Reviewing The Fretboard Journal online: Why this site for musicians and music lovers is successful
Part 1: What it is and why it’s popular
Fretboard Journal.com is the companion website for the The Fretboard Journal (FJ) magazine. The print version is a coffee-table-type magazine with glossy pages and beautiful over-sized photos. Released quarterly, it features in-depth articles with a focus on American roots music. Most of the interviews are conducted in the homes of musicians and in the workshops of instrument builders and repair people, or designers of effects pedals and amplifiers. It can be a riveting cover-to-cover read in one sitting, or like cheesecake, luxuriously consumed over time. The Fretboard Journal online can be savored in the same fashion.
Why it exists
In an interview with the Seattle Times, publisher Jason Verlinde reflects on FJ’s origins: “Every guitar magazine was instruction, gear reviews and an interview with whoever had a CD to promote,” he said. “There are plenty of magazines and websites that are clinical. I’d rather hear about the human element. I wanted to be a journal of the guitar world’s best stories, a timeless, evergreen keepsake.”
It takes a community to support music makers
A few hours enjoying the Fretboard Journal website reveals profound insight into the breadth and depth of the community that supports music making. A visitor can choose from a variety of multi-media experiences. Features, columns, videos and podcasts provide information in any combination of formats a reader prefers.
The Fretboard Journal is on its 35th issue, 96th podcast and roughly 150th video. Visitors are rewarded by an appreciation of history alongside recent innovation. Interviews with musicians and industry professionals who support them reveal how they came to make a living in music. Producers and radio show hosts provide their perspectives on listening to music. Musicians drop a technique or gear tip, or explain how the nuances of their instrument influences the way they express themselves. It’s a flourishing site about musicians, for musicians and people who love the music.
Part 2: What contributes to the site’s success
Varied media presentations, interesting content, and consistent quality are crucial to the site’s success. Equally important is the use of solid presentation and marketing to keep and build the readership.
Sections make content easy to navigate and use:
- Columns: Interviews by music journalists join interviews of musicians by musicians. Musician-to-musician interviews provide a unique perspective and dynamic. These collaborations span genres and generations: Ben Harper interviews David Lindley; Lindley interviews oud master John Bilezikjian. FJ appeals to a diverse audience by covering a variety of musical genres (bluegrass to world music) and listening generations (Julian Lage and Nels Cline, Wilco, and Jackson Browne).
- Features: Luthiers and repair people illuminate their art for others by sharing time-saving tips, explaining the uses for custom-made tools, and learning from unusual experiences in The “Bench Press.” Audiences with varying interests can vicariously experience industry events and festivals, learn about song craft through interviews with singer-songwriters and prevent headaches by learning how to travel with a guitar made of protected tone woods.
- In the Jim Hall interview by Bill Frisell, visitors take an instructional multi-media excursion via the Q&A format supplemented with historical and recent live videos, and a photo/mp3 combination.
- Benjamin Gibbard (Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie) describes is emotional attachment to a guitar and plays one of his songs on it.
- Catch of the Day: The photos of rare and vintage stringed instruments are rich eye candy (Example: Harp Guitar). A brief description explains how they were made, and how they had musical impact. Collectors of acoustic and electric guitars, banjos, mandolins and other stringed instruments love this feature. Novices gain appreciation for vast variety of coveted musical instruments from the last century.
- Noteworthy: This section announces recently added podcasts, articles, videos, and release announcements for instrument models or gear. People with G.A.S. will be in heaven (See Urban Dictionary: Gear Acquisition Syndrome).
Additional strategies for engaging the audience: The marketing and promotion doesn’t detract from the user’s enjoyment of the online experience.
- Engaging imagination: A visitor has the opportunity to consider rewarding activities they’ve never considered. For example, even if a reader has never imagined building a guitar, they can experience the joy vicariously in this video.
- Sponsorship: The “Six Strings from Stardom” blog is sponsored by D’Addario strings.
- Cross-promotion: The potential for two-way traffic between magazine and web site is maximized. Short video trailers and online articles entice the viewer to learn more in the print-version by subscribing or purchasing issues online. Material not used in the magazine is featured online in a podcast or photo essay to draw readers to the website for additional information (Example: Photo outtakes from the Ry Cooder article)
- One link leads to another: This website masterfully links to respected pages. This improves their search engine ranking. Musician interviews may include a link to a page for the maker of their favorite effects pedals. A feature includes a link to a respected music journalist’s blog. Referrals to external sites encourage additional learning about the artists or a related topic. Links, for example, may lead to books on early blues guitarists who built the foundation for music that followed, or the previously well-kept secret of women who built Gibson Guitars during World War II.
- Interactivity: Short (3–7 minute) video documentaries are a feature in all the online articles. Anyone can post comments at the end of the features. An invitation to subscribe pops up as visitors land on the site. Additional invitations are tastefully sprinkled in a few, but not all, of the articles. Every article is easy to share or recommend. FJ has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo and YouTube. Discount codes encourage readers to register for promotions at related sites.
- Forward and back announcing: Promotion is given to related past articles and upcoming features.
- E-mail embedding: Typing the url in an the body of an e-mail brings up an image with a short tease promoting a specific story:
Fretboard Journal, as a combination of a print and online medium, is a unique and robust package. The quality of the topics and content interweaves seamlessly with the marketing and top-notch media likely to guarantee growth and survival. The enthusiasm and reverence for all things musical is steadfast throughout the publication. The stories of largely unheralded people leading unusual lives committed to music is inspiring. Whether novice or experienced musician, any curious visitor is likely to leave temporarily satiated, but with interesting ideas or musical resources to explore. They will surely be awe-struck and enriched in a musical way.
