The Tangled Web We Weave

I'm embarking on the webbing stage of this project...okay the embarking began awhile ago, but my procrastinating self is just getting around to blogging about it! The biggest challenge I have seen with this topic is that it is very current. I'm unsure how much information I will find searching databases and 'professional literature.' So reluctant, that I didn't even include it as an option on my Inspire diagram. I have a feeling there will be a phase two of the webbing phase, but so far, here is the information I have gathered and how I gathered it.

• I am on a listserv called PUBYAC for Young Adult and Children's librarians. The website MySpace.com was being debated. Apparently it is very popular with teens and they are monopolizing Internet computers in order to access the site. I'm not familiar with this website, so out of curiousity I decided to check it out. Much to my surprise, there is a music section. On the site, you are able to search for music by band name, band bio, band members, influences and sounds like. The sounds like feature is great because the whole point of this project was for me to discover new music but how do you sort through the millions of new bands to find one that plays the type of music you like. Easy! You use this website and search by sounds like or influenced by. So, I selected sounds like and typed in one my favorite artists, Jack Johnson. My search turned up 144 pages (approximately 10 artists per page). The site lists the following information about each band: band name, genre, location, date their webspace was last updated, number of plays, number of views and number of fans. Clicking on the band gives even more information about the band such as concert dates, cd's, bio's about band members, sample songs to listen to and sometimes download and comments from the band. I am thrilled to say that I heard some great music on this site - SUCCESS!!

• I e-mailed some local dj's and asked them how they learned about new groups. Two dj's e-mailed me back that same day (one within ten minutes!!). The first dj to respond was Brad Holtz with 92.3 WTTS. Here is the e-mail I sent to him:

"Hello. I'm working on a project for school and am wondering how/where you learn about new music, singers or bands. Your station plays music that is not so top 40 and I always hear new music on your station first. Can you tell me how you stay informed about new music? Are there websites? List-servs? Thanks for any information you can find the time to pass on!" - Angie

And here is his response:

"Hi Angie, we have a number of ways of learning about new music. We hear about it from record labels, both big and small. Artists also send their materials in to us. We also use websites like billboard.com and allmusic.com to stay informed. Thank you for taking the time to write. We hope you enjoy the programs you hear on WTTS!" - Brad Holtz - WTTS Program Director

Okay, so now I'm beginning to see what Annette was talking about with one strand of our web connecting to another. Before we walk down this new thread, let me first tell you what the other dj who responded to this same query said. I e-mailed 99.5 WZPL. Apparently, these comments must go to more than one person because I received two responses from this station:

"Hi Angie, I don't know of any consumer websites offhand, we get information directly from record labels. You may try Ask.com or Google.com and see what you can find. Let me know if I can try to help you with anything else." Scott Sands - Director, Operations, Programming

This was not too helpful because I had already listed searching Google as one of my search strategies. However, another dj from the same station responded with this e-mail later in the day:

"MTV.com and VH1.com have artists pages on their sites where you can find out about new artists and music. Each record label also has a website that tells about their new projects. Music mags like Rolling Stone also have good info. And, there are kazillions of "underground" blogs and webpages that have info" - Dave Decker, DJ

Okay, so this was a little more helpful. I hadn't thought of Rolling Stones magazine. Maybe a subscription wouldn't be a bad idea. Or maybe they have some online resources. I will have to pursue this avenue further. MTV and VH1 I will also have to give a glance to. Kazillions of underground blogs and webpages sounds like a nightmare. After all, one of the stipulations of this project was that I be able to find new artists in a timely fashion. Given the time frame of this project, I do not think I can begin that search. However, if I did happen to run across an individual's blog who's musical interests paralled mine, I could see this as a handy resource. Maybe I can try searching blogger for music blogs...maybe...the clock is ticking.

• I browsed through Amazon to see what I could find about new artists. I found a Music You Should Hear: Artist's Recommendations section. This is an interesting concept. The only drawback is that you are limited to the artists listed on the site. However, I was able to find some that I enjoy and browse through their recommendations. I looked at guides created by Ben Folds Five, Elvis Costello, and Lucinda Williams. The albums listed were not always new artists, for example Lucinda Williams recommends The Doors. However, this music may be new to me. Shockingly, I have never listened to The Doors (ack! the horror!) It is interesting to read some of the artists comments about the albums they chose too. An interesting resource that I would be interested to know more about...how it was created, who maintains it and how often new artists are added. A search engine would be a very nice addition to this resource.
• iTunes has an interesting browse feature. First you must download the software (which I already had) and it is free. Then you can click on the Music Store, then click browse and select a genre. I chose folk as my genre and then new acoustic as my subgenre and was provided with a lengthy list (approximately 50 artists) and their albums. An interesting way to find new music. Most of the artists listed, I had never heard of. The drawback of this method is finding what type of music you like. What iTunes labels as folk, I might consider country. Too bad you can't search by 'sounds like' as you do on MySpace.com.

Okay...I must take a break and give my fingers a rest. I have more webbing to tell you about, but it must be continued for another time...like after I give my daughter her bottle:)