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Blogger Spotlight: Brian Leak (Under The Gun Review)

Hello, and welcome back to the Haulix Blogger Spotlight series. This week we have two very interesting and completely different individuals to introduce you to, and the first comes to us from the land of Northern California.

Though we have featured writers from Under The Gun Review in this series before, today is the first time in the history of this column that we’re highlighting an individual who also happens to be a parent. Brian Lion is the Front Page Editor for UTG, and over the last few years he has helped steer the site’s development, strengthened the overall grammatical proficiency of the staff, and brought countless new eyes and ideas to the world of Under The Gun. He didn’t start at UTG, but he’s certainly made it his home, and in doing so greatly impacted the overall quality of the site’s offerings. When he expressed an interest in this series, we knew his insight would offer invaluable aide to other chasing the dream of a career in entertainment.

Below you will learn about Brian’s history with music, his earliest efforts in the industry, where he sees himself in the future, and what advice he has to offer others hoping to make their way through this business. His story is one-of-a-kind, and we’re grateful that he’s chosen to share it with us.

Brian is always seeking new opportunities in music, and those looking to keep up with his efforts would be wise to follow him on Twitter. Under The Gun Review also offers a social media feed you need in your life, so be sure to Follow them on Twitter and Like their Facebook at your earliest convenience.

H: For those unaware, please state your name, the site you work for, and your role at said site:

BL: My name is Brian Leak, alternatively and more than likely known as Brian Lion. I work for Under the Gun Review where I am the Front Page Editor. I mainly read and edit each and every post on the site but I also do interviews, reviews, music and film news, a column when I’m able, and pretty much anything else I can dabble in. I just recently had my first photog experience shooting for RX Bandits.

H: UTG is not the first publication you have written for, but you certainly seem to have made it your home. Where did you get your start in writing, and what initially attracted you to the entertainment industry?

BL: This is true. My first publication was a print magazine/paper based in Chico, CA which was called Synthesis. I mainly did interviews with bands and some actors. Since then, I’ve written for a handful of others as well with UTG being my primary den. I’ve always loved music and film, for as long as I can remember. I used to watch VH1’s top 10 countdown constantly when I was a kid and I would watch tons of 80s and 90s action movies with my stepdad; the Lethal Weapon series, Jean Claude, Jackie Chan, Arnold, etc. It all just fascinated me so much. Whether it be music, film or television, they were just different worlds you could get encapsulated in. Part of me always felt like I would love to be involved with it in some way. That early on, writing hadn’t necessarily crossed my mind but over time as I started reading more and more online, I started to gain an interest in the industry and thought that it was a very special way to explore the things I loved from a different side.

H: What drew you to the position of Front Page Editor at UTG, and why do you feel its purpose is important?

BL: I’ve always been lucky enough to fully grasp the English language and have never truly struggled in that area. I won a couple spelling bees when I was younger and some awards for regional writing events and such and a lot of my teachers and family always told me that writing would in some way be what I would do. At the time, I never really believed that or thought too much on it but as I got older and began noticing an unfortunate lack of literacy around me, it sort of became a pet peeve — spelling and grammar that is. When I was in high school, I had considered working towards becoming an English teacher but I was a teenager and wanted to be such, so that much work didn’t sound as appealing to me once I really put thought into it. Eventually, after having immersed myself into writing about music and film, editing other peoples’ mistakes in the same field only made sense as I would see errors going unnoticed otherwise and felt obligated to remedy that. I just can’t let shit go.

H: In recent years Under The Gun has evolved from covering music to featuring news on film and stand-up comedy as well. Aside from these expansions, what do you feel separate the efforts of UTG from those of similar websites?

BL: Well these expansions are huge for us of course but it’s all about the way we execute our content. We have a very interesting cast of characters on staff spanning the US with one staffer in Europe as well and with that many unique personalities, you’re bound to have some strong convictions, views, and ideas. As a group, we’ve had some of the most hilarious, interesting, and even sometimes aggravating conversations that I think I’ve ever had.

We try our best to allow our contributors to use their voice as they please because that to me is what will make an article more interesting for a reader. There are plenty of sites out there that you can go to for formulaic news, but we try to add ourselves into our content to create a more relatable and enjoyable atmosphere for our readership. Aside from that, timeliness is next to Godliness and original content is our bread and butter. With a sociable and well-connected staff, you can pull a lot of great resources to score some really cool content from friends in the industry. We just try our best to come up with new features and continue expanding as we’re able.

