Fri 2 May, 2008
Blogtipping Day: Stereogum, Carry You Away and Aurgasm
Filed under: Blogtipping, Music Lover's CornerThe first of the month is blogtipping day, designated by my colleague Easton Ellsworth. Unfortunately, I was sick yesterday, so I tip blogs today. In case you’re wondering, blogtipping is when one blogger finds three others “giving them each three good compliments and a gentle tip." I’ve always liked the concept, so I’m going to do some music blog-tipping of my own today.
Quite possibly one of the top music blogs there are, always up to date with the latest business news; so much so that I can hardly keep up. But hey, that’s what feeds are for right?
I like…
The layout. A little busy on the sides but not so much that it bothers me, and they’ve got to put all that stuff somewhere.
The variety. Like most music blogs I’ve found Stereogum is definitely a fan of the indie rockers but all in all, they just like good music and fancy themselves experts on the matter. Nothin’ wrong with that. 
The consistency. I like knowing that everyday there will be something for me to read on Stereogum. Sometimes it seems like my feedreader has been co-opted, but I always find something I’m interested in, and I like being informed.
Tip
Interlinking is good, but sometimes you just want a link to the artists website. Every single link does not have to go to another article on Stereogum. I promise I’ll come back if you link me somewhere else.
I like…
The simplicity of the site. Not a whole bunch of stuff crowding the page. Sometimes less is more.
The free music features. Sure theoretically we all know that iTunes gives away free music each week, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded by a fellow music blogger.
Cover and Original. A feature I have not seen on any other music blog, so that makes it original in and of itself. I like the comparison and analysis of each version. Very cool!
Tip
Create categories or tags for all regular features so they become easy to find by simply clicking a link on any one post.
I like…
Short and concise. Each post on Aurgasm is like bite sized morsels of musical goodness. None are more than a paragraph and all those paragraphs are simple short blurbs describing the the sound of the featured artist.
There’s always a sample. On top of that, you can save any of the MP3s you like! You are however, encouraged to actively seek out music you love and buy whatever strikes your fancy.
Not your typical typical indie rocker music blog. Aurgasm is a music blog for people who like grown folks music. At first I wasn’t sure what managing editor Paul Irish meant by he didn’t like “bands,” but after following for a while, I get it.
Tip
Same as the last. There seem to be tags but they’re not clickable. It would make it easier to find similar music if the categories/tags were clickable. As it is the search feature is buried under the blogroll and obligatory disclaimer.
