from idolator.com
Well, bless my stars, they've finally gone and done it: Today Gawker Media has finally launched Idolator, the much-hyped-in-blogger-circles Gawk media blog, which they've been road-testing people for for what seems like aeons (at least since early 2006; current Gawker editor Alex Balk was at one point rumored to have been test-driving the site). From the looks of it, it's been in beta for a while, which no doubt proved frustrating for the editors but which was a strategy employed to great effect with Deadspin, which knocked it out of the park almost from day one. New editors are Brian Raftery and Maura Johnston, and they are already over it, yet somehow vestigially earnest:
We're as obsessed with the music world as we are with the machinations behind it, and we'll cover the people who are manufacturing the latest band buzz, whether it's an old-guard standby (Rolling Stone), an absurdly powerful new-media turk (Pitchfork), or an agenda-pimping blogger (take your pick).Of course, being music lovers ourselves, we also want to steer you in the direction of a good song or artist, which we'll do every day. We aim to be discerning, but not snobby. And every time we introduce you to a new artist, we promise to wait at least three months before starting our own backlash against them.
Across the city, hipsters in ironic t-shirts, shaggy hair and artfully distressed jeans are quietly weeping with joy. ETP just hopes that Idolator will devote appropriate attention to showtunes.
Blogebrity owns this story, so go there for all your Idolator-related needs, or, you know, to Idolator.
Update: Official welcome email from the editors after the jump, fighting the power: "The music-blog netherworld has becomeas homogenized and indistinguishable as the record labels themselves." Music lovers of the world, unite! No way, man, we won't sell out! We're all in this TOGETHER! To that end, the email also includes the standard Gawker by-invitation-only comment invitation. Watch for the semi-coherent ramblings of "ShowtunzRule24601" coming soon!
Greetings,
If you've received this email, there's a good chance that you love music, you love blogs, and that you think music blogs are the best thing to ever happen to rock-and-pop nutcases such as yourselves since, well, ever.
And we at Idolator -- Gawker Media's new music blog, launching today -- are here to tell you that you've been had. The music-blog netherworld has becomeas homogenized and indistinguishable as the record labels themselves. What used to be a wildly unpredictable chorus of opinions has been solidified into a cabal, one that consists of a half-dozen or so self-empowered pasty white dudes daisy-chaining each others' opinions, all using an adjective-addled lexicon that's one part Lester Bangs, one part street-person crazy talk. Speaking ofcrazy talk, for an extended version of this rant, check out Idolator'smanifesto:
http://www.idolator.com/tunes/announcements/memo-to-americas-music-nerds-you-blew-it-200481.php
This is where Idolator comes in. We're as obsessed with the music world as we are with the machinations behind it, and we'll cover thepeople who are manufacturing the latest band buzz, whether it's an old-guard standby like Rolling Stone (whose review system is tweaked in our "Everybody's A Wenner" column), an absurdly powerful new-mediaturk (Pitchfork), or an agenda-pimping blogger (take your pick).
Of course, being music lovers ourselves, we also want to steer you in the direction of a good song or artist, which we'll do every day. We aim to be discerning, but not snobby, and we'll cover everything from indie-rock to Indie.Arie (actually, we probably won't be covering Indie.Arie, because she kind of sucks, but you get the point). And every time we introduce you to a new artist, we promise to wait at least three months before starting our own backlash against them.
So take some time today and over the next few days to check out Idolator.com. We'd love to hear your feedback.
Oh, like all Gawker Media blogs, Idolator's comments are by invitation. There's an invite at the bottom of this email. If you're already a Gawker commenter, feel free to pass along to a friend, just by forwarding them this email.
Brian Raftery
Maura Johnston
Editors
http://www.idolator.com
