1.
When I started Pigeons and Planes, I set out with the intention of making a very balanced blog. As a fan of so many different music genres, I always found it hard to find one spot that covers some of everything. So far, it’s been going pretty well. I love being able to post some new Jay-Z, follow it up with a Lykke Li and Bon Iver video, and then hit ‘em with a Charles Hamilton freestyle. The site has been growing pretty rapidly, so there must be some people out there whose iTunes playlists look like mine.
Despite my best effort to achieve the perfect blend, I notice that P&P features more hip hop than anything else. I try to get more material from my favorite indie rock and pop artists but the pool of material just isn’t big enough. Why is this?
Why do rappers put out never-ending streams of mixtapes, freestyles, and guest appearances? If Vampire Weekend would just turn on a camera, pick up some acoustic guitars and djembes , make up a song on the spot, and put it on the internets that shit would spread like wild fire. It would take 10 minutes. While James Murphy is busy not giving us new LCD Soundsystem material, why doesn’t he get together with Justice and make a sick mixtape using only keyboards, microphones and metronomes? Outside of the hip-hop world, why don’t mixtapes and freestyles even exist? Fuck it, if Joe Budden can get a million people to watch him make fun of some boyish-looking chef for wearing skinny jeans, imagine how many viewers Brandon Flowers could get by vlogging about his thoughts on Dunks vs. AF1s.
Is this a cultural thing? Is this lack of output some sort of proven marketing strategy? If that’s true, why did The Carter III sell so many copies? I don’t know. I can’t come up with any good reasons. Whatever the cause, it needs to change. I want to hear more from my favorite artists. Indie rockers need to start doing some shit other than just putting out an album a year (at most) and touring. They need to do it for Pigeons and Planes.
If anyone comes across anything that they think would make a good post, hit me up at pigeonsandplanes@gmail.com.
