Local Blogs: Take 2
Music blogs that highlight local artists and upcoming shows from both national and local acts are great for everyone—they give music lovers access to tons of information in one location and cut down on the leg work of finding worthy events to go to, as well as give musicians an outlet to gain further attention and get to know other bands that may be compatible partners for upcoming gigs. But what if you’re a musician looking for advice, including answers to questions such as “How does one actually GET attention from bloggers?” Whether you’re a veteran or a newbie to the world of independent music, with the rate at which local scenes and global technology change new questions can arise just as quickly as old ones are answered. Lucky for you (and me), Grassrootsy is here.
Grassrootsy is run and written but local artist Joy Ike. Grassrootsy tags itself as “grassroots marketing for independent artists.” Personally, when I hear the word marketing I imagine pie charts and bullet points and prepare myself to sort through posts based strictly on what I need so as to avoid boring myself to tears by going through every last one. But while all posts on Grassrootsy work toward the goal of relaying tactics and tips for better marketing, she manages to do so in a warm, friendly manner with relate-able topics and with great variety in the style of posts and subject matter. Some posts do offer advice in list format—for example her most recent post on making the most out of a coffee shop gig—but she also opens her blog to the community, taking questions from other artists such as this one from The Beggar Folk of Lancaster, PA.
Which brings me to what I really enjoy about this site. Far from being preachy or a music-focused version of Dear Abby, Joy is down to earth and never comes across as “the expert” or self-promotion obsessed. All advice offered is earned either through time “in the trenches” or through the help of other artists big and small. And the site, while also a means of getting to know more about Joy and her experiences, is ultimately about community and the principle of if you’ve got it, share it. Musicians, just like in our high school days, too often can be placed into one of many camps, from the hobbyists to the professionals, the competitive to the sheepish, the popular to the zealously outsider. Grassrootsy finds itself in the admirable position of the professional without pretension who doesn’t see sharing information as a means of losing ones competitive edge. And in that spirit I wanted to point others her way.
As usual, got ideas of other local music amazingness I should check out? Please feel free to send it this way (you can direct messages to actioncamp@gmail.com with “Live Blog” in the subject). Stay tuned for the next installment of the Live Blog!
love,
maura
