Thank you for participating in a recording of New Music Now! This page should explain what our podcast is about and how we produce it. 

New Music Now is a music discovery podcast, usually a discussion among three people. At least one of them, the host, is Ink 19 staff. Another is a musician, who also presents their own new music. The third is a guest reviewer. A fourth attendee is the engineer, who manages audio recording, quality, timing, and pre-production.

After brief introductions, the participants have a conversation where they describe why they like their current favorite new album, then play a couple of tracks followed by commentary from the group. The musical guest also gets to play a couple of their own tracks, again with commentary. The expected length of the conversation is 30-40 minutes, and the final episode with voiceovers and music runs about 40-60 minutes.

How to Prepare

Have a look at the New Music Now form, ask any questions you might have, and complete the form, making notes about an album released within the last 3 months that you would like to talk about.

Your host will assemble notes from everyone’s forms to keep us on track during the recording. You’ll have a chance to review those notes and make any changes you need before the recording date. The recording should take about 1 ½ hours, and the engineer will guide everyone through the recording.

Recording the Show

The engineer records the show using a Zoom meeting that all participants attend. Use a headset with microphone during the Zoom call to capture the best quality audio. Each participant should be on their own computer for the recording.

The recording is divided into short, focused segments that are later edited into a seamless conversation. During the recording, the engineer shows the notes and prompts for each segment of the conversation. Multiple takes are allowed and encouraged if a participant feels they got something wrong or were not at their best.

After the Recording

Once all the segments are recorded, the engineer produces the audio and assembles the final podcast. Participants may send audio files to editors@ink19.com. Editors may send publication details before the episode goes live.

Additional Information for Musicians

All music that is highlighted on New Music Now must be widely available for consumption on the internet (e.g. Spotify, Bandcamp).

This is an opportunity to promote your music, but it is also a rare chance for you to present it in context — listeners will be far more engaged in what you present if they know the story behind it. When picking out the tracks that will be played on the episode, keep the back story in mind.

Ink 19 promotes our podcast on our social media, and encourages you to do the same!

Questions? Comments?

Please feel free to reach out to editors@ink19.com.