Heavy Metal & Journalism is Changing
Concerts and festivals are coming back, traditional journalism is dying, new subgenres are being created, and it's all getting a whole lot of social media attention. So here's my (and your) chance!
I have spent a lot of this year discovering a TON of new metal music and have been deep diving into this new emergence of deathcore...via Instagram and TikTok. Not only that, but I’ve been paying attention to heavy metal podcasts and found a couple of real gems!
And now…there’s Substack, which is where I’d like to make my first post on the topic of changes in journalism and this new wave of metal.
It seems like the world of media is shifting away from larger publications like Metal Sucks and Metal Injection. Every other article is about a Tweet or a post that a rockstar made with the writer’s opinion attached to it. Everyone saw the Tweet. No one wants their crappy input.
This is where I see my opportunity to serve the metal culture and community that I love so much. Let me explain….
I got into rock journalism when I was in college. I decided I wanted to be the next Lester Bangs or Sam Dunn. After spending 4 years and an embarrassing amount of money on college to be just that…I ultimately decided I wanted nothing to do with journalism.
This was because the state of rock journalism at the time was incredibly disheartening. Publications reports were announcing that a rock star made a Tweet or honing in on Cory Taylor and super Left-Wing musicians’ opinions. No one was really talking about the music like Revolver or Decibel.
In college, I created a physical magazine with articles and reviews that I had written for my own personal blog and an independent online magazine called Headbanger’s Haven. I got a lot of interviews and review assignments, but I can count on one hand the number of times I actually cared about the bands I talked to or was assigned to listened to.
I noticed a strange growing pain of rock publications focusing on already established bands. I mean REALLY established bands that even your dad may have heard of.
Slipknot was in a weird place, Metallica performed with Lady Gaga, Meshuggah did a stupid impressive drum beat, emo metalcore was on its way out, and Motley Crue is somehow still relevant.
Things are wildly different now, and for the better, I think. Here’s a handful of what I’m seeing online from bands and metal creators:
Heavy metal reaction videos (whether it’s from a opera vocal coach or metalhead)
Heavy metal streaming and listening parties on Twitch
Musicians are publishing song covers on Patreon
Bands’ main form of income now are concert tickets and merch sales
Bands have one or two members that have turned into some kind of “influencer” online
We can use metal as sounds on TikTok videos and Instagram Reels (a form of promotion for the bands, I can imagine)
Bands are treating music like social media content by putting out 4-6 singles before the album is released.
More on this whole thing later….
Metal YouTubers have discords and Twitch now that build up communities.
YouTubers and musicians are collaborating WITH THEIR FAVORITE BANDS.
Independent heavy metal podcasts are a thing
OMG! Substack is a thing!
All this to say…Bands and metal enthusiasts are now self-publishing. Social media has become their strongest marketing tool. We don’t NEED corporate publications anymore.
Look at Will Ramos (no hate, my dear, I love you so much). He has essentially become the new face of Lorna Shore in more ways than one. Find a Lorna Shore fan and ask them if the first time they heard of the band was through TikTok reactions.
He has a STRONG Instagram presence (half due to his insanely infectious/explosive personality), he has collaborated with others who have online influence (ex: Nic Nocturnal and The Charismatic Voice), and he has his own Patreon where he sings covers.
This guy is everywhere online, and he’s not the only example I can think of. The point is…bands don’t NEED rock journalism anymore. Being on the cover of Revolver Magazine could be a huge feather in their cap, but they don’t need Revolver to grow and explode.
You don’t NEED a TV network to start a show (sorry That Metal Show, I still miss and love you). You don’t NEED a radio station to hire you as a personality. You don’t NEED to work for a magazine or be super tech savvy to start a newsletter or blog!
Hell…you can record your own album with GarageBand! So no, you do not NEED a record label to make music!
So go forth my darlings. Write articles, make music, talk about your favorite band, and go digging for new music. Now is your chance!
Today’s album of the day is “The Forgotten Realms” by Prowl. I heard of this band through the Metal on the Brain Podcast. Go check those guys out, too!
If you like what you read, there’s plenty more where that came from, so please subscribe (for free), send me some feedback, and share this post. Thanks for reading!