Once again it’s time to meet more of the tireless men and women below decks, striving to keep the good ship Sony Legacy safely on course. May we introduce Campaign & Range Manager Oli Cameron.

What was the first record you ever bought?

Ah I remember buying this one really vividly! Back when I was 11 I was obsessed with skateboarding and had been recording really bad audio off skate videos onto tape to listen to; anyway one of the videos had loads of The Offspring on the soundtrack, I fell in love with the thrashy guitars and angsty lyrics immediately.

This was around the same time as they released their album ‘Americana’, I rushed out as soon as I could save up enough pocket money to buy it from HMV, I even had to borrow £1 off a friend to afford it! Despite not being the actual album I thought it was (turned out the video had songs from ‘Ixnay On The Hombre’) and the, in hindsight, not brilliant novelty singles like ‘Pretty Fly For A White Guy’, ‘Americana’ still had me hooked. Punk and rock music were at the forefront of my musical interests for many years after that!

Who is your favourite Sony artist and what is your favourite Song/Album by them?

There are waaaay too many amazing artists I love on Sony that have really impacted my music tastes over the years to be able to pick just one; I mean c’mon A Tribe Called Quest, Miles Davis, AC/DC, Bob Dylan, The Clash, Bowie, Jeff Buckley just to name a few, how is anyone meant to choose between them!?

If I was really forced to pick just one, I’d have to go with a band I come back to pretty frequently, not because they’re the coolest but simply because they put a massive grin on my face every time, Foo Fighters. I’m a sucker for big dumb stadium rock and with Foos you get the added bonus of a bit of hardcore under the surface on the early material. Their gigs are always a great experience (even if guest stars can steal the show, I’m looking at you Jimmy Page!). ‘The Colour And The Shape’ is just a modern rock classic that makes me smile, especially when the drum intro for ‘My Hero’ kicks in, so good!

What’s the best gig you’ve been to? Or What was the first gig you went to?

My first gig was Incubus at Wembley Arena on their Morning View tour, a huge group of us from my school went, I dyed my hair green and had a wallet chain big enough to anchor the Titanic, it was a good time despite the dubious fashion choices. I will never forget how the bass shook my bones, that show opened the flood gates to many many more gigs!

Best gig is harder to pick but I’m going to go with Nine Inch Nails at Brixton Academy in 2005, I have never seen a performer or band who can match Trent Reznor for pure stage presence, I did feel bad for the keyboard player who had his equipment unceremoniously torn apart and thrown off the stage during the set though…

What’s your favourite album?

I’ve always really struggled with this question, there’re too many great ones out there to pinpoint just one, and if you asked me next week I can guarantee it would be a different list, however these are ones that would all be strong contenders for that number one spot right now:

1. Reuben – ‘Racecar Is Racecar Backwards’
2. Tubelord – ‘Our First American Friends’
3. Jurassic 5 – ‘Jurassic 5 LP’
4. Jeff Buckley –’Grace’
5. Miles Davis – ‘Kind Of Blue’

All are equally special to me for a number of reasons, between those records everything I love about music is covered and most importantly the passion and authenticity with which they were made is audible in all of them. Oh god I forgot ‘Led Zeppelin IV’, can I add that to the list?

Any stories you’d like to share from your time working in music?

Getting to work at a label with a catalogue of artists you love is a privilege in itself, it’s really awesome to be a part of the process of helping people discover music in any small way; but my fondest memories will always come from my time playing in a small band around the UK.

From spending far too much time in rehearsal spaces and vans with three of my closest friends, sharing stages/backstage areas with some incredibly interesting & talented people and meeting music fanatics from all over the place, that period of my life taught me a lot and is full of memories I’ll cherish; most of the stories are definitely not suitable for a pre-watershed audience though!