Liner Notes | May 2017 | I’ve Been Thinking…
Hello everybody! Welcome to another edition of the Liner Notes series. First of all, I must apologise for the lack of content over the last couple of weeks. There was a sudden demise of a previously hailed Internet connection at home which meant that I couldn’t actually do anything, so I had to let the blog go MIA for a little while. I was going to make this week a strong **RETURN TO FORM** for Sounds Good but…I’ve been thinking.
I’ve talked in the past about what it’s like to run a music blog and have detailed the struggles of doing so. It’s certainly a “One man against the World” scenario, with the difference being that the world seemingly disappears when you deliver the content they want. There’s a real lack of give in an industry that demands a lot of take, and it’s made me a little hesitant returning to it.
The last two weeks away from it has made me reflect on the five years I’ve been writing about music and it’s involved a lot of chasing to meet deadlines or numerous attempts to cut down on an email inbox that grows larger every day. Many hours have been dedicated to maintaining a spreadsheet that’s close to bursting with submissions, and while listening to new music was the primary reason behind why I chose to do this it’s become a bit of a chore these days.
“Do you get paid to do this?” “How much do you get paid?” have been questions I’ve faced over the years and while I’ve kept the stance of “I don’t care, this is a hobby”, I’ve finally come to the realisation that this is a hobby because I don’t get paid for it, and considering the oversaturation of people out there doing the same thing, it’s likely to remain that way forever.
This isn’t an issue brought upon by income or whatever, because it has always been about music and talking about music, but the issue comes from a quivering motivation in creating a music blog and trying to keep it relevant/engaging and with the little views it receives, the motivation quivers just that little bit more.
I rely quite a bit on attention and the reactions of others to know that what I’m doing is good (my Girlfriend would call that “clingy”) , so it does hurt to see how little views and engagements some of the reviews and interviews receive, especially when it’s content I’ve spent a lot of time and effort on. I do enjoy using Twitter a lot but would like it to be through a personal account of mine rather than the Sounds Good one, as that feels a little more difficult to get properly connected to artists/labels and readers.
So I’ve been thinking, would it be beneficial for me to forget about running a blog and pursue writing content for other websites and blogs instead? The amount of redesigns, renaming of certain articles, even blogs over the years probably means the answer is yes, but I’m not 100% sure yet. What do you guys reckon?
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Sounds Good 
Do whatever you feel is best for you. Remember that you always have a home at TDL! 😉
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Tina you are the bestest, and thank you kindly for always providing a little nook of TDL for me to inhabit with my smelly words.
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I completely identify with this statement: “I rely quite a bit on attention and the reactions of others to know that what I’m doing is good (my Girlfriend would call that “clingy”), so it does hurt to see how little views and engagements some of the reviews and interviews receive, especially when it’s content I’ve spent a lot of time and effort on.” As you state, Adam, there is an oversaturation of music bloggers doing what we do, and I sometimes wonder why the hell I even bother.
Over time, attention paid to my blog has risen slightly, given a gradual increase in the number of followers. Still, the vast majority of them never engage after following, which leads me to suspect that, just like Twitter, they follow simply because they hope to get followed back in return, and aren’t really interested in my blog. Some music blogs I follow get scores of likes and comments for every single post, many from other bloggers who appear to be faithful followers, while other music blogs receive few if any. I think it has little to do with the quality of the content, and more to do with the forging of interpersonal relationships like you and I have over the past year. In a sense, those followers have become ‘fans.’ As I’ve stated before, it’s frustrated me to see blogs about poetry, lifestyle or miscellany get 50 or more likes & comments on every single post, in sharp contrast to our blog posts. Those bloggers’ followers are fans, so they generally engage with most, if not all, of their posts. You and I have only a handful of followers that I would classify as fans, who show genuine interest in our blog and engage at least once in a while.
Though I am continuously running behind in getting the reviews I commit to write done, I always take the time to read at least some of the posts from as many other bloggers as possible. If I want them to read, and hopefully like or comment on my posts, I realize I need to do the same for them. We’re all busy, but if another blogger says they’re too busy to read others’ blogs, they’re full of shit as far as I’m concerned. Some bloggers are all take and no give, and I eventually cease reading their stuff.
I love your blog, Adam, and consider you a phenomenal wordsmith who inspires me to be a better writer. I would encourage you to keep at this, and perhaps follow a few more music blogs and try to engage with them whenever possible, so that they’ll hopefully do the same for you. But should you make the tough decision to quit your blog, know that you’re always welcome at mine.
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Jeff, as always, you’ve left me a comment with a lot to think about. You are like a wise guru who also acts as my fairy godmother, as you just know exactly what to say all the time. First of all, thank you so much for leaving a comment and for engaging in as many posts as you have over the last year or so. I think you’re absolutely right with regards to how you should show some love in order to experience love. It’s something that I rarely do and should ensure to improve on – as I think you’re right in that it’s a BS excuse to say you’re too busy to check out other people’s blogs.
So again, thank you mate. You’ve opened my eyes with your comments, and I think it’s helped recover a little bit of appreciation for the bloggin’ scene as a whole.
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It’s my utmost pleasure to support you and your blog Adam, and I’m glad my comments are appreciated. As for my being your ‘fairy godmother’ – well, you’ve sized me up pretty accurately!
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Write for me u clingy bitch 😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉😉
Jks luv u & sg don’t stop writing – Bon jovi
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😂 wow thanks Bun Javi you have no idea how much that means to me
Ps great name
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