Bridget Small has been a fan of vinyl records ever since she first saw her mum’s huge collection hiding right at the top of a very tall cupboard. Over the years, Bridget has worn all the hats that the records industry has on offer – she’s currently handling Left Ear Records’ Research and Development as well being a PR manager, and she’s also a producer over at PBS. We sat down with Bridget to talk about how she first got into the records industry as a teenager, and how the industry has changed since then.

 Hi Bridget! How did you first get into the records biz? When I was about 14, I inherited my mother's record collection, which was massive. I also used to come up on the train every weekend to visit record stores in Melbourne, so yeah, I've been a big record fan for a long time. When I was at university, I really wanted to have some work experience at a record label. I hit up Left Eye Records as I was really interested in reissued and unreleased music, and I’ve been working there as a PR manager ever since. I still really love collecting records, and working on producing the physical format is a huge thing for me.  

How did you first get your foot in the door into this industry? During high school I was working with a music festival, since my school had a program that allowed me to do that. I was able to book gigs when I was a teenager, which was really amazing. I then decided I wanted to manage my friend's band, so I started organising for them. I think just being really keen as a teenager helped me understand this industry and meet people. I was also really obsessed with community radio; I remember visiting the PBS open day and then soon as I had the chance, I put my hand up to volunteer at the station. I guess getting your foot in the door of the music industry involves a lot of volunteering.

What does your daily work routine look like now? Pretty much everything I do is related to the music industry! I work at a record-pressing plant, I started my radio show over at PBS and I also DJ a little bit, but one thing I’ve noticed is that I really like a routine. My work hours are very specific rather than staying up to a ridiculous hour trying to get everything done.

The music industry is pretty notoriously male-dominated. What is it like navigating this industry as a woman? I feel really lucky that I'm definitely respected as a woman now, but it hasn't always been this way. I wasn't taken seriously being a teenager working with many different types of people. I think as a woman, you've got to learn to be assertive, which I don't think is very ingrained in a lot of women. I've struggled being assertive as a woman in the industry, because I was always scared of how we come across. But I find I am taken really seriously and I'm able to express myself, which is awesome.

Talk to us about the Independent Music Exchange. The Independent Music Exchange is coming up as part of the 86 Music Festival. It’s a two-day event that welcomes Australia’s independent record labels to connect with each other. So, to me, it feels really important. You know, vinyl sales are kind of killing it at the moment, but in a time where not everyone's making hits.

What are you most looking forward to? I feel pretty proud to see all the different labels that are going to be available for a chat. I feel quite proud to be to be able to offer something to music and artists that I really love and can't wait to be buying all those records!

What’s something about the records biz that you like the most? I'd never want to take for granted that I've worked pretty hard to get where I am. Every day, I wake up and I'm really, really happy with my job and my career trajectory. It's never boring to me.