On 15 May 2008 the page Newagemusic.nu, which later was renamed Newagemusic.guide, came online after months of preparations. Much has changed in the last 10 years. Looking at the world though, the need for New Age music is even greater today than in 2008. Indeed, my interest for the genre has grown much in this period. I have too met some truly extraordinary people on this journey in music. To all of you; thank you from the bottom of my heart!
This is how the page looked in 2009, with the beautiful logo designed by Medwyn Goodall:
I never really like the .nu domain, so when .info became available I moved the page there.
I always liked the New Age Music Guide books [I and II], so when .guide was offered as one of the new top domains, I once again moved everything. Rest assure, this is where I will stay 🙂
10 years is a long time online
Over the last 10 years, the music business has changed incredibly much. From a period where the CD was a major format, only impacted by illegal downloads – to today’s quite successful streaming economy – music has come a long way, and the New Age music business is growing again.
A lot has happened too in terms of blogging. 10 years ago the format was new and fresh, then Facebook and other social media changed everything. Now, after the recent scandals, blogs may still be a growing format.
As a music promoter I have a responsibility. How do I protect the private information of my readers and listeners? New Age Music Guide now has https as default, and traffic information is shared with anyone (web statistics partners are Statcounter and WordPress). The data collected for the New Age music chart, and the music requests, are totally anonymous.
Over the last 10 years I have had 3,2 million visitors on my blog, and about 4 million listeners on New Age Stars Radio (some statistics were lost when old Live365.com went bankrupt). I know the music I have selected has touched the lives of many people, and for that I feel blessed. To share music is one of the greatest things in life.
Music PR as a lifestyle
Music promotion may not be considered a truly creative hobby, but it requires a certain drive. Music rarely speaks for itself. It needs to be defined and commented, presented and loved. Music needs dedicated fans. I’m the no. 1 fan to many music projects.
In a world where people shamelessly promote themselves, many have wondered why I don’t make this page and channel more personal. But I have never intended this music project to be about me. This is about a genre that’s always overlooked and ignored. Very few care about its history and legacy. I’m not relevant, the music is. That is not about being modest, that’s being on-topic. But this I can tell you; over the last 10 years I have;
- Got married! Katarzyna and I recently celebrated our 6th anniversary.
- Had two beautiful daughters, Sofia and Kormelia
So what will the next 10 years bring?
I fell in love with New Age music in 1987 (listening to Andreas Vollenweider’s “Dancing with the Lion” for the first time). I still find music that makes me feel this way.
All I can say is; There’s so much wonderful music out there, so many talented artists. If you choose me as your guide in this jungle of releases, I promise you nothing but heartfelt music recommendations.
BT Fasmer
Bergen, Norway
Above graphics by GorrilarVector – Bigstockphoto.com