This is an interview series in preparation 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 and will be posting these in a series leading up to the conference.
Today we’re hearing from Minneapolis musician Adam Svec, who has a new album out, Resolution (stream it here).
Why do you think music blogs are so popular?
I think music blogs became popular during the decline of print resources like CMJ (New Music Monthly) and NME because they were more timely than a lot of the indie-rock magazines and journals. Instead of waiting until your copy of New Music Monthly was supposed to show up (and often didn’t), college radio dj’s could just look up pitchfork, stereogum, daytrotter (for a more cumulative approach) and brooklynvegan as reliable sources for what was going to be “the band” to watch this week/month/minute. In the last couple years I think there has been a bit of blog saturation. Political blogs, art blogs, and music blogs have been a little too concerned with timeliness and racing for the newest carrot-on-the-stick, without taking into account the timeless quality of the art/politican being promoted. However, good writers/reviewers have defended themselves very earnestly. The power of a good writer speaks volumes, and I hope that it always will. As new generations begin to embrace music appreciation and reviews, I think music blogs will remain an important strong-hold for the arts community.
How have they changed your music consumption and/or marketing efforts?
In 2005 and 2006, I read the blogs religiously. I checked their updates more than I checked the New York Times or the Star Tribune. Although, I didn’t necessarily find a large proportion of my favorite musicians via these means, it definitely gave me an idea of which blogs I wanted to send press kits when I started promoting a record. At the time, I even had a separate “blog” spreadsheet (set apart from my “radio” spreadsheet and my “press” spreadsheet). I categorized blogs by region, and I made sure to get in touch with the blogs in different states when The Glad Version was hitting the road for short tours.
What’s the best thing to happen to the music industry in the last year or so?
The return of singing… (e.g. Grizzly Bear, The Bowerbirds, Beirut). From the mid-nineties through the mid-thousands, the United States’ independent music landscape was powered by a folk-punk movement of “edgy” singers (e.g. Eric Bachman, Jeff Mangum, Conor Oberst, Tim Kasher). As much as I love the freedom of these singers (and I mean truly love), it is so refreshing to hear honest-to-jesus singers return to the spotlight as 2010 starts off a new decade. Belt them pitches boys, belt it!
What’s the worst?
The fact that Andrew Broder will no longer be recording Fog records.
Other reading:
Read other State of Music Blogs in 2010 interviews.
RSVP for the State of Music Blogs in 2010 SXSW panel.
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