Writing this column there is one complaint I get more frequently than any other.

It's that people don't know about stuff that's happening. It's not a complaint directed specifically at me - well, sometimes it is - more a general cry of existential angst at missing out on something because you didn't even know it existed.

The irony of course is that in this modern Too Much Information Age we seem to be missing more things, more than ever.

This ultimately comes down to decentralisation of information. It's similar to what has taken place in film culture, another area dear to my heart. Once there were video stores, central hubs where you could find details about new and upcoming films; now there are a dozen streaming channels where films might, or might not, appear.

DVDs and Blu-rays still exist and are still the best way to watch films. Only you'd be hard pressed to buy any here since even The Warehouse has stopped stocking them and Amazon in the UK, which has films with the same region codes as here, still refuses to sell items to New Zealand claiming the nonsensical excuse of difficulty applying the GST. In which case I guess Jeff Bezos is tacitly declaring he only hires incompetents in Britain since their American site has figured it out.

In the same way, everyone used the newspaper gig guide to find who was playing where. Now there are numerous on-line purveyors of information, none compiling anything comprehensive, so the listings are scattered all over the place, a gig here, a gig there, with more and more falling through the cracks.

ENTERTAINERS CLUB

I've even had complaints that people don't know what's coming up at The Entertainers Club, which amazes me given how well they advertise, with a big mailing list and good coverage here in the Sun. I had stopped mentioning them for that reason. But since those complaints I've now started pointing it out again, particularly since they've had some very worthwhile acts recently.

And it's damn near impossible to keep up with even a skerrick of the music being released. Again, the disappearance of CDs hasn't helped. Oh, and The Warehouse has dropped those too. Another revenue stream gone for musicians. I wonder if anyone will be able to afford to record new music when you just have to give it away, when 10,000 plays on Spotify will get the princely return of $40.

And most music now emerges only on Spotify where finding new music is a relatively random experience. You're probably in the hands of those New Release playlists on the service, where you're at the mercy of unknown editors and automated algorhithms geared towards previous popularity. Good luck chancing across an obscure new artist...

But enough whining! Let me suggest a resource that might be of assistance if you're trying to keep up with the music scene.

ELSEWHERE

It's Graham Reid's website Elsewhere. Graham has been a music writer and more for many years and his website and weekly newsletter are invaluable (and free), loaded with spirited opinions of albums new and old, travel writing, interviews, even the odd recipe.

Graham first got noticed as a writer on the New Zealand scene in the eighties when he founded and edited his own magazine, Passages, focused largely on jazz, but most people will know him from the nineties and later when he was a senior feature writer for The NZ Herald.

He's written a couple of travel books, speaks various languages and seems knowledgeable about a dizzying array of subjects, from architecture to Italian film. He's also won stuff, from Whitcoulls Travel Book of the Year Award to the Media Peace Award. I would say he seems too smart by three quarters.

While I churn out one small column a week I confess to being in awe of his output. I genuinely don't know where he finds the time to listen, watch and read everything he covers. Latest stuff includes releases from Flying Lotus, Van Morrison, Larry Morris, Cheap Trick, Arooj Aftab and bucketloads more. If you want to become better informed I suggest you check out Elsewhere. You can find it at www.elsewhere.co.nz