H: One thing that sets you apart from many bloggers is that you also happen to be a father. How has starting a family changed the way you approach your work?

BL: That’s a great question. In one sense, it has made me want to work harder of course but there’re always times when I wish I could just take an entire week off and do nothing but play with my little girl and do whatever we want. I can’t say that that feeling won’t grow even more in the future as she gets older and can interact more but this is my dream and I like to think that it will lead to more and more great opportunities as it already has over the years.

H: Some might think having a child may detract people from chasing their dreams, but you clearly don’t see things that way. What advice would you offer others who find themselves in a situation similar to yours?

BL: Obviously, your child should come before anything and everything, but at the same time, if you give up on a dream in the process, especially one that you’ve made great headway in, then you’re failing your child as much if not more than you’re failing yourself. Writing was always about my own personal gain until we had her. Now it’s just that much more important that I make this work and continue to expand so that it does lead to those other great opportunities that will hopefully benefit not just me, but my family as well.

As far as advice I’d offer others in a similar situation — if possible, do not give up on your dream, but don’t let it take over your life to where you become a stranger to your kid(s). I know that in a reversed situation, I would likely be upset to find out that my parents gave up on something they loved because of me for some reason. I would feel guilty and or disappointed in them and I don’t want my daughter to feel that way about me when she grows up. I want her to be proud that I accomplished my goals just as I will be of her.

H: As someone who not only covers new music, but film as well, how do you go about discovering new talent?

BL: Word of mouth first and foremost, but I’ve bookmarked a lot of sites over the years that I explore now and then. Bandcamp, which is a gold mine of undiscovered talent, has been one of my go-to resources for finding new music. Pandora has introduced me to some artists I was unfamiliar with, and just sites like UTG that I always followed. Finding new music is one my absolute favorite things. Discovering an incredible new band is like Christmas, but usually better because you don’t have act like you like something if you really hate it. No need for gift receipts.

As far as film, I use Letterboxd which is amazing and has helped me come across countless mind-blowing films. I used to just search through Rotten Tomatoes and see what was coming out. It’s pretty good for seeing ratings on more obscure stuff that you may be interested in. I’ve stumbled upon some pretty cool things online, sometimes using StumbleUpon. Go figure. Short Of The Week is a great site for discovering new short films, which many that know me will tell you is a huge interest of mine.

H: Let’s say the artists want to come to you. What advice would you offer a band hoping to stand out from the countless others vying for coverage?

BL: Oh, man. Originality is key, but even that is hard to create these days in a sea of similar bands trying to grab your attention. I’ve seen almost every bait deviation there is and coming across one that really draws me in is few and far between. I personally don’t like when people try too hard. Sincerity is nice and I want to be wowed. Me being an editor, it’s incredibly frustrating when I’m not even sure what the band is trying to ask of me. If you can’t spell or form sentences, you may want to get someone who can to write up your press releases. That’s for starters. As much as I understand the urgency and excitement, I don’t like when people are pushy about it. They should know that almost anyone they’re trying to pitch their material to is going to be a very busy person. I’m a sucker for cleverness; puns and esoteric pop culture references. That’s how you can get me to do a double take and put my headphones on.

H: When it comes to receiving music and film for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?

BL: I personally like to just be able to click to Bandcamp or Soundcloud; some simple streaming platform. I don’t really want to have to download something before I’ve heard it. Physical copies are always nice, too. For film, online screeners seem to be typical and I like that. Again, physical copies are fine with me as well. Other than that, if need be, Dropbox and or WeTransfer are great for a quick exchanges.

H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

BL: Uhhh, one thing…that’s difficult. I think I would take out a lot of the ferocity and venom from the competition. For being a medium that is so universally loved, there is a lot of hate and facetiousness involved behind the scenes, and sometimes in the headlines. It can be daunting and exhausting when you’re trying to enjoy your work while bands and artists start feuds and other writers and publications find it necessary to bash what you do because they do it differently. Sometimes they do nothing differently and they’re just clearly vicious people that feel better about themselves by slandering others. I can’t say I’m not a shit-talker but when it comes to my work, I try to respect my peers at least. If I don’t like the way they’re doing something, I look at it as their problem, not mine.

H: Your team writes a lot about having big plans on the horizon. Can you tell us a bit about what UTG has planned for the remainder of 2013?

