A new week has begun, and with it we have another fantastic Blogger Spotlight to share with all of you.
In a time where many music blogs are running as fast as they can to join larger organizations in hopes of monetization, Mind Equals Blown stands apart as a force for independent thought in a cluttered online world. There coverage rests mainly in the alternative world, but they have been known to venture into the realm of pop and beyond whenever their editors deemed talent worthy of their feed. Between news, lists, editorials, and reviews that are more in depth than the efforts of many major publications, MEB has carved a nice niche for themselves on the fringe of modern music blogging that is quickly finding a fervent following. At the head of it all is Drew Maroon, a twenty-something with a love for music than runs deeper than the ocean. We spoke with Drew about his work on MEB, how he came to work in music, and where he sees his efforts headed in the future. You can find his responses following the MEB logo below.
As always, if you enjoy this spotlight piece please make sure you do whatever you can to support the efforts of Drew and the people who make Mind Equals Blown a reality every day. Click here to Follow MEB on Twitter, and click here to Like them on Facebook.
H: For those unaware, please state your name, the site you work for, and your role at said site:
DM: My name is Drew Maroon. I’m the founder, owner, editor and whatever else you can think of at Mind Equals Blown.
H: You have had a presence in blogging for a few years. Is Mind Equals Blown your first website? If not, would you please tell us how you got your start in writing?
DM: Yeah, MEB was my first. I started MEB during my freshman year at the University of Florida. I’m a metalhead who essentially has no metalhead friends. I would find all these cool metal bands that I wanted to talk about and my friends wanted nothing to do with it, so I began writing about them online through MEB. Basically, it just snowballed from there. It didn’t really take off until that winter when Jack Appleby (now of Absolute Punk) came on board. He really pushed MEB to the next level.
The site since then has really taken on a life of its own. Our staff is solely to praise for its success. It is a group effort.
H: What initially drove you to have an interest in the music industry? Being in your twenties and having now gone through the ringer of freelance, do you still see this business as a viable career option?
DM: There are all these fantastic bands that go unnoticed for whatever reason. I just wanted to help them get the exposure they deserved. Sometimes a quick blog post is all a band needs to get in front of the right person.
I do see the business as a viable career option, yes. But, you have to love it. I think very few people make a lot of money doing what they love, so it’s a choice. I’ve actually changed my major and I’m pursuing my MBA in hopes of doing something like this for a living.
H: Mind Equals Blown is one of the biggest sites not yet attached to a major company, like SpinMedia. Are you choosing to stay independent on purpose? If so, what drives your DIY ethic?
DM: We are proudly independent at the moment. The site exists because of all of the hard work and dedication of the awesome staffers that MEB has. No one earns a dime (myself included) so everyone who works for MEB does so on a volunteer basis.
To me, that is amazing. These people work so hard to produce something they’re proud of and passionate about. The staff is the absolute heart and soul of this site and it would be nowhere today without them and all their hard work.
H: In terms of content, what is it about MEB that separates your offerings from those of your numerous competitors?
DM: I hope people associate us with in-depth features and editorials. For me, that is where music journalism lies – with the story. Album reviews are great and all, but the real interesting aspect is the story behind the album, you know. Why did the artist change their sound a bit? What influenced them? Most of the time there is a very interesting story just waiting to be written.
That is the direction I’m constantly pushing MEB in and I think we’ve done a great job with our first little step.
H: MEB tends to write longer news articles and in-depth features. With that in mind, how do you feel about the ‘buzzfeed-ification’ of news (ie, move to shorter stories and more lists) online?
DM: Glad to see we are associated with in-depth features! However, people like different things. I don’t mind lists every now-and-again, but I’d always choose a good story over a ‘Top 10 whatever’ list. That isn’t to say they’re not entertaining in their own way. Oftentimes they are very fun! I think lists like that can be a great addition to strong content, but shouldn’t be the main source of content.
H: You cover a variety of talent on your site. How do you go about discovering new bands?
DM: This is where our staff shines brightest. Every staff member has a vast and unique scope of music that influences what they cover and what they write about.
Personally, I like to click through Bandcamp. Bandcamp has a ton of awesome metal music just waiting to be heard.
H: Let’s say the artists come to you. What advice would you offer those hoping to gain your attention via email or other social means?
DM: Good music is always going to rise to the top. If you make great music you will eventually get the exposure you deserve. Other than that, keep it simple. Get straight to the point and link me to somewhere where I can stream your music. Also, if I have to ‘like’ your Facebook page to hear a song, I’m immediately moving on.
I want to help promote your band, that is why the site was started to begin with. Feel free to reach out to us on the @mindequalsblown Twitter, Facebook or individually to staff members.
H: When it comes to receiving music for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?
DM: Not to be perceived as being biased, but definitely Haulix. Haulix takes all of the hassle out of receiving new music. It simply combines everything on one page and provides you with promo pictures, bios, videos and whatever else. Since most of the publicists we work with tend to use it, it’s nice to be able to quick switch back to your full catalog of promos you’ve received.
H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
DM: To see artists get a bigger return on their music. The scene is driven by touring and merch – that seems so backwards to me. I think the industry is broken as it is, but we are slowly moving into a new age where we can directly support artists we feel rightly deserve it.
Look at Protest the Hero – they did an Indiegogo for their new album and raised the money in less than 24 hours. They then went on to almost triple their original asking amount. This is a band that takes their time between records and, as a result, puts out quality music every time. I was more than happy to drop $50 for their new album.
Maybe someday in the future the industry can get to a happy medium between labels and this ability to directly support a band.
H: You write a lot about having big plans on the horizon. Can you tell us a bit about what MEB has planned for the remainder of 2013?
DM: We are always cooking up a lot of fun stuff over on MEB, some that sees the light of day and a lot that doesn’t. We’re always going to be pushing out more original features and quality content, sticking with what we do best. We’re continuing to grow and evolve. We may be a 5 year old site but I still feel as if we’re just getting started!
