Ariel Publicity

http://www.cincygroove.com

http://www.twitter.com/cincygroove

Q) Tell us a little bit about your blog. What inspired you to start it?
A) I have always had a strong interest in music ever since my first concert I attended back when I was 16.  I bought the domain name for the site back in 2005, knowing that I wanted to start my own site someday.  I knew there were things about running a music magazine web site that I didn’t know, so I did some photo and review work for various music magazine websites to learn what to do and what not to do.  I ended up wanting to go shoot a lot more shows than I could get credentials for, so I decided to take more control over my own career.  Since I had been a concert photographer since 2000 I had built up a lot of contacts.  So when I started the website it made it a lot easier for me to get interviews, press passes to shows etc…
Q) Why do you believe new media resources (i.e. blogs, podcasts, internet radio stations) have become so popular? How have they been beneficial to artists? How have they been detrimental?

A) I think blogs, podcasts, and Internet radio stations are so popular because anyone can start their own blog or record their own podcast.  It gives the band from a small town in Nebraska the same ability for exposure as a more popular band say in Chicago.  Once something is posted it has the potential to be viewed by anyone in the world.  Just 20 years ago only artists such as U2, Madonna, or Metallica had the ability to reach that many people.  That’s the beneficial part.  The detrimental part is the fact there is too much out there for your senses to comprehend.  But overall I think these new media sources are a very good thing.  With anything new there are growing pains.

Q) Media 2.0 has changed the way artists communicate with fans. Where do you envision online communication going next? Any thoughts on what Media “3.0” will look like?
A) I often think about what is going to happen next.  It may sound silly, but I can see people putting on some sort of helmet where you will be in a virtual holographic environment where you can talk with someone face to face.  Something even more exciting would to be able to virtually attend a concert in the same fashion.  I have no idea how that would work, but it sounds like something that could become reality.

Q) What does an artist have to do to get your attention? Are their specific characteristics that you look for?
A) Really to get my attention, sending less is better than sending a lot of info.  When I get physical press kits, a cd, a one page bio, and a photo is really all that is needed.  I tend not to look at press kits with 20 pages of reviews etc..  I get so many at times I don’t have time to look at all that stuff.  When I get emails from artists, just telling me a little about the band along with a link to their website or myspace page is enough.  I am open to all genres of music, whether you are in a bluegrass, blues, or heavy metal band.

Q) What do you ultimately hope to accomplish with your blog?
A) Ultimately I hope I can help some artists gain some exposure while having fun at the same time.  I like working with local bands here in Cincinnati just as much as doing an interview with a national artist.  By working with national and regional artists I hope I’ll be able to help as many local artists as I can, no matter where they are from.

Podcast Info – I have titled my podcasts, “Cincy Groove Live”.  I try to record audio from every concert I go to.  So each Sunday I plan to feature 3-4 songs from a concert I attended in a podcast.

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http://popstereo.blogspot.com/

Located in Florida and/or the UK, POP! Stereo has been subjecting readers to their warped taste in music for almost three years.

Their mission is simple, to share with their readers/listeners the music that they love themselves and the music that needs to be heard by the masses. They’re here because they believe in good music!

Q) Tell us a little bit about your site. What inspired you to start it?

A) The origins of The POP! Stereo evolved out of the weekly party known as POP! at Eclipse which was started in the Summer of 2006. Dedicated to bringing the masses the best of new and old indie and dance (or as the kids called it back then “disco”) the night took off providing a forum for new music through release parties and samplers. As time went on, it became apparent that something should be done to provide the punters a constant source of new music. That’s where The POP! Stereo comes in. The POP! Stereo was originally started in April 2008 as the companion blog to POP! where by visitors to the party could go home and download the music they just heard at the bar. By December 2008, the weekly had come to an end but the blog took on a life of it’s own. Now over a year later, The POP! Stereo attracts more visitors from outside of the States than inside and is updated daily with fresh content and tracks.

Q) Why do you believe new media resources (i.e. blogs, podcasts, internet radio stations) have become so popular? How have they been beneficial to artists? How have they been detrimental?