BL: More original content, more features, more coverage. Hopefully some more indie film screenings like we did last year with Iwrestledabearonce. We should be covering another handful of festivals before the year’s end as well. We just had a staffer attend AFI Docs for reviews which was very unique amongst our peers and helps expand our film coverage. We’ve discussed maybe putting out some merch. Maybe we’ll launch a Kickstarter just to fit in.

“Yes! The danger must be growing / For the rowers keep on rowing / And they’re certainly not showing / Any signs that they are slowing!”

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Blogger Spotlight: Drew Beringer (Absolutepunk)

Hello, and welcome another installment of the Haulix Blogger Spotlight series. This time we’re returning to the world of SpinMedia with another look at the alternative music portal that has been leading the online news game for the better part of the last decade.

When most people think of Absolutepunk, they probably associate the name Jason Tate with being in control. While Jason is the creator of AP (and a nice guy to chat with), none of what you see on a day-to-day basis would be possible without the efforts of Senior Editor Drew Beringer. He’s the guy that sits at SpinMedia HQ and represents Absolutepunk, and in a way the Absolutevoices group as well. He has been writing and networking throughout the music industry for years, and the insight he’s able to provide having now found full time work in writing is indispensable for the aspiring (or veteran) journalist.

After you read through Drew’s history and thoughts on the industry, drop by Absolutepunk and see what’s new in the world of alternative music. Also, be sure to Follow AP on Twitter and Like their official Facebook. Drew has a Twitter as well, so send him a note if you enjoy his interview.

H: For those unaware, please state your name, the site you work for, and your role at said site:

DB: Hey, I’m Drew Beringer and I’m the senior editor for AbsolutePunk.net. I basically have a hand in everything on the site, but I don’t want to take too much credit because we have an awesome staff that creates and writes amazing stuff.

H: What initially inspired you to get into music journalism, and how did that interest lead you to join the AbsolutePunk team?

DB: I’ll never call myself a journalist – I never took any writing or journalism classes in college (although I was an English major at one point and did a lot of writing for that). I’ve always been a very opinionated person and I love music so I just started writing my own “reviews” in a Xanga blog years ago. In the fall of 2005, Jason Tate (our CEO/Founder) put out a call for new reviewers on the site and I submitted a review of Emery’s “The Question” and about three days later, Jason IM’d me and asked me if I wanted to write for AP.net. It’s been a match made in heaven ever since.

H: Unlike many who write about music online, you actually work on AP.net as your full time job. How would you compare your daily routine from freelance days to now?

DB: The only difference is that I can dedicate all my time to AbsolutePunk.net now instead of just when I wasn’t working at whatever job I had at the time. And it’s a huge difference. I’m extremely fortunate and blessed to be paid to write about music and I never take it for granted. I’m able to do a podcast with Jason once or twice a week, write 3 reviews in a day and post a lot of news articles a day instead of only writing one review when I had time and sparingly posting news. It’s easier for me to put together new features and set up cool exclusives for the site. In my “old” life, I’d maybe have time to post some news in the morning before heading off to work and then whenever I got home that night I’d use whatever energy I had left to write a review or whatever. It’s an amazing feeling to just be able to use all my time to write and put together a lot of cool stuff for the site. My only wish is that more of our staff could have this freedom because they’re all very talented and if they could pool all their resources into the site, we’d be virtually unstoppable. It’ll happen eventually.

H: AbsolutePunk has changed a lot over the years, from starting as a purely punk site to expanding into movies, hip hop, and recently even comedy. Are these changes done to lure in more readers, or better cater to those you already have?

DB: Of course we want to lure in more readers and users with all our changes and features, but that’s only a small part of it. The reason I decided to expand into adding more hip-hop and comedy content is because our current (and may I add fantastic) users have shown a ton of interest in that in our forums. So basically a little bit of column A, a little bit of column B. The community on AP.net is by far the best online community and a lot of these users bring new music, interests, whatever to the site daily in those forums. I read each forum obsessively and I want to cater our content to those who’ve been visiting the site for days, months, years. I want their voice and interests to also be represented on the front page of the site. I think our comedy content has been great so far and a lot of credit goes to Cody Nelson. He’s very knowledgeable about that scene and is bringing us great features and ideas daily. Since my hire in 2005, I’ve been trying to get hip-hop represented on the site. It’s been a struggle at times, but I think our user base has evolved with the times and are more open-minded to all genres and not just punk music anymore. There are still some obstacles but it’s overall been a great success. Jake Jenkins has done a wonderful job with his reviews and Keagan Ilvonen has always been into the genre too. And a lot of great hip-hop and comedy contributions and recommendations have come our community – I’d be wrong to not mention the stellar stuff I read in the forums from users like deadkidsean, williek311, Argentine, FondestMemory, phaynes1, Star Slight, Ari Christos, Holly Hox, and weworemasks, as well as past users like Fullcollapse3k, Skabum14, Love As Arson, and Trainsaw, amongst many others. It’s those members of our community who’ve made our hip-hop coverage a success and they continue to challenge us to create our best content. I’m also happy that I’m not the only staff member to carry that heavy load of reviewing and covering the genre along with all my other responsibilities.

