Starting a bass related website

Cinzel

Cinzel

Jan 3, 2018
68
96
4,841
Lisbon, Portugal
#1
Hi everyone,

Lately, I've been considering the idea of starting a bass related website. Something on the lines of news, gear and some more in-depth pieces (song analysis, interviews, history...).

I've been writing for a couple of years on some other topics (namely programming and technology) and I think I have a good grasp on how to structure different kinds of articles and make them interesting enough.

Now, as I take a closer look into this idea I can clearly see that the amount of work that would be involved with it would be tremendous. Having to go through finding different and reliable sources of news, actually getting gear that is worth cover and still having the time to write in-depth pieces seems like a little bit too much.

But even then, I would like to at least give it a shot.

Why am I writing this here? Well, before I do something stupid and start acquiring everything that's needed for having a proper website running and start writing left and writing, I would like to ask you guys for some honest opinions. Has anybody here in the site had/has experience with this kind of things and would like to share some tips? What would you like to see in a bass website?

I'm really looking for every piece of advice, every feedback, and every opinion.

Thanks in advance!
 
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#5
I'm going to be brutally honest. I can't speak for anyone else. As they say, content is always king. This isn't programming or new technology related. It's bass, and serves a different content purpose and market. It's normal to flip through multiple tabs on a browser while programming (random blog posts, youtube, tutorial/online text). Your hands already on the keyboard. Can't do that while playing bass.

I will say that the only bass related content sites I follow are talkbass, tdpri, and r/bass. These are all user-driven. Youtube for everything else. There are years of content and archived data between all of these, and all of them seem to google top of the list for any question I seem to have.

If, after doing some googling on some bass related question I have, some independent blog post comes up high on the google that fits what I'm looking for, I will go there. But I can tell in about two seconds if the site/blog is worth my clicking effort going to it. Even so, the likelihood I will bookmark or come back to a bass blog site I've visited is low.

Interviews and gear rundowns are always interesting, though. You know anyone famous that isn't already here on Talkbass?

Things that will drive me away real fast? So inundated by ads that the site takes forever to load, or has one or more automatically started video feeds/ads. That's no go for me. Gear reviews? No. Just no. I can go to talkbass for that. Sites/videos that do reviews are for money and free gear, and are in no way unbiased. I'm not having any of that. Sorry. Nuh uh.

My .02.
 
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#7
Cinzel said:
@whatizitman

That's the kind of feedback I was looking for. Thanks a lot for taking the time. So, something that would be more "artist-focused" would be of more interest to you than the normal gear review type of thing, right?
Click to expand...

Yeah. I would rather read some forum posts on specific gear, than a video or blog/site page. OTOH, it's fun to read or watch vids about well-known artist gear rundowns. Professional and/or profit-driven gear reviews are turnoffs for me. But I might be in the minority, for all I know.
 
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#8
It seems to me there are plenty of sites already that do those sorts of things -- not to mention youtube, magazines, etc. -- so I think you need a convincing answer to the question, "What will be different or better about your site that would make people want to go there?"
 
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#9
Cinzel said:
actually getting gear that is worth cover and still having the time to write in-depth pieces seems like a little bit too much.
Click to expand...
This I do not like about all music gear related sites, but TalkBass excels at.

I do not like how gear reviews are on gear that the writer likes anyway, and they use for a few weeks or months then wright about it. Have heard writers say they will not review a crappy product, then what is the point? Of course it was good.

I want to hear stories from people that REALLY USE THE GEAR. Talking about how after two years of use it had broke down on them three times, they are know to have a particular button fall into the housing, the left front caster falls off or five years an still working like day one.

This is what you get at TalkBass. Real stories of cheap to expensive gear being genitally used or abuse.

Review sites are nothing more than another advertisement.
 
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#11
What problem are you trying to solve? Do you feel there's a lack of info about basses or bass playing online currently? Do you feel bass players have some unmet need that your web site is going to fulfill? What is that need and how will your web site fulfill it? Will it meet those needs in a better or different way? When I google "bass guitar," Google returns 395,000,000 results (in .47 seconds!). How is your web site going to stand out in that ocean of data? Assuming you launch a site, how are you going to keep it going, updated, and fresh? Are you going to try to monetize the site in some way? How?

If you can answer these questions, then I'd say go for it.
 
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#12
You ever heard of what was the Tone Report that became Distortion LTD @Cinzel ? If there was an online mag like that that was JUST for bass with just a little crossover for guitar too, that would be awesome!! A weekly online mag that gets emailed out just for bass would be killer. I love Distortion LTD and I read it every week. However it is very guitar-centric. Nothing wrong with that. And they do have bass demos and some articles that relate to bass from time to time. But overall it's guitar based. I would really really enjoy a weekly thing just like that but have it be all about bass. The history of certain players, effects, bands. Very current stuff happening in the amp and cab, effects and maybe even the string world. That would make my week.

Whatever you do, take as much advice as you can and go for it!! I give it to you for doing something like this nowadays if you do end up committing to it. It's not easy and it's a TON of work. But don't get discouraged if you really feel like there's a place for you and your thing.
 
#13
A blog where you define the profile and topics and want feedback from readers will serve differently for you as well as readers and you have the opportunity to give it the focus and personality that you prefer and might make it interesting or stand out in a good way. And you might get sponsors blah blah. In the category of coveritall (onesizefitsall) bass fora the competition is higher.
 
#14
I think you’re a few years late and facing a fairly saturated market. The biggest thing you would need are connections to get interviews with artists, connections to get gear to review, connections to get interviews with manufacturers. If you started ten years ago you could have built a base with mostly text and pictures. Now you need video production capabilities to get people to the site. Forget writing, make videos. But I wouldn’t limit to just bass, I’d do drums and guitar as well.
 
#19
I’d strongly suggest narrowing your focus and specializing quite a bit to start off. Topical general news sites are a huge amount of work to say nothing of being bottomless pits for raw material and fresh content. They’re not for the solo operator.
 
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#20
SactoBass said:
Oh don't be silly. Nobody in their right mind would create a bass-only website.

Um.........oh...........wait........uhhhh...... :bag:
Click to expand...

Talkbass is, what, ~20 years old? It was made back when forums were the norm for internet. Things have changed dramatically since then. Talkbass continues to be successful because it's got a wealth of diehards with so much experience and knowledge, and years (decades) of archived user content. If you google a bass question, some talkbass thread is at the top. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of people who have joined TB in the last few years (and I include myself in this) came here after googling some bass question, and clicking on a TB thread link from google, later deciding to join and/or stick around. What's the chance of a new non-forum bass website competing with that, in 2018, post-facebook/youtube/reddit?
 
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