Real Media v Fake Media

This week we will tackle something I have been meaning to write for awhile, The Real Media vs The Fake Media. Now I came into this column a few months ago different than what I actually feel now. We used to refer to fake media as people like Thomas Lamb & Willie Parks from Mega Metal/In the now Magazines, The Big Dumb Fun Show in Kansas City, Anne from Afreshentertainmentmagazine.com and people like Jett Fox and Yee Mar would be getting dumped on. However the last few months I have saw a shift happen, not sure if it's social media or what have ya however this week we will tackle the topic but it will be a different form.
The Big Dumb Fun Show is the 1st on the list, However I have saw a huge shift here in the media world. Several months ago I would have said a ton of negative things about these 2 guys. I think within the last few months, The BDFS have grown from a internet favorite to doing things and talking to people that other media would ignore and have slowly become legit. The focus of corporate radio is always lets push whomever is in town and whomever has bought advertising. Shows like the BDFS have went out and gotten a lot of things going and have made guests and had topics that no other show is covering. BDFS vs Real media, instead of trying to gain access, they go and gain access to people your not hearing about in the mainstream media.
Thomas Lamb from Mega Metal Magazine/In The Now magazine has become a regular punching bag here. However over the last few months I have saw threw social media an other forms of media, that he has managed to scramble people and views for his videos. Thomas has learned, you do not need print media whether it's newspaper or magazine form to accomplish media coverage. Thomas has went out and gotten unsigned and Indy bands to do interviews whether it's written or otherwise and made things work. He has not needed access to groups and people threw a publication, he has a body of work that gets him into events and gotten him big name people. Thomas vs the Real media, Thomas instead of wining that he cant gain access like a newspaper reporter would, he goes out and snags the contact and gets the interview.
The Sinful Sisters in Wichita Kansas have long been talked about for being “Supporters” of music whether it's Indy or unsigned,etc. They have been bagged on by local bands for actively promoting 1-3 bands over and over. However the last few months I have saw their show, “the Unsigned” go from a “ustream show” to something that could do some good numbers, I am sure their process would go up, if they posted their archives on their page, or embed the show on a website and send people their. They could bring in Skype video much like we did on the Sunday show and could get a lot more bands not just local on their program. They have taken Ustream and other video services and become a force for Indy music, It's happening in local music it's happening on the Unsigned. The Sinful Sisters vs Real media, they go get the bands who want coverage instead of bands who have to be chased, they are providing an outlet for musicians to get their words out there.

The folks at Project Backstage Dot com, Frank Arena and Cory O Mera at Aftershock have taken an old school radio idea and have went out and made it their own on Thursday nights. Slam Radio has become a what mainstream radio has done, for years they bring a live radio feel to a bar or venue scene. What they have done with bringing a live radio feel and doing musical guests in KC has been great. This summer when bands do Thursday night gigs in KC and they do them at Aftershock in KC, this will be a really cool experience. They will be able to have bands after sound check do the show because believe me bands once they do sound check have nothing to do before show time, no matter what a PR person tells you when they say, “oh their schedule is so tight.” It's bull shit and anyone who has been musicians for any period of time, you know this is true. Real Media vs Project Backstage and Slam Radio, they have taken the radio concept and have taken it into the internet age.
I guess what I am trying to say this week with the rant is simple, you can call them fake media or not legit media. People may give us crap for being alternative media or whatever it is. I think that the mainstream media and you look all around they are attempting on a daily deal to do what we are all doing and are trying to do things that we are already doing and they are failing and looking shoty folks. For instance a radio company recently got a big name sponsor and got a big name local band to come in and record a interview and a live acoustic session and upload to their page. Wow, that sounds like what we were doing on Sundays and what the Sinful Sisters do every single Wed night? I see radio stations all the time going out and attempting to use social media to recruit viewers and listeners to their product and they always try to hire someone who is “good with social media”. Well that sounds like something that Thomas Lamb is doing with his Face book following with his videos and interviews.
Now in the next few weeks, I will talk about someone who has taken the idea of ripping off mainstream media. This woman in Salina Kansas has no radio experience and training and for whatever reason was brought in to do a show. This woman has no radio training and from what I can tell, does not plan on improving. She believes she is already a hit and has no track record or background to get it furthered. This woman is basically ripping off a lot of what the alternative media and taking credit for it and saying she is innovating it and making it “hip”. So believe me in the next few weeks, we will be talking about this clown who is basically a hack.
Finally I will say that many of the people I have mentioned here, have their faults and have not been the best friend of yours truly but I do want to give them some credit. The Mainstream media may say “Fake Media” when they think of the people I talked about and the people I have mentioned in this column. However the people in their own right have built a following on social networking sites and have built up a following on their own locally. You have to give credit where credit is due, the people mentioned here are not trained pro's and have not “done anything in the business” according to the folks in Mainstream media, however they know how to use all the tools and on several levels use them better than the so called Mainstream media. What is Fake Media what is Mainstream, a lot of people are starting to look at people like me and others as the Mainstream media and the people in newspaper and TV land as the Fake media, believe me we are going to get their at some level.

Jiggy Jaguar
http://www.jiggyjaguar.com