10 Questions with ... Shayne Locke

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Started in AM radio working for Rockhampton's 4RO as an advertising account manager. It was a great foot in the door as I then progressed to Promotions Manager, Prize Patrol and finally became part of the Breaky Team. I moved away from radio for a time, working as marketing and center manager for some large shopping malls. About 10 years ago I went back to the music industry working for an Australian/Chinese record label, Cowbell Digital Music, taking artists from Australia and U.S. and developing their careers throughout China. Five years ago I started Soul Traveller Radio, an online radio station that plays all conscious music and ST Media which syndicates shows to other radio stations around the world.

1. How did you become interested in radio?

I have always been interested in music. I remember putting playlists together with records and recording them onto cassette, sharing them with friends. I was the guy with the music at parties. My record collection was massive and then I started all over again with CDs. High fidelity was literally my life. I completely understood the need to relate everything back to music and playlists. It was easy to make the transition into radio coming from such a music-driven childhood.

2. What prompted you to start Soul Traveller Radio?

I remember hearing bands like Sting, U2 and Simple Minds in the '80s. They made such an impact. I didn't realize it at the time but these bands were my introduction to socially conscious music. Fast forward 30 years and I started following a mindfulness practice and realized that there was a world of music that was largely unheard by the general public.

I wanted to share the music to the world and so I started Soul Traveller Radio. It included music like Indian-style mantras, which were suddenly appearing in yoga centres or DJ sets that were being heard at music festivals. This was five years ago. Back then I started calling it "conscious music." Of course, now we have artists like Michael Franti and Nahko Bear, who are knocking down mainstream radio doors with their unique sound and message. People are becoming much more receptive to it.

3. Give us a run-down of the various shows under that umbrella.

We have a general programing format, with key new music sitting in high rotation for a few months. It's very automated, which allows me time to work on shows. We have embraced the podcast generation with actual shows being put onto podcast at the same time as they are added to the station, and given to other stations that syndicate our shows. Our shows include Soul Traveller Radio Show Fresh Tracks, The Beat Generation (a 10-part look at conscious music from the '60s until now), Chi Time (interview show from the U.K.), New World Kirtan (mantra music show from the U.S.), Accentuate the Positive (interview show from Australia) and we are just about to launch the Unsigned Project, which is moving slightly away from the conscious music genre and focusing on the latest unsigned indie artists.

4. What is the over-arching philosophy to your programming?

To provide music that makes you think ... think about social issues, spiritual issues, environmental issues. Anything that is challenging us to think differently about the world around us. Our station slogan is "You Are the Music You Listen To."

5. Where does the music you feature originate from? Local? Global?

Our music is really global. I am personally in contact with 90% of the artists. I can get on the phone and help them with promotions or give them advice or interview them. From U.S., U.K., Israel, India and Australia, it doesn't matter where they are. Our station is integrated in the Global Village and it really is a very small place now.

6. How do you stay in tune with your audience?

We have a very active social media presence. We have our radio Facebook page and a conscious music alliance Facebook group that is always posting about events and new music. Plus, we have a Facebook page called Soul Traveller, which is less about music and more about mindfulness practices run by my partner Tanya.

7. Tell us what your website has to offer.

The website combines both the radio elements with the mindfulness articles. Tanya and I used to have a magazine called Sage Magazine, however we put it all online and now have one super-site called www.soultraveller.net, which is where we bring all our traffic to. When certain articles of interest are published we can literally overload the site with traffic (it happened with a numerology article just recently). We also are about to introduce a music store to allow people to buy the music they are listening to on the station.

8. What is your typical day like?

I am lucky that I don't have a typical day. Working from a home studio, I can pick and choose what I want to do, when I want to do it. I receive over 100 e-mails with new music every day, so that and checking Facebook are the first tasks I try and do. Because my studio is in Australia, most mornings I am interviewing an artist in the U.S. or speaking with an artist from the U.K. before they go to bed. My day usually finishes about 11.30p, preparing information for the U.S. markets (like answering these questions). In-between then I am listening to new music, scheduling shows and recording new ones for the stations we syndicate to.

9. What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?

I know that I can look at myself in the mirror and know that I have done everything I can for the artists I am promoting and playing. I know that I have made a difference in someone's life somewhere. In fact, an artist I am working with in L.A. rang me the other day, after the Las Vegas shootings, to thank me for being in his life. When I get a call like that, I know I have made a difference.

10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ...

... coffee ... isn't that an obvious answer. Just that first one in the morning!

Are there any charity or philanthropic causes that are special to you?

We are a champion of the smaller charities that don't get much focus. We recently held a movie premiere for a movie called Walk With Me about Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hahn. The response was so great we raised over $6,000 for a little organization called The Bodhicitta Foundation run by a Buddhist nun, Ayya Yeshe. She lives in Nagpur, India and runs a school and hospital for the children and women. It is organizations like hers that we support that make so much difference on the grass roots level. We know exactly what the money is used for.

How can you be contacted?

I can be contacted on +614 1007 7009 or e-mailed at radio@soultravellerradio.com

To take a listen to some of our syndicated shows, I can be reached at shayne@stmedia.me