It’s Not About The Stats
[Welcome back to the first Sunday Supplement of 2010, with Euan from the Steinberg Principle, amongst other things, returning to his regular slot. Next week will see the return of Campfires and Battlefields]
So I was sitting thinking the other night about what I could write about for my monthly soirée here on Song By Toad when, as if by magic, my train of thought collided with an article that I was reading over on Nick Mitchell’s blog. Whilst a really good article, it was not Nick’s words that struck me most but those of his fellow Under the Radar writer and all round top bloke Billy Hamilton. It all stemmed from Milo over at Product of a Gaseous Brain having produced his first ever fanzine. Yes, a blog actually producing a physical fanzine, and a bloody good read it was too. Anyways, before I get accused of hijacking that particular thread, that is not my intention and I would encourage you to go to Nick’s blog and check out the article because it’s a really interesting read and discussion. Anyways, as I was saying, some of Billy’s words caught my eye as it was something I’d be thinking about that very evening and I quote:
“Bloggers seem to justify their existence on comments and google analytics.”
There’s more, but it was this particular sentence that caught my eye, for I’ve been amazed recently, and if I’m honest, slightly confused, by the stats on my blog, The Steinberg Principle, of late. What I mean by this is that in January 2009 I had 540 people view my blog. In January 2010 it had risen to 17,245. This approx a 3000% increase in readership in a year. If my output at work went up 3000% I think I’d be the boss by now. I’m really not sure where these people came from though. Honestly, it kind of happened over night and took me massively by surprise! Thing is. I don’t care. Billy may well be right that many bloggers justify their existence on comments and google analytics, but it’s not something I have ever or will ever base the existence of my blog on. Of course, I am proud and delighted that my readership has increased so greatly who wouldn’t be.
But wanting people to read what I write was not the main reason for me starting a blog. I started a blog because I love to write. I love to write my thoughts down. I love to write about things that make me happy. I love to write, specifically, about music. And I loved writing as much in January 2009 as I do in January 2010. If my readership drops to the low thousands or hundreds by January 2011 it really does not mean that I will stop writing. Cause I write for me. Just like I write songs for me. It’s a wonderful feeling when people contribute. Just like it’s a wonderful feeling when people take notice of your band or like your music. However, I will always write for me and me alone. If you like it great. If you don’t. Nevermind. And whilst I am sure Billy’s words are actually very true, for me, I hope I never adopt such a frame of mind.
I think its about why you want to have large figures. For us its because we want the artists we are playing to get as large an audience as is possible. Of course there is first and foremost a love but if you are switching more people onto these artists then that is a bonus.
I have definitely learnt of late though not to look at others and just look to yourself. I am still somewhat niave in that respect.
I love the articles that Under The Radar publish though they really make me think on a different level.
I think bands can suffer from this too, in the sense that they can often judge themselves quite harshly on the popularity they either achieve or fail to achieve, despite the fact that as people they certainly don’t judge the bands they themselves love on the basis of their popularity.
I’ve certainly had to remind myself a couple of times to focus on doing something which I think is good, not something I think will garner more attention or more hits. It can be difficult sometimes, because that is almost the only metric by which we can measure quality in arts – other than that, it’s all just competing opinions.
Well, I think it’s because you’ve been posting so much more porn lately, Euan. If you ream it, they will come.
That is another way of looking at it, the bands and the harshness as opposed to Euan posting porn.
I suppose I am naive in the respect that I have not looked at it in that way i.e. a popularity contest.
What is for you will not go by you. Second time I have said that today.
I think it’s easy to garner hits. Like C&B says, just fire some sexy pics on your page. But that was not where my readership increased, cause I’ve done it once.
My main aim is to take advantage of the increased readership to spread the word about the music I love.
I think Under the Radar are great as well.
Wait, I was joking. You posted sexy pics once? Erm, what month was that again? Not that I intend to check or anything. Just curious.
Hahaha. I may have yes. Dylan asked them to be taken down though.
Porn? PORN?
Filth!
It was not porn!
I don’t care what anyone says, I would kill for those stats
Post more porn and you’ll get them, it seems.
It was not porn.
Sounds a lot like porn to me.
But seriously, Milo’s right, those are impressive numbers.
So porn & murder are the recipe for stat success it would seem. What has Billy started?
Was that the Katy Perry in her knickers photos?
