Don’t expect people to like your music.

I got one of those emails when the artist wishes that I should give feedback on their songs. I’m a bit reluctant to do that. You can see in the new situations with bloggers and magazines they have almost all of them take a step to just write about things that excite them. Bad reviews don’t really exist any longer. Instead, it’s like a silent agreement that if you don’t hear back after you got the thank you for sending in the files, if I’m interested, I will get back to you.

But all artist wants that feedback, why I don’t understand, but I’m getting to that. The feedback has become an industry at different sites. When you pay for it, they actually give you some feedback. The problem with this I that it’s just bloggers that in many cases just your average joe sitting and give feedback. Much of the feedback is also nonsense. Here is some feedback from bloggers that passed on The Magnettes track “Shakes (Falling in Love).  See the video here:

1.  I love the beautiful composition of the song. It lacks good vocal energy though.

2. The video looks great! I just wasn't as into the vocals throughout this one. Thanks for sending it our way, though!

3. The track is not bad but I don't feel it was 100% a fit for us.

4. Some really great stuff, loved the aesthetic. Vocals were on point. Unfortunately it felt like it was missing the electronic dance music element to fit with our curation. Appreciate you sending over though!

5. I like the vocal and melody So much energy inside that, your music has a bit of classical mix with modern music.

6. The track sounds catchy, but it was too bright, epic and expansive for us.

7. Thank you for thinking of us! Unfortunately, we weren't as drawn in by the production.

8. Great visuals. Song is pleasant but not something i'm finding v fresh in terms of prod / sounds.

9. Music video looks awesome - wasn't that crazy about the verse though.

Half of them love the vocals, the other half hate the vocals, Half hate the production other half loved the production. The track actually got really good exposure though over 30 bloggers shared it and reviewed it (of course when they do a review, they just write positive). Also, the track had radio rotation all over Europe.

But what is striking even though they are saying no to the track they are still just positive like comment number five. And I feel many times that the artist is just after the kick that people should say how good they are. Just like your closest friends or your mom. Why would you want that feedback where everything is good. Or just random feedback like these ones above here.

When people then seek out my point, I really don’t know what they are after. Just the random hit things that I should like your music, or can I really tell you that your latest song is really shit? I still don’t know I don't hear back from these ones I just told I didn’t like their latest song. On the other hand, the woman in the grocery store didn’t like it when I called her kid ugly either, but that kid was damn ugly.

It's just one opinion

I talked to one of my artists that was a bit jaded over a review that wasn't that good. With the new digital age, bad reviews have become more and rarer. Mainly because if you as a blog write a bad review you can get the whole fanbase of that artist making your life miserable. The new approach is just to write about stuff that you like and write a good review about. Or in the lazy cases the things where you just provide that the song is out there.

At the same time do we need it? I mean today I can just go in there and hear the song for my self. Is it good or not in my ears? Maybe it's just enough with people telling what songs they found great and post?

I'm not that sure. Before there were music journalists. Today it's some random dude that just put a blog up that claims to be a critic. Rather they only make a good post on bands they already like and have opinions that really don't match with anything. Do I care what John, forty years old and is grown up on 90:s punk music thinks of Arian Grande? Really no, and I guess the bloggers know that so they mainly just post good things on artists with strong stories that will break soon.

Sure a bit like my Blog, a random dude saying anything. Okey, I prove myself in the Vlog to at least attend and speak on big music events. And I give some bad reviews on everything from time to time.

Still when I send in things through Submithub to different of these dudes you always get such weird feedback. Yes you pay so they should get your feedback, and after listening to music that you probably think is crappy you get a bit cynical and just write something. I get it.

So tada! I will post these here as extras when I find them. Of course not out them, I'm impressed how they can keep up with all shit they get. Some are too good to miss out on.

My first one is this:

Decline: sounds a little bit like Christian rock to me. Very easy listening.

From a blog in Austin, Texas. The mother of all Christian Rock is in Texas. I guess this dude goes in a church just battering with bad language.

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Another demo review!

Okay, last time I had a demo review it was on the worst kind and funny. I just got one that is more the normal stuff, but I guess it's interesting how we react to different things that the artist think we should go off on. Of course, I have taken off the markers from who it is. They are at least trying to send in stuff so they are actually better than the majority of artists. So I'm not making fun of them I'm more humble that they actually send in music, but there are certain traps you should avoid.


