I was a little bummed to learn recently that the user content-driven JamsBio is changing the site’s format to that of something more like an online music magazine (yeah, just what the Internet needs, another online music magazine). I signed on when it first opened as a charter writer, back when they were paying users to produce content during its initial startup, so technically that was my first paid music writing gig.
I guess I’m as much to blame as anyone if lack of user content contributed to the change. I haven’t had much time for it since they ended the initial charter program, wish I had been able to write more but time just didn’t allow for freebie writing except my blogs, and we all know how well I’ve kept up with those the past year (ha).
I really kinda hate to see the change for a number of reasons, but first and foremost, the changing to the online magazine type format just doesn’t interest me much. There’s fifty billion online music rags, most of which I never read or visit anyway (save for a few that have additional resources for – you guessed it – user-driven content when I’m looking to promote my pet bands).
User-driven content on the Internet interests me much, much more. If you have a music blog (or any blog, for that matter) and I like it, I’m liable to visit it at least fairly regularly, haphazard though I may be about it at times. Same with other types of user-driven content sites. I haven’t much use (or time) for the hundreds or thousands of more traditional online music magazines out there, and if I’m on one of those sites, it’s probably because I was Googling for something specific that the site just happened to have. Chances of me visiting regularly – or again at all – are kinda slim.
Oh well, I guess that’s the way of the Internet these days – more professional content equals more money, I guess? I’m just not so sure it’s necessarily the way to go when it comes to music these days. While I’m sure they’ll draw more interest than they might have otherwise from some, I tend to think there’s probably a lot of diehard music junkies like myself that rather shy away from the overly professional and commercial, and instead seek out what’s different and usually much more interesting – if that makes sense.
Anyway, they’re going to be taking down the old content soon, so if you wanna read stuff I wrote over there as it was meant to be seen before it’s gone, click here. Fortunately I have had copies (as they suggested when they announced the change) of it all from the start – save for one I just noticed when I went over there I obviously forgot to save, but now have rectified that – so I’ll probably tack it up somewhere else later on; if nothing else, in another WordPress blog or whatever.
