Music Monday-La Blogotheque Loves Bon Iver

Recently we got to see how La Blogotheque operated first hand. In fact, I almost got ran over by a bicyclist (believe me they are aggressive) in Toronto while they filmed Neutral Uke Hotel at NXNE for one of their Take Away Shows. Based in Montreal and Paris, La Blogotheque is almost entirely in French, but that doesn't stop a solid English speaking base from following the blog. Because as La Blogotheque demonstrates by featuring bands like Land of Talk, Josh Ritter and Beach House, good music is good music no matter what side of the pond or border you are on.

I know this, je t'aime La Blogotheque. And I'm fairly certain I'll be listening to Bon Iver today.

La Blogotheque's own, Nora Bouazzouni, took some time out to answer a few questions for us.

GLG: How long has La Blogotheque been operating?

LB: It’s existed as an MP3 blog since 2002, and the Take Away Shows started in 2006.

GLG: What makes La Blogotheque different from other websites?

LB: We're not obsessed with talking about the latest hip bands, posting tracklists and gossips, reviewing every new record possible; we don't care much about that. We're not a news website. There are more or less a dozen people writing on La Blogothèque, and though we're all different and we don't necessarily like the same music, we all agree on one thing: we want to talk about music in a completely different way than other music blogs, we want it to be more personal, more about our feelings, about what it brings up. It's not about grading an album, track by track, it will never be. If one of us writes about a musician, or a song, whether it's something old or something new, it's because it means something to him or her.

GLG: Do you think la blogotheque has a specific musical niche?

LB: People would say we're more into folk and bearded guys playing guitar while singing sad songs, but it's only because of the Take Away Shows that we aquired this reputation! If you read the blog -it's in French- you'll see that we're quite eclectic. Right now, on La Blogo's home you can read about The Libertines, Haïtian music, listen to a Ninja Tune mixtape... I guess that tells it!

GLG:. What albums are you looking forward to coming out?

LB: Bon Iver's second album. He just announced it'll be released next year, I can't wait! Also, I'm a big Dodos' fan, and they just started recording the follow-up to Time To Die (which I didn't like ), and I really, really hope it's gonna be something as awesomely mind-blowing as Visiter. I hope there'll be a new Department of Eagles record soon.
And I was excited about Spoon's new album. It leaked so I listened to it, but I'm disappointed.

GLG: How does la blogotheque support independent music and what’s important about doing so?

LB: We support indie music with our Take Away Shows and Pocket Parties, and sometimes we even provide bands a place to stay when they're playing in Paris, but don't have enough money to book a hotel ;)

GLG: Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?

LB: I don't think online publications are killing print magazines, I think they complete each other. Speaking for me, I never ever read music magazines. I don't know why, but it never attracted me. Maybe it has to do with my age. I'm 24, and I got my first computer with the Internet in 1999. That's when I started looking for new stuff to listen to. I don't like the way magazines talk about music, it's too distant, too « professional ». And now, if you read a magazine and want to listen to that new band they talk about, you have to drop the magazine, go to your computer, type the Myspace URL, and click on a song. With a music blog, you just click on Play and you're done. Digital natives are much more into the « instantaneous ». I think people will go to blogs to discover stuff, and then buy a magazine to read about that stuff they just listened to.

GLG: What blogs/magazines do you read other than your own?

LB: The only music blog I read is Said The Gramophone. All the others I just skim through and download the MP3s (and I don't like revealing my sources, sorry!). For acoustic sessions, KEXP and Daytrotter. For news, Pitchfork and Stereogum (how original).

GLG: What has been your most definitive moment since you started la blogotheque?

LB: Bon Iver's Pocket Party. Just watch it, you'll understand.

GLG: If you could interview any musician/band (dead or alive) who would it be?

LB: I don't do interviews, it's not my thing. And I don't have idols. But I would love to spend some time with Kurt Cobain, or Thom Yorke. Or Bertrand Cantat (singer of French rock band Noir Désir).

GLG: If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?

LB: Girls bands: Le Tigre, Hole, The Runaways. Other: The Beatles, Queen, Nirvana.