A) Blogs and the like have taken off, I think primarily because they’re so easy to set up and start. Since the startup cost is minimal anyone that has a computer, an internet connection and an ounce of creativity can set something up be it a blog, a podcast, or streaming internet radio. The trick is maintaining consistency and deciding whether or not you’re in it for the long haul or the short term.

As for the benefits…These sources of media propagation have allowed artists and fans to connect in ways that they’ve never been able to do before. Thanks to technology, bands have the ability to cut out the middle man completely and retain control of just about every aspect of their career. We’ve seen how several artists have gone from being a small band to being bigger than sliced bread in a matter of months (as opposed to the standard business model) thanks to technology and the ability to spread their message with ease. See Little Boots, Black Kids, and even Lily Allen as perfect examples of artists who owe some part of their success to the Internet.

While the ease of technology has allowed bands to spread their message rapidly, technology has also flooded the market with so much music, it’s impossible to keep track of it all. I think the main problem with this ease of propagation is that quality control has been pretty much been chucked out the window. Now, every band that has a bandcamp/purevolume/myspace/

facebook/etc profile sets themselves up as being the next big thing when in all honesty so they are not. For every Black Kids there are 30 bands that aren’t good and never will be no matter what the blogosphere says.

Q) Media 2.0 has changed the way artists communicate with fans. Where do you envision online communication going next? Any thoughts on what Media “3.0” will look like?

A) One word really…Mobile. I think within five to ten years you’ll pretty much be able to do everything you can do on a PC through your phone. We’re already starting to see the possibilities and it’s only going to grow.

Q) What does an artist have to do to get your attention? Are their specific characteristics that you look for?

A) It’s really simple to get my attention…have a tune. If you can write a song that’s as catchy as the flu then you have me. It doesn’t have to be complicated or technologically advanced it just has to be good. Thanks to DJing on and off for 20 years, and having to think on the fly, I can usually tell whether or not I’m going to like something w/in 30 seconds simply by the structure of the song.

Q) What do you ultimately hope to accomplish with your site?

A) To become a consistent and reliable source for new music. It all harks back to our mission which is to share with our readers/listeners the music that we love ourselves and the music that needs to be heard by the masses. We’re here because we believe in good music.

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http://www.astralaudio.net

Q: How can contemporary artists make more money on the internet?

A: Models like what Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Mark Mosher have given potential buyers a choice of what a particular song or album should be priced at. Their success along with keeping things drm free encourages fans to obtain works from the artists. Perhaps if artists gave fans the chance to rate individual songs or the entire album as a whole, then a higher rating could mean that fans are more likely to purchase the work. An option would be to cap the price at around $15.00 for the CD and $5.00 for the digital download. If the rating goes down, the cap should be lowered along side this.

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Most People Are DJs - www.mostpeoplearedjs.com

“Indie pop and skewed Intellect” is a weekly podcast and sometimes videocast that features music, interviews and opinions.  Most People Are DJs takes it’s name from the song of the same name by the Hold Steady and features the lyrics “Everyone is a critic and most people are djs.” The show is in it’s 4th year and is on it’s 200th episode.

Q: What has to be done in the technological sense to monetize music to a greater degree on the internet?

A. Stop with the DRM! I get 90% of my music from eMusic, because they have a great selection and no DRM. I have an iPod, a Creative Zen, and iRiver music devices plus I DJ as well, I need music to move around all of these and DRM just kills it for me. The other part is people just have to continue to get more comfortable buying digital music.

Q: Where do you see the next trend in social media? What else can be done in terms of having an online conversation? What is the next “What are you doing?” question?

I’ll be honest, I actually see there might be a backlash against social media. I’m still struggling with understanding the full purpose of social media. Social media is my way of creating new relationships and taking them offline or rediscovering old relationships. The next “What are you doing” question should relate to “what are you doing away from the computer that is contributing to improving the planet’s wellbeing”.

Q: What inspired you to start broadcasting/blogging? It that still your source of motivation?

