To OurStage Readers

Since the start of the new year you may have noticed some changes, not just in design but in our concerted effort to better serve you, our faithful reader. It’s not like we weren’t trying hard before; we just felt we could do better. To this point, we decided to forgo the more formal editorial protocol while avoiding the snarky, cooler than thou, critical sycophantism currently permeating the musical paradigm by simply creating a site we, as passionate, eclectic, musical omnivores, would read and turn on to our friends.

Even as our look and structure evolves, we still feel the best way to achieve this higher calling is by staying true to our goal of helping independent musicians navigate the ever changing music industry while continually championing their success. It may seem like an overly ambitious mission statement, but by encouraging fans and artists to engage in an open dialogue we’re sure as hell going to try; it’s what you do if you truly care about the music.

To further speed the process, we’ve greased the wheels with some new features such as:

Artists Ask: Submit your industry related questions to OurStage. Many of the Artists within the OurStage community have emailed us asking questions they have about the music business. We noticed that a lot of you have the same questions. In an effort to share our community’s collective knowledge, we’ve launched a forum called “Artists Ask”.

Take the Stage: “Take The Stage: Words from OurStage Artists” is a new arena for you to express your ideas on a wide spectrum of music related topics. We mine the comments throughout the site to see what people are talking about and then invite musicians are to share their voice in 300 words or less. Think of it as a place for artists to sound off.

PR @ OurStage: We’ve established a way for artists with news to connect directly to our Editorial team. Send your press releases or OurStage EPKs to pr@ourstage.com and tells us your news (i.e. releases, tour dates, song placements, etc.).

How To’s: Music Biz 101 series in which we give practical advice on industry related topics like booking a college show, making band tees,creating EPKs, etc. Think of it as DIY tips for indie artists.

As our name implies music is to be shared so, welcome to the new “us”; we hope the changes we’ve made help make music an even bigger part of your day.

-Jay Sweet, OurStage Editor At Large

In addition to his role at OurStage, Jay Sweet is the Editor At Large for Paste Magazine as well as the Producer of the Newport Folk Festival.