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Music Monday: Aquarium Drunkard, A Taste of the Eclectic

Aquarium Drunkard features a barrage of eclectic sounds ranging from vintage garage, psych, folk, country, New Orleans funk, r&b, and soul. Based in Los Angeles, the man behind the scenes, Justin Gage, also runs the indie label, Autumn Tone Records and his eclectic tastes can be heard on the weekly, two hour, Aquarium Drunkard Show which air on Fridays from noon-2pm EST on SIRIUS/XM satellite radio’s XMU (channel 26) and XM radio (channel 43). And truth be told, this show has been known to scratch at my proverbial itch for French music a time or two.

Gage is also 1/4 of the Mondo Boys sound collage collective and authored the 2009 guide/travelogue Memphis And The Delta Blues Trail.

What can you find on Aquarium Drunkard? From vinyl giveaways like the one that occurred for Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin’s Je T’aime…Moi, Non Plus to interviews with The National (High Violet happens to be one of our favorites of the year), Arcade Fire and The Love Language, the blog runs the gamut from genre to content, all the while staying true to it's eclectic nature. Gage also goes straight to the source with members of bands such as Portugal the Man, Josh Rouse, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and Lucero who have acted as guest contributors to the column entitled "Diversions".

1. How long has Aquarium Drunkard been operating?
Five & 1/2 years

2. What makes Aquarium Drunkard different from other websites?
The voice.

3. Do you think Aquarium Drunkard has a specific musical niche?
Anything with soul, anything you can feel.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?
Light In The Attic Records reissue of Jim Sullivan’s 1969 album, U.F.O.

5. How does Aquarium Drunkard support independent music and what is important about doing so?
My label, Autumn Tone, has been in existence almost as long as AD. It's about as independent as it gets. We also put on shows, festivals, etc. in L.A. and across the U.S. While we have done (and still do) a number of Autumn Tone showcases the majority of what we do, event-wise, is through Aquarium Drunkard. The Mission of Burma and Thurston Moore shows were some early ones that were pretty special as I had been a fan of both for many years. As far as most memorable, I would say AD's WAVED OUT fest. We are gearing up for WAVED OUT II September 25th (with Dungen headlining) and I couldn't be more excited.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands.
For better or worse, yes. I still like a good rag, but it's becoming increasingly hard for them to keep up. The Internet loves its 'firsties.' Not saying that as a good thing either. It leaves less time for artists to work out the kinks before the spotlight finds them. Remember, the Beatles were around five or so years before any real success.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own? I really like Soul Sides, Cold Splinters, Raven Sings the Blues and Rising Storm.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started Aquarium Drunkard ?
Just interacting with the readers. They are really great/inspiring/interesting. The back and forth between the readers and myself has yielded some amazing discoveries --- old, unreleased demos, live recordings and videos have all landed in my email address via like-minded readers over the years. At best the blog's post inspire conversation, debate and more in the readers.

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be? It would probably be someone like Sam Phillips of Sun Records or some of the old Delta blues guys. The real primordial shit.

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
Something fun and way over the top. Led Zeppelin. Yeah, Zeppelin.

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Every Monday we turn the tables and interview one of our favorite media outlets on how they contribute to the indie rock scene and what they see as the future of music journalism.
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Music Monday - Culture Bully Talks RZA, Marketing Your Band and Tight Jeans

Chris DeLine of Culture Bully makes you both laugh and really, really think about the world of online journalism and the serious impact it has on the way bands market themselves. But then he flips the fun switch on again when he says something totally out there (read question #8 for instance) that reminds us why we love working with bloggers. Online critics love music just as much as we do, and it's great when they have that balance of a sense of humor and seriousness and professionalism of it all. Culture Bully covers folk, hip-hop, electronic, everything, really. Major label superstars and indie underdogs. As to what Culture Bully likes to cover, DeLine said, "...if it sounds good to me, I like it. That said, if it ever comes to the point where Culture Bully is rocking some Seether on the reg, I would sincerely hope someone smacks me around with a tube sock full of batteries until I come to my senses."

Music Monday Q&A

1. How long has Culture Bully been operating?
1,970 days as of August 23 2010.

2. What makes Culture Bully different from other websites?
It's the only site to be a) called "Culture Bully," and b) be 100% fully endorsed by me: Chris DeLine. I'd like to make it clear that I, in no way, stand behind the sub-par Culture Bully Español knock-off.. But if you're looking for an actual example of competitive edge... I can't think of another site that recently featured new music videos by Scissor Sisters, Behemoth, RZA and Joanna Newsom in the same day. So I've got that goin' for me.

