Emily White's Desk Notes
Music tech writer and strategist Emily White gives us an annotated tour of her desk.
I've been working from home in Greenpoint since 2020, so I've invested in a proper home desk setup to attempt to quell the chronic back pain that comes with having a computer job. I grew up in West Virginia and have lived in NYC since 2013. I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with my partner, Rie and our dog, Cali. I am an avid reality TV connoisseur (ask me for recommendations on what seasons of Survivor or Love Island to start with), karaoke enthusiast, amateur painter and shell artist. Playlists are my love language.
1. A picture of my mom + an aura reading: My wonderful, adventurous and kind mother, Cathy Shank, died last year. I keep this photo of her in her 20's sitting outside of her apartment in Chicago on my desk because she told me this was one of the happiest times in her life. I keep an aura reading I had done a few weeks after her celebration of life next to it. It reminds me to be gentle with myself, that working while grieving is really hard, and that the only way out is through. My mom loved music and had a great singing voice. I made a playlist of songs she loved here.
2. Fidget toys + visual timer: These are essential tools for managing my ADHD at work. I physically can't listen on video calls unless I'm doing something with my hands, so I keep a lot of fidget toys at my desk like this fidget cube or favorite shells I have collected.
3. My iPods + Cassettes: These are by far my most commented on items during zoom calls. They are purely decorative devices at this point: a purple iPod Mini with a lyric from ‘Golden Years’ by David Bowie engraved on the back + an iPod Classic with a lyric from ‘The World at Large’ by Modest Mouse engraved. Both pivotal teenage Emily songs. The cassettes are from my friend's projects: June Gloom's subletter and Boon's There's No Saving This House.
4. 15 Minutes of Fame: I bought this at the Time Travel Mart in LA as a little reminder to myself that I already had my 15 minutes. (I went viral when I was a summer intern for NPR Music in 2012. It was excruciating, exciting and deeply weird) The package says: ‘Use caution, side effects can include but are not limited to: temporary blindness, errant depth perception, poor judgement, and mania.’
5. CMJ College Radio Awards poster: I was the general manager of American University's college radio station, WVAU, in 2013. The year after I graduated, the station won best student-run, internet-only station at CMJ. The station graciously mailed me a copy of the poster they won. College radio changed my life. I was an international relations major my first semester freshman year, then I joined the college radio station, changed my major to communications + audio technology the next semester and never looked back.
6. White Noise popup book: This was a gift from my friend Kate. My college radio show was called White Noise (get it?), and my username for everything has always been emwhitenoise (including my Substack!).
Photo: Oliver Farshi, LA Times, 2024
After going viral in 2012 for predicting the rise of streaming while still an intern at NPR Music, Emily White has become one of music tech’s most prominent product leaders, innovators, and commentators. She’s held roles at places like Billboard and Spotify, but these days, she works as a senior product lead and advisor helping startups shape the future of creator tools and fan engagement. She also writes a monthly essay on the music business, fandom, community and discovery on Substack.