As a Senior Music Analyst, Hannah Glass is deciding what you listen to next.
I grew up in a musical family.
Music followed me to UC Berkeley where I studied music and rhetoric.
After graduating I worked at Rasputin Music off of Telegraph Avenue near campus.
All of these experiences helped me get to my current role as a Music Analyst for Pandora.
Take us through a recent workday.
I usually work from home, so I cut out the prep and commute time.
Afternoon
What I do: I pound out analysis using Pandoras Music Genome Project interface.
I dont do the curation; I just enter data using harmonic analysis and other critical listening skills.
Every song has its own fingerprint, so to speak, and I map that out.
Once in a while I listen to traditional Celtic tracks for a change of pace.
For breaks, I sit at my piano and sight read Romantic or Classical pieces.
I like to keep my musical interests diverse: on Monday its a 12-person a cappella practice.
Tuesday is a stadium pop-rock band.
Wednesday is a face-melting rock trio.
Thursday is a bluegrass string band.
Saturday is a string quartet.
Sunday is an Argentine milonga ensemble.
Then I analyze a bit more music before going to bed.
What I hear: My Pandora app as I drive to rehearsal.
Back home, a few hours of analysis.
I unwind to LoFi hip hop.
Then burning of a candle.
What apps, gadgets, or tools cant you live without?
For work, simple wifi connection does the trick!
For gigs, I cant live without Lyft.
A metronome is always helpful (I use a free app on my phone).
Whats your workspace setup like?
My workspace is pretty non-existent.
I have my laptop, my isolating, comfortable collapsible headphones, and a travel-size numerical keyboard.
One of my favorite places to work is outside in the sun at my house in Oakland.
What are your music listening habits?
How has your work affected them?
My listening habits change often, but I appreciate silence once in a while to reset my ears.
Im certainly not sick of music after analyzing it for a living.
Whats your best life hack?
Keep snacks in your purse at all times!
My purse is always full of snacks.
Take us through an interesting process you have in place at work.
A lot of the material is NSFW, which makes for an inherently entertaining work space.
Every analyst coworker of mine has a valid perspective on the music.
My job is mostly straightforward, listening to a new song every ten minutes.
But my manager helps me improve the quality of my analysis and makes sure I dont burn out.
Any length of analysis past six hours can definitely turn a brain to mush.
How do you keep track of what you have to do?
Old school: a CVS planner.
Sometimes I even use gel pens.
How do you recharge or take a break?
Some analysts work in blocks, others work in between other gigs.
Whats your favorite side project?
I love performing in general, and my musical instruments are my favorite side projects.
What are you currently reading, or what do you recommend?
At the moment Im reading Ray BradburysThe Day it Rained Forever, a compilation of short stories.
Id also recommend the fiction writing of Jonathan Lethem.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Besides reading what my mom and dad would have to say, Id love to LifehackThomas Newman.
Hes the film composer behindAmerican Beauty,Finding Nemo,Wall-E, andSkyfallto name a few.
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
Dont compare yourself to other people.
Its not a racetrust your own process.
This is super helpful to remember as a songwriter.
Life is not a race.
Whats a problem youre still trying to solve?
Time management and prioritization.
