Music Bloggers and The Press Release

Blogging has been somewhat of a mystery to me since the concept was initiated. In the beginning I thought it was the absolute height of narcissism people would write about themselves and post for all the world to see. "Hey, over here! Look at me. I have thoughts and you get the privilege of reading them."

Time has brought some level of professionalism to the practice, and I'm down with it...or at least to a point. Blogging is citizen journalism. JOURNALISM combined with OPINION. Yet, when it comes to music bloggers  there are two things made abundantly clear that are so infuriating, I'm truly astounded at the level of hypocracy.

The first point is an arrogance bloggers hide behind. They set conditions as if they are full-fledged journalists. Okay...if that's the case, then what is up with the absolute resistance to a press release? I mean, really!

The press release is meant as an invitation to delve further into a newsworthy topic. It doesn't tell the entire story but provides facts that should pique the reader's interest enough to inquire about "the rest of the story." True, many press releases these days are generated by over zealous writers who apparently believe hype is reality. Not a good thing. So on that point alone, bloggers win.

The second phase of my fury with bloggers is they want their work done for them! Yes...it's true! The rhetoric about the press release not being enough information truly blows my mind. If it's been good enough for educated journalists for decades, why those who think they are the next A& R reps of the music business can't handle it is really beyond me. I'm telling you, you've got to earn your stripes before you become a star of any kind. Without some level of education behind your practice, if you've got any talent at all, you have to earn my respect. It cannot be demanded.

To temper my fury, I invite anyone who wants to send a  timely press release about music to me any time. If there is a CD, tour, or event tied to the news so much the better.

That being said, if you send information, you will hear my opinion. While I don't consider myself to be a 21st century Dorothy Parker, I'm not Mother Teresa either. Let's face it. With the level of music saturation we experience today, there are some people who need to hear they are better suited for different occupations. Some need to hear more polish is required in their final product. Those of us in the business want music to survive on the merit of the art. Critiques are an important part of that process.

Send music related press releases to Scout66com@aol.com. If you have a product to go along with it I'll provide an address via email.