A: The ease and the DIY sensibility of Podcasting that reminded me of the “hey day” of DIY zines back in the 80’s inspired me. You’ve got this group of people that want to communicate to the masses in their own, original way and podcasting is best delivery tool yet to get it done. I’ve had lots of other ideas about starting a new blog etc. but, I always come back to Most People Are DJs and the podcasting community.

Q: What are some things bands can do to get your attention to be featured on your broadcast/blog? Do you ever cover a band that you are not particularly fond of musically ?

A: Bands can listen to my show and email me tracks to mostpeoplearedjs@gmail.com. But, please listen to my show or read a few of my show notes first. After doing that you’ll catch on pretty quickly that I am not a DJ who plays “everything.” I’m pretty sincere with my show in only playing music I really like, which fits somewhere along the lines of “indie-electro-pop” with some “shoegaze” thrown in for good measure. There are lots of other shows with “free for all” formats and that’s fine for them but I always wanted people to be able to identify my show with a certain type of music that goes along with it.

Q: Will major labels ever be the gatekeepers again, or have they lost all of their power to the internet forever? Can they somehow return to prominence?

A: I’d say a large majority of the music I listen to for the last 20 years is not on major labels. They don’t really bear much importance with me. I’d like to see more bands figuring out their own path to promoting and releasing music. The bands that have done this successfully, i.e. Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, etc. seem to reach a level of real satisfaction with who they are and their position in this music world for years to come. If you want to read a good book on major labels and working for one, check out “Rock On: An Office Power Ballad” by Dan Kennedy.

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http://ventvox.com/

We are devoted to the art of complaining, comparing, and discussing stuff. Being idle observers is not enough. We believe that ranting, raving, and whining is a freedom that we should all have and use often. Attitude is not necessarily a bad thing, so gather up opinions- coherent or not- and let us hear them

Q: What are your favorite blogs/audio blogs featuring new music do you like to visit?

A: I enjoy Pitchfork, Each Note Secure, and Aquarium Drunkard.

Q: What inspired you to start the site?

A: I wanted to start Ventvox.com to express my views on music as well as see the feedback that others could provide.  I’m now shocked to find that not everyone always agrees with my opinion.

Q: What do you think is the impact of blogs, internet radio, and podcasts on independent music?

A: I think blogs, Internet radio and podcsts help Independent music reach a broader audience than it previously reached.

Q: When you started your station, did you anticipate that blogs would have such an upscale trend as it does now?

A: I didn’t expect my blog to take off initially because of the vast number of like-minded thinkers.  I differentiate my blog a bit by discussing art and culture.

Q: What are the ultimate goals you wish to achieve through your site?

A: The ultimate goal for my site would to be a larger readership and the addition of more staff to contribute articles.  Making some money through ad sales would also be beneficial.

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http://www.greenarrowradio.com

Green Arrow Radio is an open forehead music show. The show offers a bit of something new with a mixture of world beat and fresh jazz. Also, included is some soulful funk. The entire show is landscaped to change each week.

Q:  How long have you been broadcasting/blogging?

A:  I have been broadcasting in  community and college setting for over 6 years now and i have been “blogging” for about 4 of those years.

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

A: A good song needs to play well with others!

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

A: Such a difficult thing to narrow down since the desired sounds change constantly based on so many uncontrolled factors.  I don’t care much for assigning “genres” to art..either its for me or it isn’t….I guess if my life depended on answering this I would without hesitation say that Club d’Elf would be the band I call my favorite since they mix and blend so many varieties of sound into everything they do live or otherwise.

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

A: You know, I think I just don’t like the meddling of authority on what I am supposed to form my own opinions about.  But as I pay attention to what is going on and follow it to the edges—-I just appreciate the opportunity to introduce people to new sounds that I just play along nicely to be able to share.  But ask me again some other time and I’m sure to have a different answer.

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: Well, I hope that my efforts on greenarrowradio.com help generate listening ears which will turn into trying to find out more about the artist..including purchasing some of their art.  I see myspace for me as a great avenue to get people over to greenarrowradio.com and for me an easier way to check out music with the intention to purchase it … even if it is one tune at a time. More power to all these ways of supporting that something that does seem to unite many.

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