01 February 2006

Just to clarify

Ok, I've gone back and forth a bit on whether or not to respond to a comment an anonymous reader left. I've decided I want to make a response. The comment was regarding why I was bummed about the whole Hard-Fi/Spin thing and the poster essentially said that I was dumb to think they'd even consider my review since they sent someone to the NYC show with the sole purpose of reviewing the band.

Clearly. That's what music magazines do. I realize that.

However, in my defense, a few comments. First of all, I didn't know that they had already covered the band in NYC when I pitched the idea to them. I found that out afterwards and as soon as I saw it I knew they wouldn't be at all interested in my pitch.

Secondly, I knew my pitch was a HUGE long-shot. I knew it was a big gamble and that they'd probably say "thanks but no thanks." I was totally terrified to even make the call figuring they'd probably just laugh in my face (er, or in my ear, you know what I mean). Here's the thing though, I've spent a lot of my life not doing things or not saying things because I was scared of what other people might think. I'm trying to change that, and this was one of those things. Sure, it would have been a lot "safer" to not even bother trying, but at least now I know what the deal was. I tried, that's a lot more that most people can say.

I've worked for a newspaper, I know how they assign stories and I know that it isn't a situation where they take the best one that a bunch of random people send in (that would be an idiotic way to run a publication, even I know that). I knew it was a possibility that they'd have someone covering the band since they'd just run an article on them but there's always that possibility that they didn't have someone there. In which case, you never know, maybe they'd have been even slightly interested in my story. I know they aren't the sort of publication to take random stories from freelancers, but I had to at least try. Stranger things have been known to happen.

Oh yeah, and one of the editors from Spin did email me back. Sure, it was a "thanks for the pitch but we aren't interested right now" kind of thing but at least I got a message back--definitely better than nothing.

Sorry for the rant, just wanted to clear a few things up.

1 comment:

Ben said...

I commend you for sending the article in. Take a chance. You'll never get anywhere if you don't. A while back, I had a sideline pass for a UM football game. I was dabbling with some photography and a new lens that I had just bought, and I got a couple of really nice shots. I *wish* I would've done something with the pictures- maybe tried to sell one or two... at the very least talked to the athletic dept. to see if they ever needed photographers for other sporting events. You never know what can come of something like that- maybe you make a contact.. maybe they throw you some work later, maybe they give you some pointers and encourage you to submit again. I say keep on keeping on!