Changes to Review Process
Where to start?
All the artists here have made amazing music.
So much amazing music is made and posted on the web, however it can be difficult to find, because the ease of recording music and posting it to the web, it means that anyone can record and post their music.
No art is invalid.
Let me state that again, no art is invalid.
There was time invested, thought, and creativity explored and in many cases, some financial investment was made as well to put your creation out on the web for others to find and enjoy.
That in and of itself, creating to share, is wonderful!
However, we can only listen to so much per day, view so many pieces of art. There must also be time to relate to our family and friends and share the goodness that we experience, which cuts into the time of discovering art.
There are approximately 500 hours of music uploaded to Youtube every minute, 10 hours of music to soundcloud every minute, etc. It becomes a daunting task to sift through music that gets uploaded and find stuff that is head and shoulders above everything else.
It’s not that great music isn’t out there, honestly, I wish every song was great, every artist was amazing, because it would be fantastic! A never ending party of music to share, but sadly, more artists and music creators are more concerned about fame, playing out, or tend to see music as a means to an end, rather than the joy of creating something that could potentially resonate and connect with the listener. As a result, there is a giant ocean of music that wallows in mediocrity. And as someone who wants to share the great and amazing pieces of music with you, to provide you a service of finding the art you need and desire, I cannot continue to sift through shifting sands looking for a diamond of a song for nothing.
Which brings me to my main point, this blog has been created out of my hard earned pocket money, which I had to spend some amount of time doing other things than finding music. Because, well frankly, no one is paying me or anyone else to find awesome music to share. Sad, but true. As a result, this online magazine takes a hard backseat to other endeavors.
Do I want to kill this magazine? Absolutely not.
Do I want to erase it from the internet forever? No, there are many artists who have received well deserved reviews of their music, and I would like to see that continue on some level.
But, something has to change, and well it’s money. I can no longer review music out of the goodness of my heart and spare time. I cannot hire someone to write reviews if there is no income. So, what to do?
Well, we will be charging for reviews from now on. Not the readers, but the artists.
I can hear the artists screaming in the background, “Not another thing I have to pay for!”
Oh, I get it. Believe me, do I ever get it.
See, I’m an artist too. I’ve been cheated, mistreated, beaten, misaligned, slandered, ostracized, and told to never return. I’ve had my money stolen from me, and I’ve wasted money on scams as well. I’ve been there, done that. So let’s just get it out in the open, I don’t want to cheat you. I don’t want you to pay me because the industry ‘owes’ me something, it’s not like that, it’s deeper and more personal.
My time is valuable. The people that I want to hire to write reviews, their time is valuable. Time is money. Pay me for my time. Pay the people I hire for their time. Don’t just pay us to review your schlock, have something to say. Don’t just pay us, respect our time. Give us something to be excited about. Give us something that will have us shouting “Thank you Jesus!” and “YES! There is a God!”
Or don’t.
Worse yet, don’t be surprised if you pay for someone at Solid Ground to say “this is the worst piece of drivel I’ve ever heard” or even worse “meh.”
People will remember great reviews and they will remember the worst reviews, but no one remembers those that were ‘meh’ or mediocre. I know. I still remember reading a review of a Britney Spears album where the author just gushed over the album, and I didn’t have the same opinion, but the reviewer loved it. Some of the best music I’ve found is when a reviewer was honest. The reviews I don’t remember are where the reviewer said, ‘meh.’
Don’t be meh, be an artist.
There are markers of a true artist, someone with something to say and share.
Individuality. They are unique. There’s something different, a different point of view, a different way of looking at something, a difference in approach, a sense of knowing who they are and what they have to say. There are many who think they are unique or try to be unique but it lacks something.
Authenticity. Belief, faith, grounded, etc. Authenticity is beyond being ‘different’ for difference sake, it’s having purpose and identity, it’s being real. It’s not just knowing your ‘lane’ or ‘what you believe’ it goes beyond that.
Faith. While this is built into authenticity, it’s the underlying movement, what puts things into action. This is the ‘do what it takes to make it mentality,’ the investment in purpose and direction, the steps of action.
Talent. No amount of individuality, authenticity and faith will work effectively when applied without talent. Talent needs to be nurtured, grown, encouraged, and mentored. Talent that is neglected never comes to full potential. Talent that is never subjected to a scrutinizing eye will be overlooked and underappreciated because it never grows. Talent is like an orchard tree. Unpruned, unfertilized, and unkept, the tree grows some fruit but never enough and often on branches that break or where no one can reach them.
Risk. To do something different. Willingness to fail. Willingness and the action to go against fear.
Yep. Those things make an artist an artist. There’s probably others, but nothing else stands out in my mind as much as those. It’s not just one of those, but the combination. Talent does not make an artist. Faith does not make an artist. Individuality does not make an artist. Authenticity does not make an artist. Risk does not make an artist. It’s the full combination of those.
So, how much is it going to cost?
Enough to pay the bills and have some pocket change left over.
If you just want your new release posted: $15
If you just want a paragraph saying here it is, no comment about it’s intrinsic value: $20
If you want a review of your EP, a couple paragraphs that gives an opinion (no singles or EPs less than four individual songs/tracks): $50
If you want a full length article, no holds barred, review of your full length album: $75
If you want a critique of your release, where we critique the songwriting, the production value, the artistic value, and performance(s) but does not include a review: $150 per 4-5 song EP, $300 per album (6 to 15 tracks).
You may ask, “Why so much?”
To which I respond, “Why so little?”
Your music will be reviewed by people who have music placed in film and tv, worked in broadcast radio, professional podcasters, streaming, licensing, etc. etc.
I suppose it depends on how much you value others time and your own.
Email Submissions@solidgroundreviews.com for details and payment options. Please put “Review Request Inquiry” in the subject line.
Please have ready your release date, appropriate labeled files, hi res images, etc. etc. We will not take payment if you don’t know what you are doing. If you don’t know what you are doing, don’t be shy in asking a question or two, but research. Invest in yourself and learn basics like meta data, how to upload, using dropbox or google drive, and have lyrics readily available. Make it easy for me and I will love your work ethic. Be gracious, humble, but not so ‘humble’ you have no confidence in what you are doing. Oh, and be cool. You know, like a 2000 year old carpenter.