FAQ

There are a lot of questions that I get asked often, so here's the answers to the most common of them.

Q: How do I get my album / e.p / single reviewed on the Active Listener?
A: Mail a copy to The Active Listener, 34 Duppa St, Berhampore 6023, Wellington, New Zealand or e-mail a download code or download link to theactivelistener at hotmail.com. Streaming links will not be reviewed. I only have time to review a fraction of the material that I receive so sending me a promo does not guarantee coverage.

Q: How do I get a track on the Active Listener Sampler?
A: E-mail the intended track to theactivelistener at hotmail.com. We may require a WAV or FLAC format if we choose to use it, but a streaming link is fine firstup. I receive hundreds of tracks a month so again I can not guarantee inclusion, and the decision will be made exclusively by Active Listener staff by criteria of our choosing. Please ensure that you make it clear in your correspondance whether you are submitting for review, sampler or both.

Q: Your reviews are all pretty positive - do you like everything?
A: There's heaps of music out there that's not very good - that's a fact. We only write about the good stuff, which is why all of our reviews are positive.

Q: I want to write for the Active Listener. What do I need to do?
A: E-mail theactivelistener at hotmail.com with a sample of your writing and give me an idea of what sort of thing you want to review. We're all about the new releases and reissues, so we don't want to see reviews of anything that's been out for ages unless it's being freshly reissued. Hit us with ideas for features, interviews etc.
Q: How do I advertise my album / e.p / single on the Active Listener?
A: E-mail theactivelistener at hotmail.com for rates - you can expect between 1000 and 2000 people to see your ad each day. Rates are cheap and trading for a vinyl copy of your album may be a possibility instead of monetary payment.

Q: Where does the money go if I make a donation for a sampler?
A: A lot of it goes towards paying our Bandcamp fees and admin fees. Also, the more donations we receive, the less hours we have to spend doing our day jobs and the more time we can devote to making the Active Listener a better resource for you.

Q: Is a donation for the sampler expected?
A: Hell no, the samplers will always be available for free for anyone to download guilt free. Donations are welcome (and rare) but never expected of you.

Q: Are Active Listener Records label releases available on CD, cassette or vinyl?
A: At this point no. Our budget and geographical location (New Zealand) make it impractical for us to deal in physical media for now. Some of our releases are available in physical formats independently or on other labels however.

Q: What's the difference between Active Listener Records label releases and the sampler?
A: The sampler is a monthly download, which features our pick of the best material reviewed on the Active Listener over the previous month as well as other stuff we've recently become aware of. These will always be available on a name your price basis starting at $0. The label releases are our attempt to highlight and offer further exposure for artists that we love who we feel are underappreciated. The low cost of these downloads is shared between label and artists and enables us to provide you with more music in the future.

Q: What makes you such experts?
A: Nothing. We simply express our enjoyment and enthusiasm for the music we love.

Any other questions are of course always welcome.