HOW LONG HAS JAZZMONTHLY.COM BEEN AROUND?
“I have been working on jazzmonthly.com since January 2006.”
WHAT GROWTH HAVE YOU SEEN WITH JAZZ MONTHLY?
“Well, I started out with Jazz Nation, and I was with Jazz Nation for about six years, so some of the growth has been making the transition to Jazz Monthly. The most significant growth the site has seen is the traffic and the response from viewers around the world. We have received great reviews on the aesthetic appeal of the site, how user-friendly it is, and the content as well. We have had a ton of artists that have such powerful stories. Right now we are featuring Steve Quirk, Althea Rene, and many artists people are getting introduced to for the first time.”
WHO IS YOUR TARGETED AUDIENCE WITH JAZZ MONTHLY?
“Our targeted audience is anywhere from 25 to 55, but we would like to go deeper into that because jazz is a genre that could really encompass every age group.”
WHAT DOES JAZZ MONTHLY OFFER THAT WOULD BE APPEALING TO YOUNG MUSICIANS?
“Great examples of musicianship. When one reads the interviews, they will find that many of the artists started young and just stuck with it. The stories show that a young musician needs to stick with it, ignore the many distractions that may come along, and to keep trying to do what they love to do.”
WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK DOES JAZZ MONTHLY RECEIVE?
“The number one comment is that our readers love the color scheme. Closely following that is that they love the content. People like the fact that we have educative information. We offer great information about the artists and entertainment that they love that educates them more about the music and the artists.
“The web site is not necessarily set up for feedback, but our contact information is on the site for people who want to comment.”
WHO ARE SOME OF THE KEY ARTISTS THAT YOU HAVE FEATURED?
“Well, they are all key artists. Some of the names that I can recall off the top of my head include keyboardist Greg Karukas, the legendary Ramsey Lewis, Rick Braun, DW3 from Spaghettini’s, Gerald Veasely, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair, artist Bettie Miner, Althea Rene, and Dee Dee Bridgewater.”
WHAT NEW FEATURES CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE FUTURE?
“We are going to feature guitarist Steve Oliver, Bob James, Roy Hargrove, Eric Darius, and more. We are also going to feature some up and coming artists such as vocalist Sophie Milman, Jill Jensen, and this great young female sax player named Shannon Kennedy.”
VERY CLEVER SMITTY. (SHANNON LAUGHS)
(Smitty laughing) “Yes, we are going to feature you as well. I think you have a great story to tell with the fire that you have in your music and your industriousness to get the music out there both for yourself and others. You have a great future ahead of you.”
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SMITTY. SO, WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION TO DEVELOP JAZZ MONTHLY?
“I have a love for music and its artists. I love what artists do with their music and I want to introduce as many musicians as possible to the world. Jazz Monthly is a site that will feature every genre of jazz, and I feel that it could be a serious force for introducing new music to the world.”
HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN THE WEB SITE WHILE WORKING AS A CHEMIST?
“I have some great people working with me that keep the ball rolling while I am away.”
TELL US MORE ABOUT THE STORE THAT IS GOING TO BE ON JAZZ MONTHLY:
“We are really excited about the store. We can get music to fans around the world at a reasonable price and we feel that it something people want. They can read about the artist on the web site and get their music. We not only wanted to feature the music, but to make it available.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT JAZZ MONTHLY:
Visit the Jazz Monthly web site.
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