H: AP is known for breaking bands who otherwise may never have a chance to shine. What do you look for when seeking new music, and where do you go to discover it?

DB: This is always the toughest question for me to answer because it varies on a case to case basis. It could be lyrics or vocals or the music or a combination of all three. There isn’t one particular element I look for when listening to new music – it just has to catch my attention in some way. For example, I love Dessa because her voice, flow, and lyrics are intoxicating. But I love the new Deafheaven album because the music is so devastating and enthralling. It’s never the same thing. I discover any and all music either from the hundreds of emails I get per day, my friends here in LA, and the forums on our site.

H: Let’s talk about when bands come to you. What do you look for in a pitch letter, and what advice would you offer those hoping to contact you about being featured on AP in the future?

DB: I don’t need a long pitch – just give me a brief summary of what you’re about, what you think you sound like, and your music. And if it catches my eye or ear – I’ll check it out. If I don’t get back to a band or review something – it doesn’t mean I hate you or the music, it just means I’m a super busy dude who gets hundreds of these queries a week. I may come back to it later in time and if I dig it, I do whatever I can to support it and promote it. I guess that’s horrible advice, but if you write good/great music, it’ll get the attention it deserves.

H: When it comes to receiving music for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?

DB: I prefer a watermarked (to keep be accountable of course) zip download with high quality mp3s. Now I don’t always get that, so I roll with what I get. Haulix is cool because you can download and stream and it has the capability of supplying high quality stuff if the label/PR people provide it. But really whatever gives me the highest quality music most efficiently will always be my preference.

H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

DB: Almost everything and I don’t anyone would want to read a lengthy essay from me about the topic. The internet is the wild west right for music (source: Jay-Z) right now and the way you get people to listen and support your music changes nearly every day. I do hate how the industry is punishing listeners and medium-to-smaller bands for the mistakes they made in the past. But it’s also an exciting time for the music industry in that we don’t know what’s coming next and that many artists (big and small) are proving that you don’t need a label to be successful.

H: You tweet a lot about having big plans for the future. Before we let you go, can you tell us a bit about what you have planned for the future?

DB: Just that you’ll always get high-quality and honest editorials, features, and opinions from AbsolutePunk.net. We’re very transparent with all our intentions and we’re music fans just like everyone else who visits the site. The long-awaited AP.net 3.0 is in development and it’s going to wow a lot of people. We have so many talented writers – whether it’s veterans like Thomas Nassiff, Alex DiVicenzo, and Christian Wagner or rookies like Kelly Doherty, Chris Collum, and Craig Manning – bringing forward new ideas and content daily. It just blows my mind. I seen staff members like Ryan Gardner and Dre Okorley rise up and lead new features and it’s so awesome. It’s those guys along with the rest of the staff that makes the future of AbsolutePunk.net so exciting. It’s their hard work and talent that makes guys like me look so smart and our site the best.

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Blogger Spotlight: Jason Tate (Absolutepunk)

To fully understand the importance of today’s feature blogger, you would need the ability to track the rise and fall of countless bands over the last decade. His influence, and those of the people who help run his site have steered the alternative music scene through the rise of the digital age, and we could not be more honored to have him take part in our ongoing series.

It’s hard to believe thirteen years have passed since Jason Tate sat in his Oregon home building a website out of his admiration for Blink-182, but as of June 6 of this year that is exactly where we find ourselves. Since that time, AbsolutePunk has developed into an unstoppable source for music news, reviews, and exclusives, but what perhaps is most interesting is that Tate’s passion for the industry has only grown in time. While many struggled to come to terms with the rising importance of the internet in marketing, Tate was paving the way with a site built from the ground up with community in mind. Today that community numbers in the hundreds of thousands, and from what we can tell shows no signs of slowing anytime soon. 

