New Media Pioneer: Mark Boudreau of the Rock and Roll Report

http://www.rockandrollreport.com

“Playing indie and unsigned rock and roll that is sadly neglected by commercial rock radio”. Come check us out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/rockandrollreport

Q:  How long have you been broadcasting/blogging?

A: I have been blogging on The Rock and Roll Report since 2003 and podcasting with the Rock and Roll Report Podcast since November 2007. The blog has now evolved to include over 20 people from around the world who are passionate about rock and roll and want to spread the word to as many people as possible. In addition to the blog and podcast I host a monthly radio show on CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal and we will soon be kicking off Rock and Roll Report TV in the next few weeks.

Q:  In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of?

A: To me a great song has to have energy and has to induce me to turn up the volume knob as it is playing along. Great rock and roll has the undeniable effect of causing you to drum on your steering wheel while driving, air drum at concerts and pretend you are Jimmy Page in your living room while the music blasts out at ear splitting intensity on the home stereo.

I am also a sucker for a melodic hook and harmonizing vocals. At the end of the day, what I want most out of a song is to have it make me smile. Fortunately there is still tons of rock and roll that does that for me!.

Q: What is your favorite band or favorite genre of music and why?

A: I don’t really have any one favourite band anymore but I would have to say that the band that pretty much hooked me into rock and roll at an early age was the Rolling Stones. They have all the ingredients that make rock and roll so much fun and they really touch all the cornerstones from straight up boogie woogie rock and roll to soft lilting ballads to punkish blasts of fury to sneering sexual tinged sonic onslaughts. They were the first band that I didn’t have to think about. I just “got them” from my first listen. Then I heard the Ramones and all bets were off! Since then I have pretty much enjoyed everything from hard rock to punk to power pop to heavy metal and everything in between. It is why I refer to the Rock and Roll Report as a ‘niche-free” zone!

Q: What changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have effected you most?

A: Since I always ask for permission from the artists to play their music on the show and since I only play bands and artists that are either unsigned or on independent record labels I can’t say that content laws have affected me too much. I have only been turned down twice for permission to play a song on the Rock and Roll Report Podcast and both times by a label even though the artists were all for it. I

have been looking into starting a streaming radio station but the current complexities of webcasting royalty rates are making me take a wait and see attitude before I make any commitments there.

Q: A recent study found blogs to be more effective than MySpace in generating album sales, do you feel that that is a true statement?

A: That’s not surprising as MySpace is so huge and everybody is automating their comments, etc that it is becoming difficult to sort through all the bands on the site. The thing that is great about bloggers and podcasters and the point I always make to labels hesitant about getting involved is this. Would you not prefer to have a blogger or podcaster who is obviously enthusiastic about a band play a track from them on their podcast or write about them on a blog to be listened to or read by possibly thousands of music fans who

(a) trust that blogger/podcaster’s opinion and

(b) want to hear new music and support great music? I think the answer is an unqualified yes!

Podcasts and blogs in my opinion work together with musicians unlike mainstream media in that we actively promote music because we are passionate about it. On the Rock and Roll Report we always make sure that we link back to a band’s website or MySpace page and try to include links to Amazon, iTunes or CD Baby where available so that music fans can buy the music of the artists we feature.

I liken the Rock and Roll Report to an entree. We offer you a taste of all this amazing music and you can then decide if you like it or not. If you like it we offer you an easy way to buy the music and support the bands and we are not shy in emphasizing that fact! The nice thing about all of this is that the bands get real feedback and support in either people buying their music and merch or going to their shows and the fans get to discover amazing new music and aren’t force fed the same 50 songs every day like on on the radio. It’s a win-win situation for all involved.

While there are tons of great automated music discovery services out there, I still believe that what people enjoy most and what traditional radio has lost is having somebody you trust turning you on to great music with honesty and passion. And while there is a saying that “content is king” I tend to believe that “context is king.” A good podcaster or music blogger can not only introduce you to great music but can put that introduction into a context that is both entertaining and informative and that is why this is all so much fun and so powerful for record labels and musicians that want to get their music listened to instead of “consumed.” Really when you think about it, because the cost of entry is so low in starting a blog or podcast, it brings power back to the people and allows passionate music fans to simply spread the word to other passionate music fans about great music they think they might like. And that’s why it is so effective..