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 hear from Eric Moeckel, singer and guitarist for The Sextons, a Minneapolis-based band celebrating their CD release on March 5 at Sauce Spirit and Soundbar.
Why do you think music blogs are so popular?
I think it’s because there is more natural competition with blogs than with traditional music press, so people have a better chance of finding a writer or writers who match their tastes more closely – you can see pretty easily whether a blog writer’s opinions are similar to your own because everything he or she has written is all right there archived in front of you. Plus, getting news from an independent source rather than a corporate-sponsored one sits well with the whole artistic ethos – music is a way to define and express our individuality, and most people I know don’t want that to have anything to do with a large company’s influence, so there’s some extra street cred that goes with that.
How do you think music blogs/aggregators/social networks have impacted the industry?
I think it’s checked the big labels a bit, their force-feeding of music to the public, how they hoarded all the press. Not that it’s replaced it, I mean American Idol is pretty much an unashamed example of that force-feeding and that’s still really huge, but blogs have helped to give people other options to choose from as well, getting other names out there, helping independent artists out.
How have they changed your music consumption and/or marketing efforts?
I’ve heard a lot of music in the past years because of some blog or another, or network of blogs. They’re definitely a large influence on what anyone hears. And I know guys out there who read up on music religiously, and those are the guys whom I often get introduced to new bands through. As far as marketing – lots more options these days, more chances to get print. Reviews, promotions through blogs are tremendously helpful to musicians.
What’s the best thing to happen to the music industry in the last year or so?
Hmm, maybe those Pandora-type sites that are coming out. Also probably The Sextons signing to Princess Records and releasing our first album, that’s a big one.
What’s the worst?
I’m certainly not the world’s biggest blog aficionado so I’m hesitant to criticize them, but I will say a general feeling I have and I know other people share is that a lot of them seem to have similar tastes lately. I mean everyone doesn’t have to like “Horchata” – it’d be ok if someone were to disagree. Seems detrimental to what I like about independent press to have no two sides to a coin, just unified rallying behind certain bands. I find it very difficult to believe that everyone likes the same stuff, partly because it would be really sad if that were the case, and partly because I just know that it can’t possibly be true.
What is the single biggest strategy/technology/innovation/societal shift you think will impact music in 2010?
Maybe there’s a perfect 20-year cycle and the 80s will be dead and the 90s will be back in, starting 2010? Or if people get really cynical about corruption and lobbying and greed, and Obama can’t make a dent in it all, maybe people will just give up and there will be some kind of revolution – and then there’s gonna be a lot more Rage Against The Machine-type stuff out there.
And?
I like what blogs are doing, you really can’t complain as a musician because they are so helpful. I don’t know how the people running them manage to sift through so much music and emails, but it undoubtedly takes someone passionate to do it, so that says a lot. I think it’s a cool cultural shift and I hope it all stays true to that passion and integrity, because that’s what makes blogs interesting.
Other reading:
Read other State of Music Blogs in 2010 interviews.
RSVP for the State of Music Blogs in 2010 SXSW panel.