Read on to learn about the history of AbsolutePunk, where Jason see the industry headed, and what advice he has to offer bands hoping to earn a spot on his coveted newsfeed. Be sure you also Follow Absolutepunk on Twitter and Like their efforts on Facebook.

H: For those unaware, please state your name, the site you work for, and your role at said site:

JT: Jason Tate, AbsolutePunk.net, I founded the site and continue to run the day to day operations.

H: What inspired you to start your own music blog? Did you go to school for writing or journalism?

JT:At the time I started this website the entire “blog” industry didn’t really exist. I looked at the state of mainstream music, about 15 years ago now, and looked at all the bands that were getting attention … I didn’t see a lot of the smaller bands I was listening to being talked about anywhere. I wanted a place to talk about those bands. So I built one.

I went to school for computer science, but changed my degree to business administration after my freshman year.

H: In the years since AbsolutePunk launched dozens of blogs and zines have cropped up covering the same talent, yet AP has remained the top alternative music destination online throughout. What is it about Absolutepunk that not only separates you from the rest, but helps you stay ahead of them too?

JT:AP.net is a community first and foremost. While plenty of sites want to talk at you … we exist to talk with you. The community is what powers the website – it’s where our staff come from, it’s where we find out about new bands, and it’s built into the core of what AbsolutePunk.net is.

When Fall Out Boy releases a new album, for example, you may wanna talk about it on facebook or twitter with a few of your close friends … but where else can you talk about the album with a few thousand diehard fans of music? AbsolutePunk.net is where that conversation is happening. It’s a combination of the community and social aspects of our site – mixed with our great content. At least, that’s the goal.

H: Speaking of these other sites, you partnered with Punknews, PropertyOfZack, and Under The Gun Review last year through SpinMedia to form AbsoluteVoices. What is the plan for this team of sites, and what do you hope to accomplish by bringing them together?

JT: The original idea, at its most basic, was to remove barriers of competition. What I was seeing in our music blog world was that if one site had some great content – other sites were scared to link to it because they didn’t want their users to leave and start visiting the other websites instead. I believe strongly in sharing the best content with visitors, and in doing that trusting they’ll continue to come back … I wanted to build a little coalition that allowed us to all benefit from sharing traffic and content and resources. So far, I think the experiment has been going great – traffic numbers are basically up across the board – and if you’re involved at all in the alternative music world … there isn’t any other alternative music property that comes close to our reach.

H: Back to AbsolutePunk. There has been talk for over a year that a revamped site design was in the works. What is the latest update on that project?

JT:Heh.

I’ve been writing a lot about this on my personal blog (chorus.fm), and the giant undertaking that it has been. The process has been intense as I just re-took the reigns of the entire design/coding process back. I am currently working on the back-end of the new website, and slowing working through the redesign of the site from the ground up. We’re going into it thinking through everything it is that we want AP.net to be. Great content. Great social features. How to find the content you want, how to organize the data, and how to present it in the best reading experience possible.

Truthfully? I love what we’ve come up with and I can’t wait to share it with the world. I believe that this is the best thing I’ve ever been a part of building – and that it’s the website I’ve wanted to build since I first started this website. It is the definitive version of AP.net, and is probably what will be the core of the website for the next 10 or so years of my life. It’s being built to scale and handle as much traffic as we can do, and it’s being built with the future in mind … so that you can access our website and content anywhere, on on any device currently out there or invented in the future … and I’m really excited about what we’ve come up with.

H: A number of bands finding success in music currently were assisted in their early days by being featured on AbsolutePunk. Where do you go to discover new music?

JT: I’ve always had people send me music – since I first started writing online … and I listen to a lot of recommendations from friends I’ve made along the way. I have a lot of people I trust when it comes to recommendations, be it friends, or certain people at labels, or members of our forums.

H: Let’s say a band wants to approach you about being featured on the site, what advice would you offer them to help separate themselves from the others vying for your attention?

JT:Make great music first. Haha.

And try and keep it simple. I don’t want giant crazy press releases. Simple. Good music. Build a following. The cream finds a way of rising.

H: When it comes to receiving music for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?