I prefer to think of my numbers as small but perfectly formed, rather than, y’know, shit.
If by knickers you mean West Ham United lingerie. Then yes. Yes it was.
I never thought it would be possible for me to take the intellectual high ground in anything, but Euan, you will never see that sort of filth on this blog. Tsk tsk tsk for shame.
I stopped looking at my blogs stats a while ago. Once you realise that the overall figure is mostly a big load of folks who just jump on once and never again, you then have to look at the hardcore of readers who return every day/week etc – once I realised this was a healthy amount – I stopped reading the analytics.
Still, the time I posted about the Jimi Hendrix sex tape remains one of the more popular ones. As does haggis recipies.
Yeah, I posted about ‘Fucking Women and Their Fucking Music’ once, and it turns out that this particular post tends to attract a lot of readers looking for ‘women fucking’ on Google. Since that little revelation I have started taking my statistics an awful lot less seriously.
The other mild to moderately worrying search phrase that continually leads people all over the world to my blog is “virgin’s first time” but equally is “advice on how to remove spilled chicken soup in couch seat” – both pressing issues according to situation, don’t you think?
And if I’ve ever posted a “happy sexy playlist” then I’m very glad!
and to the person who was searching the web for “songs about bricklayers for children”, I really hope you found what you needed.
In my defence, the Ultimate Thrush post still generated more views than any other I’ve ever done if I recall correctly.
To paraphrase a friend of mine, who might have been talking about the same subject: ‘If you are truly writing only for yourself, why don’t you just write your thoughts in a notebook then lock it away somewhere for no prying eyes to see’
That’s a fair point. However, I’d suggest the same applies to music and yet if you write a song or record for anyone other than yourself then you’re approaching it from the wrong angle in my opinion. So whilst there’s some truth to that phrase. It’s not that black and white I don’t think.
that is just pretentious twaddle Euan….no more no less.
You have ambition in your soul, you like the attention that the Kays, get and you like the attention your blog gets, and i’m pretty certain that you would love an amount of success and recognition to be able to do your music full time. If you say you’re wouldn’t want to do it full time then you are deluding us and most probably yourself.
Being humble is one thing, but i don’t think you are being this. You have the talent and skill to raise yourself above the mundane and average of this world, and to say you’re doing it for yourself is just lazy arrogance, and to some extent insults the fans you do have.
and don’t call me mate in your response cos that really annoys me when you do that!
No, Euan’s right on this one, Chutters.
If you write or release a song aimed directly at a “target demographic” without a notion of artistic self-expression, you’re just Simon Cowell.
Having ambition and the hope that your music is successful doesn’t rule out wanting to use music as a medium to express yourself artistically.
twaddle twaddle twaddle
saying that you write music for yourself means you haven’t found and other fucking adjectives to describe why you’re doing it!
Fuck off, Chutters, even you don’t believe that!
i do, and more than you believe.
if you’re going to write music for yourself, fuck off and play to yourself in the bathroom……
….empathy doesn’t come from doing it for yourself….and the vast majority of music i love has an empathy that the listener can identify with.
emapthy is not doing it for yourself, it’s identifying the human condition….and exploring it.
Tom. When did I call you mate??
I think you’re missing my point but that’s ok. My point is simply that when I sit down at the piano I don’t think “what would tom like to hear” or anyone else for that matter. I just play and write and hope that something that I like comes forward. Of course when it’s put into the public realm I hope that people will like it – I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t. And yes, I’d love to make a living from it and I have ambition for sure. But if that living came because I was sitting writing songs for others rather than myself in the first instance then surely I’d just sit and write 3 minute pop songs that could be used by any boyband and would make me loads of money??? In the words of Craig B from The Unwinding Hours:
“The minute you start making music to please anyone else, you start to go down a very dubious creative path.”
I agree with him. Sure, we all hope what we do is liked once it’s out there. But I do not for one minute sit and write for anyone but me. I’m sorry if you think that’s arrogant or pretentious or that it makes you question my ambition. But you know me and I hope I’m none of those things that you’ve labelled me.
i dunno if you have but i’ve seen you call other people mate, and it annoyed me, so i was just heading it off at the pass!
good response….i have issues with one or two things but still good response
‘I hope I’m none of those things that you’ve labelled me’
What, talented? ha ha
Hahahaha. Ok. You know what I meant. But I walked into that one!