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Will I review your . . .
Will I interview  . . . ?
Will I find you a record label?
Well . . . how about . . . ?
 

  Maybe. Maybe. No. Oh...

This page was written to respond to requests I'm typically asked. I'm sorry I can't be every-thing to every-one. Included here is my review policy, information about bn.com, swiping reviews or interviews, and other such matters.

What about reviews?
NOTE: MARCH 4, 2000. With all the dot.com layoffs, I seldom review for anyone any more, including bn.com. I get the occasional gig to write a feature article or do an interview, but for now, I'd say "I'm not reviewing." Of course, albums keep coming in, and I try to at least hear what's on them and if the opportunity comes to do serious reviewing again, I hope I won't be too far behind in the genre. Meanwhile, I do assorted things to patch together a living and am learning new skills like Photoshop.

Most reviews posted here were originally written for New Age Voice; I seldom write for this publication either. Consideration and featured selections for bn.com WERE based on album release date, appropriate category (ie, other editors review classical, folk, electronica), sub-category (i.e., temporary focus on Christmas albums, Celtic Fusion picks, or whatever), if the album is/will available through bn.com's usual distributors (Alliance and Orchard plus assorted distributors), direct tie-in to book or movie, and quality....and room in the features page. Best way to for your review to show up on the bn.com website is to submit to All Music Guide. Barnes&noble.com uses their review database.

Here's some information of a general nature, that may also help you if you are being reviewed in the New Age category:

For New Age, if your album is lyric-based, and the lyrics are in English, I can almost assure you that your album does not fit the category. Singer/songwriter ballads, even with a spiritual theme (especially with a spiritual theme) tend  not to be stocked in New Age. Many albums will have a token song, however. You can't imagine how many albums I review where the singer uses an imaginary language (VAS, Lisa Gerrard), or albums where there are lyrics but the orchestration overpowers the lyrics (these are usually Celtic albums like Enya and Loreena McKennitt). And, of course, an album has to grab me. What else...many reviews are picked up from All Music Guide, so make sure you send your album (even if old) and press kit to them.

In addition

I seldom play label sampler CDs or co-op sampler CDs, or download music from the internet.

I will not write a review of  an album "anyway, even though..."

Please do not ask me to recommend record labels for your music.
My advice to find a label is to do the homework about the business. (Oh, no! Not that!) Join the music trade associations. Read Diane Rapaport's excellent book. Listen to the appropriate radio stations and programs to find artists similar to your music, then locate the tune using All Music Guide or through the online stores. Then find the label's website and check them out. I have never been in A&R, nor have I promoted artists.  I have several pages of trade information, so visit my contents page. You'll get a lot of ideas.

Some background on bn.com, getting in...correcting errors, etc.
bn.com commonly uses Alliance and Orchard plus real music distributors. Here is the bn.com FAQ page for publishers some of which applies to music labels. Know that many of the errors are picked up from either All Music Guide or from your own distributor's database (I know of one wrong title and a wrong price just this week)...so try to track back where the problem originated. Because when bn.com refreshes their database from these sources, then the error often returns. I sure as heck don't know policy for Borders or Amazon or CDNow. Yur on your own here. Know that you can add your own comments (and reviews) to the online store listings, so take advantage of this.
 

  Quoting from reviews, using interviews.

Please note that the reviews and interviews from bn.com (none are even posted on my website) are copyrighted and are their property. I cannot give permission to use them on your website, although the store seems to give permission if you are signed up as a bn.com affiliate.

You are free to link to any of my NAV or other reviews and interviews, but please do not copy them and post to your website. I'd probably not get upset if you posted my review of your own music, but please link back to my site for my interviews. In other words, do not copy my wesite pages (both words and design are my intellectual property) and create your own music store ...or whatever. If you think you're crossing a line, please email me. cwright@rockisland.com