BLOGGER INTERVIEW 002: STRICTLY SOCIAL
AO-AO have been huge fans of the Strictly Social blog for a long time, and this week we gratefully grabbed an interview with its zealous founder, Morgan Witt. Speaking on everything from the LA scene to which artists and blogs to watch out for this year, its clear that Strictly Social is heading in an incredibly positive direction.
1) You guys are from LA right? How did the formation of Strictly Social come about?
From San Diego actually. Just south of LA. Strictlysocial.com was born out of having to give up Djing and promoting for a period of time due to working full time and going to school to get my graduate degree at night. I still wanted to promote the music I would have been playing. I had purchased the domain name about a year previously and hadn’t done anything with it. So I reached out to a buddy of mine to do the original design and Wordpress implementation for the site. This was back in the summer of 2006. Redesigned the site for the first time about a year ago as it was time to expand. Next month we celebrate our four year anniversary. And its still just one contributor…..me.
2) I’ve spoken to fellow LA’ers and they say that everyone and there dog is either a DJ or Producer! Do you agree? How do you view the LA scene right now?
Haha. I think this is holding true everywhere these days it seems. Here in the US, electronic music is slowly but surely creeping into the mainstream. LA is a big market and many of the DJ/producer elite make stops there when touring North America. San Diego is beginning to make a name for itself. There are a couple of new venues here that are attracting big names.
3) What do you think makes a good blog?
Authenticity. Love and appreciation for the music will shine through if its authentic.
4) What would you say was the main aim of Strictly Social?
Promoting the music I love. Ultimately its a passion project for me. Thus far I have not monetized the site. The hours I have spent on the site over the past four years have been strictly out of the love of the music. In the end my return on investment has been the opportunity to connect with like minded people around the world. Also connecting with the artists directly. Makes me happy when an artist reaches out and shows appreciation for promoting their music.
5) Who are the artists/djs/producers we should all keep an eye on this year?
Word is that Jess & Crabbe are going to release new material this year. Those guys put out some of my favorite house records in the mid to late 90’s on Fiat Lux. Just posted their “Demolition Tape #7” mixtape. Getting lots of love. Human Life is a trio out of LA that is working on an EP with Alan Braxe. They are ones to watch as well. Hana Yori Kichou Na is a young producer from France that is making some great remixes and has an EP coming out soon.
http://www.fiatluxrecords.com/FrameBioJessCrabbe.html
http://www.myspace.com/humanlifedjs
http://www.myspace.com/hanayorikichouna
6) What have you guys got coming up in the near future?
Working with artists/labels directly and developing partnerships. Would love to collaborate with other bloggers more frequently. Developing events, continuing to promote the music and doing some music direction for clubs, brands, TV, movies, etc are all on the radar for the future. Also developing a team of contributors from around the world.
7) In what ways do you guys think blogs are helping music in the modern age?
The game has changed. As bloggers were initially seen as a threat we are now being embraced as taste makers. Although there are many blogs that just post an image and link to download the tune being posted there are still a good number of us who take the time to actually facilitate putting money in the pockets of the artist. Online marketing is essential. That means leveraging blogs and social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, etc. to drive exposure and build community. This will ultimately lead to buzz, digital downloads, ticket sales, etc.
8) How would you compare Europes attitude to electronic music with Americas??
Overall, Europeans are much more open minded when it comes to electronic music.
9) Finally, who are your blog friends?? The best blogs around?
The RSS feed list grows daily but here are a few bloggers that I have built relationships with over the years. Really passionate about what they do.
http://88days.co.uk/
http://daftworld.over-blog.com/
http://tuftsmania.com/blog/
WE’D LIKE TO THANK MORGAN FOR THIS INTERVIEW, REALLY INSIPRING REPLIES!
