A Listening Collective

There are a lot of people in the world making a lot of music. Anyone with the inclination can download a free DAW and get started making tunes right now. I know that because I'm someone and that's what I did a couple of years ago. Or they could buy some clever electronics and loop their voice. Or they could learn how to play a guitar or a piano or ... well, there are lots of possibilities.

So how does one get heard among all these talented musicians? Well, the best way is to be really good. Your live performances will be discussed in quiet awe in pubs and cafes and Spotify's clever algorithms will identify your musical genius even as you upload your tracks.

But what if Spotify fails to appreciate the nuances of your sound and when you listen to the <your band> Radio feature you realise that you've been categorised with painfully dissonant avant-garde noise bands and a Black Lace tribute act? What if you can clear the room in less than 30 seconds when you take to the stage? What if you discover your family huddled together and shivering outside in the rain in preference to sitting through your latest tune again?

Well, there are a couple of options. One could interpret the lack of interest as a sign that people aren't interested and move on or one could write a self-pitying blog about the situation.

 The internet is a big place and it's extremely difficult to make your mark with your new thing whatever it may be. Last time I googled "Diatonic Diary" I found that, despite the name being unique to me, my blog didn't appear in the first five pages of results. My attempts to use social media to expand my listening audience have had limited success.

After announcing recent uploads to Soundcloud on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram, I can see that none of my most recent 5 tracks have got into double figures for number of listens. That's after I've hectored my long suffering family and few remaining friends.

One thing I have learned in the two years that I've been at this is that fellow musicians are often the most receptive and supportive listeners. They are also very resourceful. There are various syndicates out there who agree to listen to each other's tracks daily to fool Spotify's algorithm. The bigger the syndicate becomes, the more successful your music seems to be. But also the longer your daily listening sessions become. I tried it for a while and it kind of worked but I haven't got the staying power for that sort of thing. 

I wonder if a slightly different sort of listening collective might work though.  Something where you could occasionally listen to like minded artists and provide feedback without it becoming quite so much of a rigmarole. Personally, as a person who spends most days alone at home, I could really do with some constructive feedback. At least, that's what I tell myself. Anything that could be interpreted as a bad review usually sends me into a spiral of despair for a while. When I get over myself, I realise that the reviewer had a good point.

I don't really know the best way of doing it to be honest. I'll set up a page on my blog site and see how it goes. The first try will probably have lots of faults that will become obvious but hopefully it will be a good learning exercise at least. Obviously any sort of listening collective depends on there being a number of willing participants so if anyone is interested in helping to establish something I'd love to hear from you.

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Each diary entry includes a bit of a plug for an underground artist that I like. Today's featured artist is The Chroma Trees, the electronic alter ego of the equally fabulous Coosticks.