Music journalists are a polarizing part of the industry. Musicians either love them or hate them. A single review can either add lubrication to a quickly moving career or start the oxidation process to a slow rust. Not all journalists are critics. Most are avid music lovers and often are musicians themselves. We interview one of those today.

Stephen Centanni is the Music Editor at the Lagniappe, an alternative paper serving Mobile, AL. He covers the local and national acts as they tour along the Gulf Coast.

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First, some housekeeping. How many bands have you interviewed throughout your journalism career?

SC: I don’t have a specific number, but I would say somewhere in the hundreds.

In regards to musicians/artists and their use of technology, what is the biggest change you’ve seen over the years?

SC: Technology has become a necessary companion for any up and coming band. It’s been my experience that band-friendly technology has come on the scene under the industry’s radar. Now, a band can record in bathrooms, bedrooms and closets and create a recording that sounds just as good as a big time studio. I know a lot of people who would debate that, but most of them own big time, expensive studios. Some studio owners still cannot fathom this.

I remember a local studio that opened and asked me to come in and check out their stuff. After seeing their impressive set-up, they
were like, “So, you think a lot of the local bands will use us?” to which I replied, “Probably not.” When I explained to them that most
of the local bands were taking a DIY method and still getting quality recordings, they couldn’t believe it.

From recording programs to Adobe Photoshop, bands have stopped having to shill out hundreds if not thousands of dollars to studios and
graphic artists and are taking advantage of the impressive DIY. A musician’s house can become a recording studio, CD pressing plant,
video production studio, and screen print shop all in one.

As far as something specific, I think LightScribe technology is something that bands that bands are not using like they should. I mention it, and bands are like, “Well, we have a LightScribe burner, but we never use it.” If you’re up and coming or a new band, this tool really makes decent looking CD’s. Electronic press kits (EPK’s) are also excellent ways to promote yourself and obtain gigs.

As a journalist, what are the minimum things you expect a band to have online?

SC: At the VERY least, they need to have a bio, a sample of their music, and some kind of photos that could be used for promotional purposes.

Have you ever not reviewed a band because of their lack of an online presence?

SC: Never, but it is rare that a band does not have some sort of online presence.

What are the future trends you’ve noticed in regards to technology and artists?

SC: I think that labels are going to have to restructure themselves as far as the benefits they provide for bands. Otherwise, labels will become a thing of the future. Once the industry starts making distribution easier, it will be all over for labels. To me, that’s the only thing they have in their court. With the technology out there, bands are realizing that it’s better to DIY and take 100% of the profits instead of the fraction offered by big labels.