3. Do you think Culture Bully has a specific musical niche?
(See: Behemoth & Scissor Sisters.) I was genuinely mulling this over about a week ago. To some degree I know the site alienates a lot of people because it's all over the place—too all over the place, even. But I'd rather go that route than try to pick a single genre, or sub-genre, and focus solely on that. It just doesn't seem like it'd be as much fun. I mean, at this moment there's stuff on the main page focusing on everything from heavy metal to hip-hop... Actually, come to think of it, there's a common denominator there: tight jeans. Maybe the site does have a niche and I just never realized it.

4. What albums are you looking forward to coming out?
Grinderman, Robyn, Kanye West... but there's an impossible amount of music to listen to that's released every day, so it's not like I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for anything to reach my ears. Each day offers a new surprise in that regard.

5. How does Culture Bully support independent music and what’s important about doing so?
I'm probably not the best guy to stand up and wave the indie-music flag, and I'm not even sure that I know what it means to truly support independent music. Is there a sticker, like the "I Voted" stickers you get during elections, that says "I support indie music?" Just like major labels, much independent music is so ridiculously god-awful to the point that I don't think I could wear the sticker in good conscious, if there was one. I had a friend in university who liked bands along the lines of Seether and Nickelback and whatnot, and when I would push him to qualify why exactly he likes that stuff when the options are limitless of what you can listen to he gave me a response along the lines of, "If it sounds good to me, I like it." To some degree I've grown in a similar direction. Ten years ago I wouldn't be caught dead listening to pop music, and the vast majority of rap made no sense to me. (Sidebar: not Wu-Tang though, them shits was tight even when I was in junior high, son.) But once you open your ears and let down your guard a little bit, life becomes more enjoyable; same holds true for music. I don't have much interest in ignoring major label music or specifically focusing on independent music just for the sake of doing so: if it sounds good to me, I like it. That said, if it ever comes to the point where Culture Bully is rocking some Seether on the reg, I would sincerely hope someone smacks me around with a tube sock full of batteries until I come to my senses.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?
I guess the only way to know for sure would be to look at circulation statistics or earnings statements of the individual publishers to know if they're getting their asses handed to them financially. If they are, then I suppose you could draw the conclusion that the online world has taken over. Until then, though, I'd have to say no: I mean, until Pitchfork can move a couple hundred thousand issues of a print magazine every month, it's still just a website. There's still a market for print, and there will be one for the foreseeable future, but yeah, the shift toward digital publishing is eating up more and more of the pie as each year passes. There are certainly exceptions, but I still don't think the online world takes precedent quite yet. If your band gets a feature printed in some zine like NME, I'm still thinking that it means a whole lot more than getting a blog post on Stereogum (for example).

As far as bands are concerned, as the music blogosphere/world of online music publications continues to expand there becomes more opportunities to be featured somewhere on the Internet. Honestly, I love the idea that there are thousands and thousands of music blogs—so many that the idea of actually figuring out a ballpark figure is staggering—but the flip side is that there are thousands and thousands of music blogs. It becomes a blur after a while and unless you really connect with some site in particular as a reader—whether you like a blog's style, content, or are simply a fan of their niche—chances are that vast majority of everything that's out there is going to be overlooked anyways. So in the end, I'm not sure that it means that there are any more honest opportunities for bands now that there's a balance between print and online than there was when print dominated. It just means that the way bands have to market themselves is changing... but that's an entirely separate discussion for another time.

7. What blogs/magazines do you read other than your own?
Honestly, I pay more attention to Twitter and digg-ish aggregators than individual sites for the most part. But, as far as music sites are concerned, I check out arm's length-list that's featured on my links page fairly regularly. I've been enjoying more dance/electronic sites as of the late, for whatever that's worth. Non-music: Mashable, Cracked... Like I said though, on the whole I just go where the Internet leads me. It's a trying mistress at times, but one that typically treats me right in the end.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started Culture Bully?
This interview... or the time I got a cease and desist order from Axl Rose's lawyers... or both. It's hard to say.

9. If you could interview any musician/band (dead or alive) who would it be?
The thing about interviews is that they're pretty much force conversations between strangers. I don't know that you can expect too much from anyone you haven't really met before, especially considering the typical amount of time it takes to simply crack the ice with someone. The more you think about it, the more awkward the idea seems. That said...

