Wednesday 13 April 2011

Rant

In the space of 24 hours, two of the best Blogs on the web have closed down for the same reasons - apathy and bad manners. ASH and Burning Wood have been providing fantastic, free  music, insightful commentary and great banter for years and to see them go because people can't be bothered to say 'please' and 'thank you' or bitch about the stuff they're getting for nothing makes me both sad and angry.

People make blogs for many reasons. Personally speaking, I write for the love of it and the lack of comments, whilst a bit annoying, doesn't really bother me too much. I get a buzz out of doing it - 'Art for Arts sake' as 10CC so beautifully put it. Other people do it because they want to provide a service and feedback is absolutely vital for them. All it takes is a 'cheers' or 'ta' and that's enough. If you feel you’re making art for no one, it can make you think twice about doing it at all.

Everyone’s got a blog. Not everyone has got a good blog. If you've got a favourite or two, be a bit more pro-active. Comment! Be nice! Money is tight the world over and if someone is providing you with top class, free entertainment (whether it's music or thought provoking or amusing prose) say 'thank you'.

Play nicely or the park-keeper will take your ball away.

(Normal service will be resumed in a few short moments...)

13 comments:

  1. Your words ring true and I agree full-heartily with you,what's the world coming to.
    I like your site,just found it a few days ago
    thank you

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  2. I think I goofed on my first post, so let me be more concise and say: True words, great blog, thanks.

    And, keep up the good work.

    Ace K.

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  3. As the owner of two blogs and contributor to three others, I agree with every word of this post. It's hard work to maintain one blog let alone four; comments are the determining factor for which blog gets the most attention and which sits for two months without updates.

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  4. From one Don to another, I admire your determination to keep all that going.

    The internet world has still got you and Rushbo to keep them occupied.

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  5. Hear hear! I've been fortunate in the comment department thus far on my blog, but I still agree heartily.

    It can take an hour or more to write a post. It takes someone 10 seconds to leave a comment.

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  6. Awwww.... you know we love you, Rushbo. I, like many others I suspect, do occasionally forget to say thanks to all the wonderful providers of such stellar and hard to find music, but please know (and pass it on) that almost all of ua who download are very grateful for you and your fellow bloggers for such wonderful words and terrific tunes!

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  7. If anyone wants to view the comments to Sal's closing post, you'll note the anonymous poster's comments.

    I could have published similar stuff and then there might be some understanding as to why blogs are closing.

    I must have dealt with at least one similar e mail a day whether it was about a band, a commenter or me and I wouldn't say that I was controversial.

    Back in the real world, people just don't get access to you in that way and it's a blessing.

    The Tosser detector needle is very high when you publish a music download blog.

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  8. Load up, with rubber bullets. Or, a flat guitar tutor.....THANKS (for all you do) Rushbo.

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  9. i totally agree, a quick thanks costs nothing and means a lot, and moaners need taking outside and slapping!!!

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  10. Thanks for the reminder amigo, and the killer little blog you have here.

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  11. First, I love(d) ASH and am just starting to delve into this blog. What I think you guys are failing to realise is that there are misguided fans out there that want to take down each and every music blog. Their rationale is that blogs are taking away revenue from the artists and somehow making the music scene the dismal state it currently is. I personally don't agree with this but I think this is where they are coming from and each time a blog shuts down you can bet they're high fiving themselves in mommy's basement. This is my advice to you guys. Take a que from T.U.B.E. He already has the next blog (5.0) all ready to go if they take down his current blog like they have so many times in the past. I post my links on a guitar forum and my stuff gets taken down all the time. I get very little in the way of thanks but that is not why I do it. When I see the download stats, I know a bunch of people are getting to enjoy the music others have shared with me and me with them and that is enough. I try to reupload and repost as fast as possible. I win. They lose. WE WIN.
    Think about it.
    Thanks again,
    R Lee

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  12. ASH wasn't taken down by anyone but me, I decided it was the end for the reason stated.

    The reason it was taken down was because certain regular members couldn't behave themselves, it wasn't their intention, they just couldn't hold back their me me me tendencies. They've asked me to reconsider, I won't.

    Secondly, never once have I stated it was because I wanted more comments, that makes me look like I'm on an ego trip. People enjoying was thanks enough.

    Finally, I had no threats from any outside agency. In 2 years (and you know how much was there), I never had one cease and desist or blogger post removal. I had one megaupload link removed by the auto robot search it does.

    So your theory looks wrong in that case.

    TUBE ends up in trouble because it publicly sticks a finger up at the relevant authorities and seems to revel in being taken down, as though it's some Robin Hood or the aggrieved party.

    Piss off bands or your host and you'll go, same applies in any walk of life.

    Never once have I been accused of taking a livelihood from the band, never once has any available release been posted.

    Truth be known, that plenty of the stuff was actually supplied by the band related to help fans.

    So you're barking up the wrong tree mate.

    ASH's decline was because people thought requests applied to everyone but them and started to treat me like a store assistant.

    The blog will never return and I've made about two dozen friends from it, that I'd never have met and the 2 years effort was worth it for that.

    I still speak to those people daily and will continue to.

    Sorry for the length, I'm quite mellow, but I thought the record should be straight. ASH was destroyed by ultimate logic by it's membership not some Record Company or Blogger chasing it.

    Learn from it folks, because a dozen have gone for the same reason in the past 12 months.

    Enjoy the music, but we are not your very own itunes.

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  13. So you learned rock fans have bad manners? Who would have thought? LOL
    Thanks again
    R Lee

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