Lyndsey Havens is a Deputy Editor at Billboard specializing in music industry evolution, artist reinvention, and vinyl culture. With over 200 bylines analyzing how analog formats thrive in digital ecosystems, she’s become a leading voice on music’s physical/digital convergence.
Avoid pitches about awards show politics or tech hardware reviews—Havens focuses on human stories behind music consumption trends. Her work consistently asks: "How do we experience music in an age of infinite streaming?"
Lyndsey Havens has carved a distinctive niche in music journalism through her decade-long focus on artist narratives and industry innovation. Beginning as a freelancer for the Chicago Tribune after graduating from the University of Kansas in 2015, she joined Billboard in 2018 as a staff writer. By 2022, she ascended to Deputy Editor, spearheading the groundbreaking Managers to Watch list—a first-of-its-kind initiative spotlighting behind-the-scenes industry leaders.
This 2024 profile dissects Goldblum's unlikely transition from Hollywood actor to jazz bandleader, revealing his collaborative process with pop icons. Havens employs a mosaic structure, weaving studio anecdotes with streaming data to show how his Playdate album defies genre conventions. The piece notably highlights Goldblum’s use of social media teasers to build anticipation—a tactic Havens positions as a blueprint for legacy artists adapting to digital-first audiences.
"Goldblum’s studio became a laboratory where generational talents collided—Grande’s vocal runs layered over Erivo’s theatrical phrasing, all anchored by that unmistakable piano improvisation."
In this 2025 interview, Havens traces Broski’s journey from "Kombucha Girl" meme to music-comedy hybrid act. The article’s power lies in its dual analysis: quantitative metrics of her TikTok virality paired with qualitative insights about artistic reinvention. Havens identifies Broski’s "meta-commentary on fandom" as a new paradigm for digital-native creators, supported by Spotify charts showing her parody tracks outperforming traditional comedy albums.
This 2016 early-career piece established Havens’ knack for contextualizing indie acts within broader cultural movements. Framing Local Natives’ Sunlit Youth album against global unrest, she draws parallels between their harmonic experimentation and societal calls for unity. The article’s enduring relevance stems from its prescient analysis of "hope as a radical act" in art—a theme Havens would later revisit in coverage of pandemic-era releases.
Havens’ Managers to Watch series demonstrates her interest in non-artist innovators. Pitches should highlight booking agents, vinyl producers, or data analysts shaping industry trends. Example: Her 2023 profile on indie label A&R director Mara Sommers revealed how TikTok analytics now inform vinyl pressing decisions.
With 14+ articles analyzing vinyl’s resurgence, Havens seeks stories connecting physical media to streaming culture. Successful pitches might explore how artists design album art for Instagram unboxing videos or why Gen Z collects cassettes. Reference her 2024 investigation into Target’s exclusive vinyl variants driving 37% of Q1 catalog sales.
Her Broski and Goldblum pieces exemplify interest in nonlinear career arcs. Pitch artists transitioning between mediums (e.g., actors launching music projects) or veterans adopting Web3 strategies. Avoid "overnight success" narratives—Havens prioritizes artists with deliberate reinvention strategies.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Music, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
