New Media Pioneer Jeff Skonieczny of Imagine Echoes Blog
Q: How long have you been broadcasting?
Ironically, I’ve been blogging for exactly three years today.
Q: In your opinion, what does a good song need to consist of?
I believe a good song needs to display some form of true emotion. It’s typically pretty easy to see when a band is truly pouring their heart and soul into what they are doing.Now the difference from a good song and a great song is, it needs to be fleshed out. It needs to be like a story, it needs a beginning, middle and end. The best songs are ones that have the ability to build up to a great climax, for instance songs like King Crimson’s “Starless” and Pink Floyd’s “Echoes”. Lengthier songs seem to accomplish this with more ease, but plenty of shorter songs do this as well. But in the end, the most important characteristic of a song is for it to be true to itself, the band/artist must have a personal connection with what they’re doing.
Q: What is your favorite band or favorite genre of music and why?
Pink Floyd would rank as my favorite band. They consistently threw new and creative things at their listeners and nearly every album turned out to be an amazing experience. Albums like Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here are practically flawless. David Gilmour’s guitar work is so iconic and soulful, every note seems to carry as much weight as the previous. The song writing from the band is absolutely unforgettable, they had the ability to take the listener on a journey which surpassed just listening to the music. They were one of the few bands that made progressive rock more accessible, and they certainly helped to propel the genre to new heights.
Q: What changes in content laws, broadcasting rights, etc. have effected you most?
Personally I haven’t run into any problems with the law when it comes to broadcasting my blog. Although I must say, I try to avoid posting samples of music in fear of infringing on the law.
Q: A recent study found blogs to be more effective than MySpace in generating album sales, do you feel that that is a true statement?
While I don’t participate in social networking sites such as MySpace, I do believe it is a great thing for music. It allows for lesser known bands to get their music heard, and nothing is more important than that. On the other hand however, I can easily see how blogging has generated more album sales than MySpace. By creating hype around an album, people will take notice. Every band can have a MySpace, but not every band is lucky enough to have their music actually heard and critiqued. The most important thing for a band, other than their music, is to create some buzz, and to have people talking about their music, blogging is the ultimate source for just that.
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