Hi. My name is ***** and I would be very happy if you wanted to listen to BANDNAME. BANDNAME is a rock band with classic DIY vibes, we like to work and to do things "our way".
*** First with style,  if they had read our social media we have been pronounced the death of this genre for a long time. And yes everything with garage rock, punk, metal, hard rock is really dying. Why just because they don't have any new growth. Yes, many plays the styles but the old stars are hanging on and the new bands are mainly a shallow copy of the original. And after seeing their video I can just say there is nothing new about it at all.
Then the line, we like to do things "our way". That mainly just gets me to feel that they are hard to work with. If a band like this would make it you need really big changes, but since they are doing it their way, which seems to look and sound like something from the 90:s rock scene and totally uninteresting I guess it will be hard to work with this band.

For the past 3 years, we have done over 60 gigs in Europe to collect live experience and we now feel that we are more ready than ever to take on the bigger stage.
*** Oh god this cliché is killing me. There is no bigger stage. There is no next stage. the reality is that you get to bigger things when you deserve it. And in this case, you are not ready to get to these things. You are just a mainstream DIY rock band.
60 gigs on three years! Oh my god I know artists in Nashville that do 60 gigs in a month. My normal bands that are pushing is doing around 60 gigs a year. So 60 gigs in 3 years are actually pretty low. Nothing to brag about and nothing that would get me to think it's good live.

We would like to let our music handle our action 
*** Yes I saw the video, you are mainly busy trying to do cool rock poses.

and I have therefore sent a link to one of our newest songs that are not released yet, which means that the song is not mastred yet. 
*** This is really good though. Not released and also in a stage where you can do changes.

We are playing DATE in Stockholm and on DATE in Gothenburg, two gigs that I would like to invite you to get a feel for how BANDNAME is alive and even meet us. The personal relationship is the most important for us.
*** What happened to "our way". Well yes, the personal relationship is very important. It's like point out that to practice an instrument is important to be able to play.

So what is more wrong? The things I have been posting about the last days, the future! Nothing that is going on just two gigs that are like two weeks away (and in holiday times no I wouldn't attend) and that they have an unreleased song. So should I spend time and money on someone that have two gigs and a song? No.
If they at least had written that they had 60 gigs booked in Europe the next year I would be a bit impressed. And what do they want? A record deal, a publishing deal, a management? Where are they heading, what is their plan to get to these "bigger stages" and first of all what are these stages? This is mainly just the past, get me the future.

Okey then I got this letter, I love this:


Hello,

My name is NAME and I’m from Sweden. I write a lot of music and I wonder if you are interested in listening to some of the material I have on my soundcloud page?

Let me know if you’re interested.


*** You are not doing it easy for me? So I need to shoot an email back to you to get the link. The problem is that I don't know if I'm interested since I haven't heard it. And why not send the link in this mail, I mean the form you are using contains a field to put a link in.

So to be on this stupidity level no you can be the next Mozart and I will not care. No, I won't send you an email.


PERSONAL:

I'm I always this mean? Not really but it is to take candy from a five year old when they put up things to smash in all the time. Actually, my job is to present my bands in the best way and these letters over the years have taught me what to write and not write. And at the end of the day, these bands are up against people like me that knows what to write.

Still, do I need to be mean, can I just be nice to people? Sure but it wouldn't be so much to read about. Yes for the artist it would be but nobody else.

Would it be funny to get this about yourself, yes in a way not if my name was there but the critic is interesting. That is how you learn to do it right. I don't get so many mean comments on my blog. I guess that is because I'm pretty good to shovel them back up the ass on the person who writes if they are wrong in my opinion. Then sometimes it stands something mean but it's correct and then I look into it. The only thing I don't care about is people that say that I should be only nice. These are the people that grooms children to become egocentric shitheads.

The death of the review

I’m sitting and sending out the new album for a band to get reviews. The problem today with this new single driven world we live in is that is it really necessary?

I know that the reviews many times are just like a receipt of the artist work. A good receipt is always good for the ego. At the same time do we need them? I get so many artists using these reviews as a teddybear to tell me that their music is good.

The problem today is that most writers will only write when they think it’s really really good, or it’s very famous.  So in most cases there will not be any reviews since usually there is some famous every week and they usually don’t need that review anyway. And the really really good ones as just ten albums a year.

I guess today we see it more that people write as a good review. And actually it’s not a review is just a short text saying that they like the new song.

The days when someone was going over your music in details is really over. And if someone is doing that it’s usually someone that really doesn’t know the craftsmanship of music and will just be a saying in the flood with millions of other sayings on the internet.

Still we need to do this send out. The dream is still there that you will break through getting good reviews.