JT:If it’s not going to be a simple zip file in dropbox, I’ve outlined my ideal streaming service (Rdio), here:

http://chorus.fm/post/40901657403/kill-the-physical-advance

What if a company like Rdio (for the sake of this post I’ll just keep referring to Rdio, but technically it could be Spotify as well) started reaching out to labels to add advanced music listening to their already stellar offering? They have the user accounts, they have the distribution method, and they have a great interface. Some 90% of the music is going to end up on these services to begin with – it wouldn’t take much work in the background to allow them to only be available to a select number of user accounts until release date.

Digital files or a clean streaming interface that integrates into my listening habits already. When I get a crappy stream of an advance, I usually wait for it to hit Rdio anyway … quality is better … I can just add it to my “queue” and listen during the day without having an extra program/tab open on my computer.

H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

JT:No more physical advances. I don’t want any more CDs. Haha. Most of my music is digital and I buy my favorite albums on vinyl.

H: You tweet a lot about having big plans for the future. Before we let you go, can you tell us a bit about what AbsolutePunk has planned for the remainder of 2013?

JT: We just released an official AbsolutePunk.net Podcast:

http://chorus.fm/tagged/podcast

But the number one goal is launching the new version of the website. It’s our future.

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Blogger Spotlight: Sam Lansky (Idolator)

For the latest installment of our ongoing series highlighting the faces behind today’s top music blogs we’re turning our focus to the world of pop, and nobody knows that better than our friends at Idolator.

SInce its inception in 2006, Idolator has been heralded as the go-to destination not just for what’s currently topping the Billboard and radio charts. By blending a love for what’s hot and what deserves to be hot next with a love for poking fun at pop culture and a style of news writing best described as “sassy,” Idolator has carved a niche in pop music blogging that dozens, if not hundreds have followed when attempting to break into the industry. There is a team of people responsible for bringing their efforts to life, and recently we had the opportunity to speak with one of them,  Editor Sam Lansky. You can read our discussion, which talks about the site’s history and where he sees pop music headed in the future, below.

If you don’t already follow Idolator and claim to love pop music, you’re doing yourself a grave injustice. Connect with them on Twitter and Facebook to ensure you never miss another headline. Sam is also one of our favorite social funny people, so we highly encourage you to give him a follow as well.

H: For those unaware, please state your name, the site you work for, and your role at said site:

SL:Hey! I’m Sam Lansky, and I’m an editor at the pop music website Idolator, where I’m the resident Taylor Swift apologist, diva enthusiast, and snark monster.

H: What inspired you to begin writing in the first place, and how did you get from there to where you are today?

SL: I never planned to be a music journalist, but I always really loved pop music — I actually studied creative writing as an undergrad because I wanted to write serious memoir and essay, while on the side, I blogged about music on my little-read Tumblr. After college, I worked in celebrity gossip for awhile; while there, I was invited to blog for The Huffington Post; someone at MTV liked what I was doing there, and so I wrote for MTV Buzzworthy (and a number of other outlets) as a freelancer for awhile, before Idolator invited me to come join their team full-time a little less than a year ago.

I can’t say for sure whether or not this is true, but my suspicion is that I was able to move along in my career fairly quickly and easily because I take mainstream pop music pretty seriously and give it a lot of careful thought. Lots of people will do that for indie rock, but the pool of people who are inspired to do that about, say, Miley Cyrus — there just aren’t that many of us.

H: Idolator is often praised as one of the best pop music blogs online. What do you think you and your team do that separates you from all the rest?

SL: Really? It is? That’s great! Next time that happens, ask them to please comment on one of our posts, because the last comment I read on Idolator characterized the editorial staff as “messy queens.”

No, in all seriousness, I feel very fortunate to be a part of Idolator, which has gone through a few editorial incarnations but is now, I think, the straight-up best place for pop on the Internet. I feel like our editorial team work well together because our enthusiasm for the subject matter is genuine: We live, eat, and sleep pop music. (I certainly do, and I’m pretty sure everyone with whom I work does as well.) We cover the things that we love; we avoid covering the things that we don’t (or drag them mercilessly, if a dragging is deserved); and, as much as possible, I think we speak for the fans, because we are all fans. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a space more polarized than pop music — as is frequently demonstrated by the fervor of various artists’ fan armies — and we have a really amazing platform to wax or whine about our excitement or frustration over what artists are doing.

H: Pop music has changed a lot in recent years, from the return of boy bands to the seemingly inescapable influence of EDM. Who do you think the next big sound is going to be and who, if anyone, is promoting that kind of music right now?