Dead: I would like to hang out with Jimi Hendrix for a while. I think I could've learned a few things about partying from that cat.

Alive: I think Neil Young would have a few words that would help me gain some insight into life. The man's smart, and having lived through what he has, I can't imagine him not having a few amazing revelations just waiting to roll off his tongue. And if all else fails, we could just talk about hockey... though I honestly wouldn't mind just hanging out in awkward silence with the guy; seems like that'd make for a pretty great story to tell someone else's grandchildren.

10.If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
I've never really wanted to be in a band. Sure, daydreams here and there, but I've never really wanted it. I'd much rather tour with a team of skateboarders, the Harlem Globetrotters, or even the Jackass crew. Actually, especially the Jackass guys: they're kind of like a band when you think about it. And I know Chris Pontius can actually jam a little bit. In the event someone has the power to make this happen holler at me, seriously—I'd jump at the chance to intern for their website or something. I'm pretty flexible and have already moved three times across two countries this year, so I have no qualms with picking up shop at a moment's notice. Please America, help show the rest of the world that dreams can come true!

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Music Monday - FensePost

Welcome the first edition of Music Monday. Each Monday we will feature a Q&A with the bloggers, critics, writers and taste-makers behind music websites, blogs, magazines and other publications that keep us all in touch with the latest in new music. First up...

Music Monday with FensePost - The Indie Music Blog

"Based in the fertile lands between Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC," FensePost.com is truly about supporting independent music. With live concert reviews, music news, CD reviews, videos and so much more, FensePost is more of a fan blog that has turned into a site worth checking out daily to learn about new bands. We were fortunate to get FensePost's very busy Andrew Fenstermaker to take a second from checking his other 982 unread messages in his inbox to tell us about how it his love of undiscovered music and fondness of Swedish bands that keeps him going every day. The staff may be small at FensePost, but they are mighty and mighty busy. Fenstermaker is the main writer for the site, but is a champion of new music writers, giving unknown critics a chance to be published. He also makes a point on how being a blogger can be a daily stress, trying to fit enough into the blog while maintaining a life outside of the Internet.

Music Monday Q&A


1. How long has FensePost been operating?

FensePost launched in June of 2006 after I finished my MBA. I started it to keep up with my passion in music as I left my college radio station, KZUU. We started with two to three posts per week and have grown to two posts per weekday on average. It's primarily just me, but I have a few loyal writers to toss stuff my way on a fairly frequent basis. I probably write about 2/3 of the posts under the guise "Fense" which was my DJ name in college (a rendition of my last name, Fenstermaker).

2. What makes FensePost different from other websites?

We don't really follow the trends or hype. Sure, we'll cover the hot bands on occasion, but we like to place a great emphasis on covering truly unknown bands that we think are great. Of course, I recently posted a live review of a James Taylor / Carole King concert I went to with my parents, but that's a rarity. Most music is independent. I also write about a lot of Swedish bands.

Another thing that's different about FensePost is that anyone can write for the site. Part of the reason I started it was to give young music fans an outlet from which to write if they so desired without the need to create an entire site on their own.



3. Do you feel FensePost has a specific musical niche?

Not really, outside of independent music. As writers, we each have our preferences. I love indie pop and have had a huge thing for garage since The Legends' Up Against The Legends (Labrador Records, 2004). Ron, who is my most consistent contributor likes pop, rock, folk and even covers an occasional hip hop artist. Cyndi, a new contributor from Oregon, has passed along a lot of great folk. I even cover jazz on occasion (I have a fairly extensive classic jazz LP collection).

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?

I wrote a piece recently listing a few reasons why Sub Pop could very well dominate my 2010 best of list. They've passed along some really great albums this year so far, and I think they've got some amazing stuff lined up. I'm SUPER excited that Hardly Art will be reissuing the old Carissa's Wierd [sic] albums, although that's not really contemporary. I'm also looking forward to seeing what Slumberland (Records) has in store for us in the second half of 2010. And I'm pretty excited to hear new stuff on Woodsist (Records), which dominated my "10 Bands I Should Have Checked Out in 2009" list from a month or two ago.

