practices and the role of digital, data and internet technologies on the business and cultural environments of music consumption. In the main this research is built around the development of The Harkive Project, an online, crowd-sourced method of generating data from music consumers about their everyday relationships with music and technology. I am also the co-Managing Editor of Riffs: Experimental Writing on Popular Music, a member of the PEC-funded Live Music Research team, and the Project Coordinator for the AHRC-funded Songwriting Studies Network.
Outside of my academic work, I continue to build on my 20+ years of working in the business of popular music, working as digital catalogue manager for Static Caravan Recordings and as a musician and recording artist with Independent Country.
I live in Birmingham, England, with my wife and sons and two unruly dogs, and when not working I enjoy collecting records, following Aston Villa, and developing skills related to data science. This website pulls together all of my personal and professional interests and projects.
PhD Popular Music Studies, 2018
Birmingham City University
MA Music Industries, 2013
Birmingham City University
BA English Literature & Media and Cultural Studies, 1995
Middelsex University
This blog will contain news, bits of writing about things I’m interested in, and occasional data science notes and tutorials.
Some of the things I’m working on right now, and some interesting past projects.
Exploring live music ecologies
AHRC-funded research network investigating Songwriting
A Country band playing Indie hits.
Exploring mobile technologies in festival environments
Rationalising my 2nd-hand vinyl habit
Experimental Writing on Popular Music
All the hits on wax and shellac
Exploring contemporary music reception practice
My most recently published article, book or chapter. Scroll down for a complete list of publications.
Links to my work published in academic journals, books and in other places of interest