As I prepare my brain (and liver) for my SXSW Panel: The State of Music Blogs in 2010, I reached out to a number of influencers, musicans, labels, marketers and music fans to get their perspectives on the topic. I’ll be posting these in a series leading up to the festival.
First up is City Pages Music Editor Andrea Swensson who is a self-described writer, blogger and music fan (although tehcnically the main blogger at Gimme Noise and editor of the City Pages music section).
Why do you think music blogs are so popular?
Music blogs help people to sort through the maelstrom of information that is swirling around out there online — even music bloggers need other music blogs to keep it all straight. You could listen to a steady stream of new music 24 hours a day and still miss some cool stuff. But if you find a music blog that you identify with and whose tastes align with your own, it can help you to weed out some new bands you might have otherwise overlooked.
How do you think music blogs/aggregators/social networks have impacted the industry?
It really depends on how you look at it (i.e. how cynical you are). From my perspective, I think that music blogs have really helped us locally. When I comb through my Google Reader and see the range of bands being written about on our local blogs, it gives me an overwhelming feeling of community and belonging. I especially love the rare instances where one blog picks up where another leads off and continues a dialog across the platform. Whether it’s to argue about a hyped-up band or dig deeper into a venue closing or band breakup, it’s reassuring to see a network of people working separately yet harmoniously to find out more about what’s going on in the local scene. I don’t know if I answered your question, and I don’t know if this has led to more ticket sales or CD sales or downloads of local music, but I would imagine (hope) it has helped local artists to feel more supported and for independent artists to make more of an impact without the help of a publicist or manager.
How have they changed your music consumption and/or marketing efforts?
Absolutely. I rely on blogs to help me sort through which music I want to listen to first — on the local level, anyway. Nationally, I still mostly rely on live shows to discover new bands.
What’s the best thing to happen to the music industry in the last year or so?
Lady GaGa.
What’s the worst?
Something that I find to be discouraging is what some would call a “pack mentality” amongst bloggers, which was especially noticable for me with the 2009 year-end polls and lists. While I think a lot of our local blogs avoid this, I see a trend across national blogs involving a lot of regurgitation and very little critical and/or independent thought. In the race to see who can leak the new (fill-in-the-hip-indie-band name) track first, a lot of bloggers tend to overlook that we don’t actually need 1000 people writing about the same Animal Collective/Vampire Weekend/Dirty Projectors/whatever song. The conversation seems diluted at times, and lacks thoughtfulness. On the other hand, that level of hype seems to help these otherwise anti-mainstream bands sell records, so maybe it is useful for the artists in the long run. I’m not sure.
What is the single biggest strategy/technology/innovation/societal shift you think will impact music in 2010?
My personal feeling is that video is going to become even more important for musicians in 2010. People are craving interaction, and videos give fans and newcomers alike a chance to feel out the artist on a more tangible level that just streaming an mp3 or reading a review.
Anything else to add about the State of Music Blogs in 2010?
Don’t stop writing, and don’t pay attention to page views. Write about what moves you, and don’t be afraid to show some passion. Otherwise you’re just reposting a press release, and who needs that?
Other reading:
Read other State of Music Blogs in 2010 interviews.
RSVP for the State of Music Blogs in 2010 SXSW panel