5. How does FensePost support independent music and what is important about doing so?

I think it's important as a blogger to not only support bands that you (the writer) feel are good and worthy of promoting, but that you also do your part to support the artists you love. I receive a lot of albums in the mail and digitally for free by bands and labels and promotion companies that want me to write about their band. If the group has a single or released an album on vinyl and I really like it, I'll do my part and pick it up on vinyl. It supports the band, and I have the means to do so (from time to time). In today's digital world, I don't think a lot of young people who grew up with readily available free music (albeit not necessarily legal) understand the importance of what that type of support means.

I try my best to only post songs that have been cleared by a band to be posted, and I do my best to link to labels and band websites where readers can order an album directly from the artist or label. I think both of those elements are an important part of supporting independent music.


6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazines? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?

I'm kind of immersed in the social media world, so I would have to say yes. But I don't think print magazines will go away. They just need to change in a way that makes sense. People will always buy magazines, but these publications will need to find new ways to reach their audience. I think there's a great opportunity for them using devices like the Kindle and iPad.

As for the second half of the question, there's a big shift that's occurring. It doesn't matter if you're in a band, own a small business, or are part of a large organization, you have to think of this stuff differently these days. What's put out there today is public in a way that's completely different than yesterday. If I told my friends of a great band in the 90s, it only went so far. It mattered, but it was different. That type of "word of mouth" still exists, but due to the dominance of blogs and social networking, it's now global.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?

As much as people hate Pitchfork, I like to visit the site once every few weeks and check out their Forkcast. I think it's really relevant and they cover some really great bands. I'm also a huge fan of Daytrotter and have been since their seventh session (Drakkarsauna). Locally in the Pacific Northwest, we have a few really great blogs. There's IndiePages, which is occasionally updated with some very super underground pop from around the world (Chris Mac recently opened a record shop and mail order in Seattle; you all should go buy stuff from jigsaw-records.com). My favorite these days is Finest Kiss.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started FensePost?

I think a good definitive moment came about two months ago. I was getting a bit overwhelmed with everything... work, personal life, home ownership, turning 30 (soon), and I had an epiphany: the world won't end if FensePost isn't updated. As a blogger, we set strict regimens for ourselves that are sometimes unrealistic. I would love to post three times a day, but I also want to keep my house clean, have a nice looking yard, and watch Arrested Development for the 67th time. You can't do everything. You can't listen to every band that sends something your way. It sucks, but that's just a part of life. What you can do is this: do what you can, and have fun doing it. It's kind of a recurring definitive moment... I have the same epiphany about once every six to nine months.


9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?

I'm not much of an interviewer, but I'm trying to get into it a bit more. I'm pretty stoked -- I'm just about to send off a few questions to the band that released my favorite album of 2009, Venice is Sinking. I think it would be great to pick the brain of a master like (Brian) Eno or (David) Bowie or even Tom Verlaine (guitarist for Television). Maybe even Morrissey, although he'd probably just get pissed at me 'cause I'm a huge Smiths fan and I'd want to know all about what his beef is with his former band mates and why they won't get back together.


10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?

The Smiths or Television. Maybe Sweden's best pop band, Acid House Kings. I have a huge thing for Swedish pop. Click Here to Read More..

Brooklyn's New Scene

In an engaging and inventive manner, this past April, Samantha Tilipman started a blog about Brooklyn's contemporary music scene. She wanted to dig deeper into the artists, their music and why Brooklyn is such a hub for creativity. She does so interviewing musicians and publicists (like our own Janelle Rogers of Green Light Go) to get to the heart of what continues to make Brooklyn a boiling pot for great music, almost a decade after the initial hype of the "hipster Brooklyn rock" was constantly being toted around.Tilipman states exactly what she intends to do with her blog Brooklyn Beats City Sounds.

"I write with a purpose."

Together we will travel the road to stardom through the eyes of a bubbling music group. We will see what it takes to make–what are the drives, desires, and dreams necessary to become known. Does making it in the New York music industry require talent or connections, a passion for fame or a passion for the art? Who’s involved in the success and who takes credit for it? These are just a few questions I hope to answer."

So far in her travels Tilipman has come across Brooklyn-based Green Light Go artists Naked Hearts and Fan-Tan, who both have new albums out this week. Tilipman interviewed both bands for the blog as well got some insight straight GLG head honcho Janelle Rogers.

