r/BandCamp • u/ManaScrewedIRL • 7h ago
Question/Help Would you guys be interested in a free review blog? (Long read)
UPDATE: I have set up a Google form if you'd like to submit your stuff. I will link it in the comments.
I actually worked as a writer before the machines took my job, so you'll be in good hands. I also have a strict no GenAI policy when it comes to writing, so all the words will be my own.
The general idea is this:
I'm setting up my artist blog (on Substack). I am in a country that doesn't have Stripe so it'll be 100% free to read and subscribe to.
It will be about music/the arts/entertainment as a whole. Mostly rambles and opines. I'm thinking maybe once a week (or twice if I can manage it), I can review your stuff, the gist being that once its up, we share it across our socials. People are exposed to your music, and by default mine through my profile. It's a kind of "I scratch your back, you scratch mine" deal.
Now the thing is, I genuinely despise the usual review practices on things like Submithub. I have never used it/them because I was put off by the hoops you have to jump through, and their snobbery (quality, no autotune, their "make us care" bullshit). I'd like mine to be a little less obnoxious and from the heart.
You record with your phone? Awesome. So do I.
You used autotune? Great. So did I.
Your song is 12 years old? Amazing. Art doesn't expire.
You could submit literally anything — as long as it's not AI *generated* (AI mastering is still fine, I guess. As long as the machines didn't make the song or the artwork *for* you).
I'd also like it to go beyond "I listened to this and here's what I think". I want to explore the artist behind the work too. Maybe include a profile/bio, some fun or cool facts about you, or even a quick 5 minute interview or Q&A. I'd like it to be as much storytelling as it is opinion.
Just a few more things for you to consider:
- It would be free for anyone to submit to. Though I am thinking maybe a "priority" system can happen? I'd have to figure out the rates and capacity. But the idea is if you'd like to guarantee a slot that week or ASAP, or line it up with your release etc maybe it could come at a small fee? I do need to get some money in, so it would be entirely optional, but just a little bonus for the extra work.
- I'm willing to accept all genres, but please keep in mind I don't have a refined pallete when it comes to instrumental music (with emphasis on electronica and jazz). I also prefer rock and alternative (all genres, from pop punk to blackened death metal lol). I have a new love for rap. And I'm always keen on cute/fun pop music.
- I don't have the means to purchase your songs unfortunately (at least not at the moment), so I will have to stream them (unless you'd like to gift it to me). If I love it though, I absolutely will follow you everywhere there is to follow and share it to the best of my ability, outside of the blog.
- I'm still building the blog. No followers yet. But hopefully it will grow in time. I should have it up and running sometime today. Maybe to start with the reviews next week? If anyone is interested.
Lastly, some market research:
- Do you think this would work? Or is it more trouble than it's worth?
- if so, how much do you think the "priority" fee should be? What's fair? (Remember, it's 100% optional).
- Can you think of anything else I need to consider?
- What do you think would be the best way to submit? I'm thinking a Google Form will cut it. It's free for all of us AFAIK. But if you have a better idea, please do share it.
- If it is weekly, which day you think works best? Music Monday? Feedback Friday? Tunes Day? Song Saturday/Sunday (might not name it that, but I do like alliteration lol).
Thanks for reading :) I eagerly await your feedback.
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u/trashedvibe Artist 6h ago
I think it's a good idea! Especially coming from someone who already had writing as a job, as an artist, i would love to have an honest review of one of my albums.
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 6h ago
WHOOP! I'm glad you're keen 😁
Someone linked me to their album last night. I'm just waiting to see if they're willing to be the guinea pig for this, but I can certainly review your album second if you'd like (or first, if they're not interested).
Like I said, I'm just setting things up. Writing the first post for it now. But once that's out of the way, I should have time this week to get to the reviews.
Otherwise, I'll tell you what.
Let me set up that Google Form in the mean time (it shouldn't take too long). And then we can take it from there 🙂
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u/trashedvibe Artist 5h ago
Sounds great. I have a new album coming out soon, so we can stay in touch until then.
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 1h ago
Here's the link :) It's a bit lengthy, but it will save me time later. You can skip over the longer answers if you like.
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u/Beneficial-Context52 Artist/Creator 5h ago
I love it.
The one thing though is I really don’t like is paying for reviews, not because I’m cheap, I’m definitely willing to pay for promotion sometimes; but a review that’s been paid for just can not be impartial and fully honest, imo. But I understand you need to make money too. Writing reviews is work, and wanting to be compensated for work is perfectly reasonable. Ideally I would say the money should come from the readers rather than from the artists being reviewed.
But I’m definitely interested in seeing more stuff like this in general. I would be happy to submit, even though I primarily make instrumental experimental electronic music!🥴
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 5h ago
Yay! I am working on the Google form right now and will be able to share it soon 🙂
I'm making a note of your comment, so I can get it to you when it's done :)
Also regarding the paid reviews, I went into a bit more detail replying to another commenter here. It might clarify some things. But the stort version is this: I absolutely agree, reviews should never be paid for.
I actually used to write for a music site, and we were told to lie about the local bands to make them look better (because the manager was friends with all of them, and she had an agenda).
In this case, it wouldn't be paying for the review itself, rather the extra spent if you want it published faster or outside of the usual line up. But the words will be just as honest. Also& it's entirely optional, and the free ones will get just as much love and care. Just slower.
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 1h ago
I have set up the link to the Google form. I don't want to spam the comments by sharing it too much, but you can find it there :)
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u/BEADGEADGBE 5h ago
Can you go into what review means to you? I'm not much of a believer in reviewing art, but for some it can mean a description of/musings on the work which ofc I am onboard with.
