Tampa Calling

One of the ways people find out about new music is by listening to what their favorite trusted music critics have to say. Whether it’s a local newspaper or Rolling Stone, getting reviewed is very important to bands, especially the songwriters. Reviews provide professional validation and encouragement when they are positive, and derail genius if they are negative or overly critical.

But even knowing the perils, thousands of bands stills send in their CDs to music critics everywhere, hoping that that one person will explain their music in such an accurate and flattering way that fame would be the only logical result from these words being printed. Here’s some advice that may help put things in a more realistic perspective, and why the review doesn’t really matter.

One Person’s Opinion
Keep in mind that no matter what, a review is only one person’s opinion of your music. One out of the 6 billion or so on this planet. Having reviewed lots of music over the last eight years, I can tell you three things for certain: 1) Opinions change with mood, 2) Opinions change with food and 3) Opinions change with time. Don’t live your life based on someone else’s opinion.

Got a good review? So what?
Did your EP get a great review from Interpunk, Creative Loafing or Pitchfork? Sweet. Did your sales increase afterward? Are your shows getting more crowded? If not, then who cares about that one review? Hype and buzz can burnout an act very quickly, so don’t bank on a career happening just because of a few good reviews. Keep promoting, keep playing and keep winning over more fans. For example, Kings of Leon has been getting favorable press in the U.S. since 2002 without much traction in U.S. until this last album.

Got a bad review? So what?
Did your singer’s voice get panned? Did your style get mis-categorized? Did you get compared to an artist you hate? Who cares? Seriously, if someone hates your music, don’t let it get to you. Sure, it sucks to hear, but as we covered above, it’s only one person’s opinion out of 6 billion in the world. Still, sometimes they offer nuggets of bitter truth and can offer constructive criticism, so consider the source and then take in what you think is helpful. Case in point: Nickelback. Nickelback gets panned in every hipster Website, blog and magazine. Do you think that matters? They are one of the top grossing music acts of the last 10 years. So if your new masterpiece gets ripped on, don’t stress about it.

Read. Share good ones. Move on.
It’s up to you which reviews you promote, so only promote the good ones. That’s what every decent PR person would do in the corporate world. My advice is to read them, take whatever you want from them and move on.

Band comparisons
If you get compared to another band, use the comparison to grow your fanbase. Even though the critic may be way off in their comparison, it doesn’t really change the fact that you reminded them of the band and chances are someone else will also be reminded of the band. Embrace it and use it.

Fans: The Only Review That Matters
Your fans give the only reviews that matter. Ask them what they think and take their input to heart. Ultimately, they are the ones who have greatest impact on your career.

Hope this helps someone out there.

Enjoy. Share.
Ivan

Ivan writes “Bombardier Manifesto” for Creative Loafing, blog posts about the music industry, being in a band and marketing. Ivan also runs Mohawk Bomb Records.

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