Tilipman interviewed Naked Hearts' lead singer Amy Cooper about how the duo got their start and how they landed a high profile piece in Interview Magazine last year, and the band's future as an independent band.

"I hope that we’re able to still continue to make records. The main hope that I have is to be able to tour Europe; we would love to do that. We would just like to live being able to tour four to five times a year, and to plan our lives around tours. We’d record when we’re not touring. I think it’s totally possible. You just really have to keep doing what you want to be doing. There are a lot of ups and downs, and if you really love something, you just continue doing it and things will happen the way they’ll happen. I have faith that you’ll end up doing what you want to do for sure," Cooper told Tilipman.

Like many bands have done in the past decade, Fan-Tan, originally from North Carolina, moved to Brooklyn, in hopes of more support and they seemed to have found in according to their interview on Brooklyn Beats City Sounds. Among other things, Tilipman interviewed singer/guitarist Ryan Lee Dunlap about their transition from North Carolina to Brooklyn.

"It was pretty easy for us. We just moved and started playing shows. We emailed everyone as soon as we got here; it was a lot of calls and stuff. Our first show at the Cake Shop, and it was good. We had a good draw because we knew a lot of people in NYC at the time, so that sort of helped. And once you play one show at a venue you can book another show there later. We just kept doing that and then we went to bigger and bigger venues and started getting established as being able to play wherever we wanted to around the city."

The features on Fan-Tan and Naked Hearts were the direct result of a music industry insider who has seen bands come and go from the Brooklyn "scene," and as Green Light Go's publicist and owner, Janelle Rogers told Tilipman she didn't go out seeking "new: bands from Brooklyn.

"They actually chose me. A lot of my business is through word of mouth. It starts with one community and builds from there. Naked Hearts was the first Brooklyn band that I started working with and I met them from another Portland band that was called Star Fucker at the time [now called Pyramid]. And then the others were just word of mouth from other musicians."

Janelle also gave some great insight into why band's benefit from having a publicist. "From start to finish, we’re public relations because from the beginning we’re trying to help them find their identity. We don’t dictate that, we let them and we work with who they are and find their story within that. It’s targeting the people that we think would like their music. For Naked Hearts, they have their niche; an indie rock fan base that will eat them up and love them. For Fan Tan, because they’re synth-pop, the people that go out dancing on Saturday nights and listen to great retro-Brit-pop, that’s like their lifestyle. We’re playing into those things–how people would already consume the music and find the right writers for them."

Keep an eye on Brooklyn Beats City Sounds as Tilipman is adding new interviews and insights every week.
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Read My Email

We often hear from bands who tell us, "I've tried emailing music bloggers, but I can't get them to respond." It's not uncommon to have that problem, even when you have the relationship with the writer or blogger. These guys are getting hundreds, even thousands of emails every day and it's difficult for them to read every one of them, let alone reply. There are a few ways you can cut through the clutter however.

First off, make sure the media contact you are approaching will indeed like your music. Have they covered other bands that you've been compared to by fans and other media?

Second, although it goes against all logic,take the focus off of selling your band and focus on what the blogger and writer is doing. Think about it like a conversation when you meet someone new. Wouldn't you much rather have them comment about what you are doing and ask you questions about yourself vs hearing them go on and on about themselves?

Use the title of the article they wrote or the band they covered in your email subject. This will greatly increase your chances of having the email opened in the first place. Then talk to them about what you really liked about their review or the artist they covered. These are music people so of course they'd love to talk about music.

Include a link to your music with a mp3 they can offer for download and make sure you let them know it's approved for posting. DO NOT SEND AN ATTACHMENT! I repeat, DO NOT SEND AS AN ATTACHMENT! Nothing is more aggravating then having to wait 15 minutes for all your other emails to go through because you have a 5MB file coming through your server.

I also recommend writing a brief blurb about your band that they can copy and paste to post with the music. Often times bloggers don't have time to write one of their own, so whatever you can do to help take the load off of them will help your cause. And at all costs, avoid hyping your band by saying you are unique, the best, stellar are any of the like. Use descriptive words that can really give the reader an idea of what you sound like. Some examples can be found here. Nine times out of ten a writer will post directly from those blurbs.

Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Building long term relations with the writers you'd like to cover you will only add longevity to your career. Click Here to Read More..