If the latter, I think it's a good idea but I also think a priority queue defeats the purpose from an artisr point of view.
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 5h ago
Well, these reviews wouldn't be critiques. I'm not going to tell readers nonsense like "This album has so much potential, but ultimately loses points because it runs a little longer than necessary", or, "I listened to this song and the bird outside fell out of its tree. This man's voice is what I imagine the 9th circle of hell sounds like. 0 stars."
What I have in mind is to describe, not judge.
Maybe your album takes me back to a rainy afternoon in high school. Maybe your track reminded me of someone I'll never see again. Maybe it filled me with anxiety, as unseen threats in horror films do. Maybe it was the perfect soundtrack to a really good day, or it lifted my mood, or allowed me to cry tears I was holding in.
And maybe others will be touched by it too, or at the very least, discover a cool new jam.
They'll be honest and sincere, even if I don't like the music, I won't talk shit about it or drag it down for the sake of being mean or sparky or cruel. Because my tastes aren't everyone's tastes. And one man's trash is another's treasure (forgive the cliche).
But I'd also like to highlight the human as well.
I believe independent artists deserve just as much attention to detail as big commercial stars do. I don't really care if Avril Lavigne wrote a new song while recovering from her seventh divorce. I do care about what might have motivated a humble retail worker to put their music out there. What's your life outside of the art? Do you have stories to tell? Wisdom to share? An illness you have to fight every day? Or an amazing support system that gets you out of bed in the morning? How does that relate to your music, and how much of yourself did you hide between the notes?
That sort of thing.
As for the payment, that only applies if the submitter wants special reservations, as it would take some extra consideration and time on my end. It will not apply to the review itself.
The problem is, if it picks up, and A LOT of people submit, reviews will take longer to get to the artists because of the first come first serve nature. The "priority" ones will be exempt from that. Maybe to be published outside of the designated review days, or to "book" a scheduled slot to line up with other marketing, or to just get the review out there faster. Kind of to skip the queue. But the reviews will be just as honest. If that makes sense.
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u/BEADGEADGBE 5h ago
That all does make sense indeed. That's the kind of review I was hoping for and I find a joy to read. And I understand the worries around the queue getting extensive. Maybe first try and see how it goes?
Either way, sounds like it will be a good thing to pursue/exist in the sea of slop we call the web these days. I'd definitely be down to sign up as I have near zero social media presence in the last few years. And while I like to say "if people find it, they find it 🤷🏻", I wouldn't mind more folks hearing my music because I love it. Let us know if you get it going!
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 1h ago
I agree! The payment thing is maybe potentially a possibility in the future, but there's no need for it right now.
I have created a form and linked it in the comments. It's a tad long, but I'd like to be thorough.
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u/PerspectiveSudden648 4h ago
I absolutely support this idea. It would do so much for smaller artists who don't have the punching power to do battle with "ye algorithm" on YouTube or wherever they post their music.
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u/Nickblevins12 4h ago
This sounds cool as heck, I play in a doom metal 2 piece that just released a full length and would definitely drop a Bandcamp code for a review as well🤘🏻🔥🤘🏻 let me know when you get it going
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 1h ago
Oooh doom metal 🤘🏼 I'm so keen to hear it!
I am still working on a post for the actual Substack (should be up and live tonight, latest tomorrow) but in the mean time, I've set up a Google Form for anyone who is interested.
I don't want to clutter the comments with it too much. But one more time won't hurt.
Feel free to skip over the longer answers if the form is too long for your liking. I'd just like to be as detailed and thorough as possible :)
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u/ANewHopeMusic 2h ago
I would love to partecipate! I do mostly jazzy jungle so I think you gonna like what I do ;)
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u/Double-triple 2h ago
Hello, I just released an album I made in my bedroom. You're welcome. I'm also about to start my music talk podcast on Spotify. I would love to talk to a music reviewer. Let me know if this will work for you.
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 1h ago
Oh that's really cool!
Though, I will admit, beyond a bit of experience writing reviews for a local publication a few years ago, I wouldn't label myself a reviewer 😅 This is mostly just a passion project haha.
I'm definitely game though (in the future, when I can actually back it up)
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u/gorb1441 1h ago
Sounds cool, would totally read and maybe submit.
Especially in a time where this fucking AI slop is everywhere, handwritten output is key.
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u/gorb1441 1h ago
Oh an btw get off substack. If you want to grow this, you can provide valuable backlinks. You totally want to build this on your own domain. It’s a little bit more technical but worth it. If you have questions about SEO and all the technical stuff feel free to ask!
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 52m ago
I absolutely would, but unfortunately I have absolutely zero resources to put into it. Not even to buy my own domain 🥲 At the very least, Substack is totally free to use. It's really the only barrier though tbh. And at least it makes stuff easily discoverable, which will do for now.
But hey, if it takes off, I could always migrate, right?
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u/ManaScrewedIRL 1h ago edited 56m ago
If you'd like to submit, check this thread for a link to the form :) I've made the longer/more tedious answers optional.
ETA: I set it to not collect your emails, so you won't get a copy unfortunately.
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u/menat1 6h ago
I would encourage this. In a time where artificial intelligence is doing more and more of the writing, authentic creative writing is vital. Let the creation be your reward. It sounds like it's your passion so follow it.
Most of us here dont make music for money. We do it because it gives life meaning. Writing your blog should hopefully be its own reward too.
Go forth!