Monday, March 30, 2009

Contributor News: March 2009

Dear fellow AAJ contributor,

2009 is shaping up to be AAJ's most active year and we just topped 80,000 readers in a single day for the very first time! Stay current with our recent developments and please read on...


Editors Wanted

If you're looking to expand your role at AAJ and have a comfort level with how the website works, please consider joining our editorial staff. We're looking for six contributors to help us prepare daily CD reviews and weekly interviews. Familiarity with HTML basics is preferred. Contact John Kelman if you're interested.


Say Hello to Your Editor

The editorial staff works diligently in the background to make your articles and CD reviews the best they can be. If you notice an improvement in your submitted material, please don't hesitate to thank them for their efforts. We list the primary editor of your article at the very bottom of each article page. Click their link to access their profile page.


Join Our Knowledge Base

We're always looking for ways to raise your profile as a writer and we've developed a new section that allows publicists, record labels, radio people, and the media to tap into our considerable knowledge base. There are many, many experts at the site and our goal is to leverage AAJ's reach to market your talents as a radio guest or public speaker, or to help you land paid biography and liner note assignments.

If you would like us to market your jazz specialty or your specific area of interest, please fill in the expert title and expert text portion of your contributor profile edit form for consideration. View this page to get an idea of how we plan to promote your talents.


Track Your Activity and Rank at AAJ

You can now track how many CD reviews and articles you've submitted this year--you can also view your profile rank and its relation to your fellow contributors. We've added these new links to the Contributor Center page. For immediate reference:


Label Profiles: Looking for Writers

We're relaunching the Record Label Profile column and we're looking for writers to cover ObliqSound, Ubiquity Records, ZOHO Records, and Anzic Records. Jakob Baekgaard has already begun work on a profile of the Italian Auand Records label, and we arranged to have him receive their catalog in return. Sounds like a good deal! If you have an idea for a future profile, pitch us direct.


Looking for reviews of...

We're looking for reviews of the following two CDs for inclusion on the AAJ home page:


Tom Harrell
Prana Dance
HighNote Records

Bob Sneider & Joe Locke
Nocturne For Ava
Origin Records

If you've received a copy of either one, please place it on the top of your "to review" stack. Thank you!


AAJ: Mobile Launches

Readers can now enjoy daily All About Jazz content (articles, news, mp3 downloads, local calendar, venue directory, etc.) direct from their iPhone, Blackberry, or Palm. Click here to read all about this new and exciting project.


AAJ Partners with AOL

Great news! Thanks to our collective efforts, AAJ was accepted into the AOL Music Network. AOL loves our spirit and content, and will feature one weekly AAJ article at their website in the near future. We're excited about the opportunity to work with the leader in the online music space, and we look forward to expanded collaborations down the road. We're always working to maximize the reach of your articles and promote jazz in general, and the AOL partnership will certainly help our mission.


AAJ Newspapers and How We Work Together

We've received a few inquiries recently about the website and newspaper relationships--for instance, when they started, how they work with the website and if you can get your material published in print. At one time we had five AAJ print publications, now there are three. The New York and LA editions print monthly; the Seattle edition, quarterly. The New York team uses the AAJ content management system (our publishing system), and archives their content at the website. The LA team currently does not, but will soon. Both Laurence Donohue-Greene / Andrey Henkin (NY) and Fred Jung (LA) own and operate their respective publications. They have been affiliated with AAJ for well over seven years and visit the site often. If they have an interest in utilizing your services, they will contact you direct.

Equally, if newspaper contributors would like to submit interviews that are longer than the size limitations of print--or, for that matter, any additional articles beyond what the newspapers are interested in--feel free to do so; please contact John Kelman direct if you're interested.


Thanks again for your hard work and determination. Everyone who contributes time and energy--great or small--is a vital part of the collective difference that has positioned AAJ as the #1 jazz destination on the web.

All the best,

Michael Ricci

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