SL: I never thought I’d say this, because I used to stan for anything with a four-on-the-floor beat, but I’m ready for a return to sparer production, less conventional sounds — I’d point to the new Miley Cyrus single, “We Can’t Stop,” as an example, since I think the production on that song (especially the pre-chorus) is staggeringly weird and cool. It sounds like she’s Robotripping. I think the slickness of the David Guetta moment is finally passing.

She’s not reinventing the wheel necessarily, but Betty Who is doing what most of her pop star contemporaries are doing, better than they are, without the backing of a major label or a producer with a boldface name; I’m proud to say we’ve really championed her on Idolator and I’ll be surprised if she isn’t at a Katy Perry level of stardom by this time next year. She’s gotten a lot of love from many of the key pop outlets: Popjustice, Popdust, MTV Buzzworthy.

Other artists I’d say to keep an eye on: Florrie, A*M*E, Ariana Grande (Christ, she can sing), Tove Lo, Cady Groves.

H: Speaking of new music, you break a lot of acts at Idolator. Where do you go to discover new music?

SL: Twitter is the best resource any of us have to hear about what’s new and coming up; I follow a lot of bloggers and writers and industry professionals who tweet about what they’re listening to, even if they’re just posting a link to a video or something on Tumblr.

I don’t think anyone’s better at getting on good pop first than Popjustice; Peter Robinson, the editor, has the best ear in the music industry. I read Record of the Day and Neon Gold compulsively. I’d say, though, that I find more great songs on Scandipop than anywhere else; I have a soft spot for Scandinavian (especially Swedish) music, and even though not everything posted there is good, most of it is, and I’m always finding some brilliant single from a Finnish Idol runner-up or a singer-songwriter out of Malmo with 4 followers on Twitter who’s just written the most heartbreakingly Robynesque song you’ve ever heard. (Scandinavian pop is just objectively better. It’s a fact.)

H: Let’s say a band wants to approach you about being featured on these sites, what advice would you offer them to help separate themselves from the others vying for your attention?

SL: First off: Make pop music. If you make pop music, tell me you make pop music. If you make German krautrock, don’t pitch me. It doesn’t matter how good it is; I’m going to hate it. My taste is pathetically narrow; it’s basically radio pop, and stuff that sounds like radio pop but might not be on the radio, for whatever reason. Most of what I get pitched is something I would never, ever write about. It means that the good stuff gets buried in my inbox, which is maddening. Blindly pitching every music critic whose email you can track down is an awesome way to make everyone dislike you.

Second of all: Tell me who you sound like, and have it be someone I love. I’m not cagey about which artists I love and which I disdain. An email that says you sound like Robyn means I will listen to you. (Then you actually have to sound like Robyn, though, or else I’ll be really disappointed.) But figure out which major artists you sound like, and cite them. Assume that I am lazy and unimaginative (I am) and give me an easy point of reference. There’s a difference, too, between sounding like something and being inspired by it. If you’re inspired by Joni Mitchell but you sound like a female Frank Ocean, tell me that you’re a female Frank Ocean before you tell me that you’re inspired by Joni Mitchell, y’know?

Third of all: Make great pop music. I want your chorus to lodge itself in my brain and never leave. I want to hum that shit while I walk down the street. If you do that, I will write about you. If you can’t do that, I’m probably not going to be championing you. That doesn’t mean your music has no value, of course; it’s just not my taste, and I’m probably not going to want to put it on Idolator.

H: When it comes to receiving music for review and feature consideration, which services do you prefer and why?

Getting sent an mp3 is nice because you can take it on the go (I listen to music on the subway). A private SoundCloud link is cool, but those can be finicky; Haulix is easy. I basically believe that the best music streaming services are ones you don’t notice at all. It should be straightforward and functional. (Also, if there’s a mobile interface, that’s dope.)

H: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

SL: Label politics are the worst. There’s a long list of hugely talented artists whose singles and albums don’t get adequately promoted — or sometimes released at all — because of somebody’s ego, budget, or timeline. We all just want to hear music from the artists we love. Labels should serve to make that possible, not to keep it from happening.

H: You tweet a lot about having big plans for the future. Before we let you go, can you tell us a bit about what Idolator has planned for the remainder of 2013?

SL: There are some big changes coming to Idolator, which I’m super excited about, but I can’t reveal too much about those just yet — so let’s focus on the most important thing on my agenda: Bringing about the downfall of Beyonce.

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