Reverb Nation

It is not typically part of my M.O. to eschew kind praise on.................well anything really.

Be it a troubled upbringing, voices in my head, or just the sheer adrenaline rush that comes from sarcastic ravings, I really like to complain about stuff. To systematically dissemble an entity, be it thought sound or idea, find the inner workings of the beast, then destroy it with violent word. That's good times right there brother.

I've made reference in the past that positive praise is a dying art form. In my humblest of opinions, I feel we've maxed out the English language for words that favor optimism. We just can't get any happier. Or at the very least, we can't express said happiness to a roomful of people as well anymore. The words we're stuck with have been left in the chafing dish for far too long. "Great, " "Wonderful," "Amazing," all now bland and meaningless. When one sees them on paper, they must stop for a second to wonder if the words are being used in a proper, or a sarcastic context. It is that second glance that has made the words stale.

Now negativity on the other hand, never grows old. There's always interesting and fresh ways to bitch. And people hunt for those ways on a daily basis. Complaining is indeed our undiscovered country. And, I consider myself a pioneer of sorts. Probably not an innovator by any means, but I can pee in the formulas with the best of them. As such, I'm always on the hunt for the latest thing the bugs me, and I leave the things that make me smile to wallow in the darkest parts of my mental basement.

But today, I felt I must tip my hat to something that has actually done me some positive good. Something that educates me and makes a little better at the things I consider my strengths. Today I celebrate you, Reverb Nation.

Reverb Nation started as the alternative to Myspace, a place for musicians and fans of musicians to celebrate each other. Naturally, Myspace being the Studio 54 to Reverb Nation's CBGB's, the site's been pretty underground for the most part. Few artists use it, and fewer people know about it.

I'm a recent member to the site. Had a few nifty extras that I couldn't get on Mypace, and more exposure is a good thing for us starving musical types right? So I made the account, dropped some finely penned tuneage, and went about my way. Occasionally, I'd visit. Just to see if anything was happening. Nothing ever did, and I didn't expect anything to change. It and I had the relationship of a blind dating couple. We wanted to be interested in each other, but at the same time, figured we'd probably end up going home alone.

Naturally, my praise doesn't come from what it was, but what it became. You, Reverb Nation, have become the site that can actually make me a better businessman. And since most of what I create needs to be treated very business-like, this is a happy thing for me. And you have given me the very thing I need to be better at it: Information.

Your new setup allows me to see the statistics of every connection I have to your site. I know where most of my traffic is coming from, I know where I stand compared to other musical types of my ilk, I even know in what parts of the world where the music is popular. For hell's sake, I know the sex demographics of my listeners. Truly impressive.

Thanks to you, I have a better grasp on how to boost my work. I can make better decisions about how to invest my time, where I need to focus my efforts, if my music is even worth a second listen. Crucial information to know, when one starts to question oneself and ask, "Dear god, am I even any good at this?"

Places like Myspace don't provide that kind of information. All I know is a few people looked at my page, maybe somebody listened. Could have been a dedicated fan for all I know. Most likely it was some Webcam girls spam site with pictures of seedy women in tight clothes who, by sheer coincidence, happen to be named Godfrey or Earl. I am no wiser for my time there, get no sense of the effectiveness of my work, frankly I feel kind of second class. But not with you Reverb Nation. Nope, you make me feel like I'm top priority. A part of the team who has the information needed to operate effectively. And I appreciate that.

So here's to you Reverb Nation. Here's to a long and fruitful relationship. Cheers!