Journalism Tips: How To Know When It’s Time To Say Goodbye

The alternative music scene was rocked over the weekend by the news popular music blog PropertyOfZack will cease operations at some point in the coming days. This marks the end of the site’s six-year existence, which saw it flourish from an unknown Tumblr entity into one of the most recognized alternative music blogs in the world. During that time, founder Zack Zarrillo and his team of contributors broke major stories, introduced the world to bands who would later captivate the entire scene, and somehow found a way to make an entire new generation of music news readers appreciate well-written editorials. Things were not always easy, but the site found a way to continue on. That is, until now.

Writing to readers of the site in the post that announced plans to end POZ’s run, Zarrillo explained his decision by stating:

“My life is in a period of deep change and instead of risking integrity, happiness, or feeling guilt – I would rather PropertyOfZack say goodbye the right way. Timing is everything, after all. I haven’t looked at our traffic in many months, but I appreciate the dedicated daily, weekly, or monthly readers of the site now more than ever. I’d rather bid you a proper farewell than a lackluster finale. Burn out, not fade away.”

I see a variation of that quote, “it’s better to burn out than to fade away,” at least once a month. Most who use it probably don’t realize it was made famous in Kurt Cobain’s suicide note, and even less probably know that its origin is actually from the song “My My, Hey Hey” by Neil Young. It’s rumored that Young based the line off president Millard Fillmore’s famous quote, “It’s better to wear out than rust out,” but that rumor has never really been confirmed or denied. The point is, many people have used this sentiment to represent many different types of change throughout time. In the case of Kurt Cobain, it seems he believed his life were better ended on his own terms than by the slow process of decay the rest of us endure day in and day out until we expire. For Zack, the phrase means something else altogether.

I actually spoke with Zack just before the news of POZ’s end was made public. When I asked him to explain his decision making process to me, he summarized his thoughts and feelings by simply stating that it ‘felt right.’ He told me he had learned a long time ago to listen to himself and what his heart or mind was trying to say. Sometimes he fought those notions, but when he did he often found his body was right all along. He even fought himself over closing POZ before now, and in that instance he convinced himself it were better if the site lived. This time however, he knew fighting himself would be the wrong move. The time had come to say goodbye, and it was up to him to find the strength within himself to make the knowledge of that fact public.

All this discussion lead me to ask myself when I might step away. I’ve certainly had the thought cross my mind that my time could be better spent doing something that actually provided me with income or really any form of sustenance. While others my age have spent years developing a skill for a particular career I’ve been blogging about bands, many of whom don’t even know I exist, and attending an untold number of shows. This isn’t to say I haven’t had my fair share of fun, because I certainly have, but I have also noticed the way many of my peers seem to have gotten a bit further along with so-called adulthood than myself. Sometimes I wonder if that’s a good or bad thing. Maybe the fact I’m able to stay firmly planted within youth culture through my writing is a good thing. Maybe it’s keeping me young while everyone else my age has begun to transform into the lame, mostly middle-class parents they will eventually become. I can’t really tell you either way, but I can say the internal debate is ongoing.

Several people have approached me in the past week and asked me about my thoughts regarding Zack’s decision, and to each I typically reply that I cannot speak for Zack. My experience in writing has always been a personal one. The reason I started was because something inside was telling me I needed to do so, and I expect there are many writers working today who would say something similar if the question of why they began was asked of them. To write, or at least to write well, you have to give something of yourself to your readers. You have to sacrifice your time and leverage your abilities without any idea whether or not anyone else will care what happens as a result. You might write the greatest book known to man or you might spend your life churning our listicles that are forgotten almost as quickly as they are consumed. As long as you’re content with your position, or as long as you’re working to better yourself, the opinions of others should not matter. Others cannot give you success. They cannot fill that void inside that you believe writing will help cure. That is your responsibility and yours alone, so the same can be said for the decision to walk away.

The best advice that can be offered to anyone questioning whether or not they should remain in music writing is urging that person to listen to heart. That may sound corny to the nihilists and pessimists among us, but it’s the absolute truth. You know you better than anyone could hope to, even if you don’t always believe that fact, and only you can determine when is the right time to walk away from music journalism. If you feel there is more work to be done or something that simply must be said, then do whatever you must to satisfy that itch. On the other hand, if something tells you it’s time to move on, then move on. After all, you can always return.


James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also a professional entertainment critic, covering both film and music, as well as the co-founder of Antique Records. Feel free to tell him you love or hate the article above by connecting with him on Twitter. Bonus points if you introduce yourself by sharing your favorite Simpsons character.

James Shotwell