To all of our readers,
One year ago today, at the click of a button, I launched my biggest project to date and you are looking at it. The months of preparation that it took to put this website together had me wondering at times whether or not the end result would be worth it. Now that we’ve gone through a full calendar year, I can say with absolute certainty that “worth it” is an understatement.
At that particular time in my life, I had been attending a lot of concerts, enjoying live music for the two hours or so that the artist was on stage, and ultimately throwing out the entire experience by simply storing it somewhere in my memory. The problem with memory, however, is that it becomes spotty almost instantly. You can’t emulate a certain moment in time or a feeling by simply remembering it. Even if you do, the reality is that you are never going to remember it exactly the way it was.
With this logic in mind, we set out to create an online space where live music fans could store their most precious concert memories, celebrate music in any and all of its forms, and connect with each other in a way that other music websites haven’t yet figured out. As time marched forward, I began to connect and learn with so many different people from all over the US and beyond. I’ve received emails from writers, concert photographers, artists, artist managers, record labels etc., asking how they could get involved. In just a year, my professional network has increased by the hundreds, which is something I never would’ve anticipated on this day just one year ago.
To our leadership team— Drew, Anna and Amanda— thank you for caring about this project as much as I do every single day. Thank you for picking up the slack when things get crazy, and above all, thank you for being such great friends.
To our contributors— I don’t know quite how to thank you for the time and effort you’ve put into every article, photo, or other piece of content you’ve posted on the site. You all offer such a unique perspective on live music, and through your content I’ve been able to feel the excitement of attending a live show, the anticipation of a forthcoming album, and the butterflies you get right before you meet your favorite artist in person. It’s my sincere hope that those who read about your experiences feel what you felt when you were dancing along during the finale, skipping around New York City aimlessly after the show reciting lyrics, or laying in bed at night hearing new music for the first time. These moments, while they may turn insignificant in memory, have now been immortalized through the written word because of you. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Commencing year two! Onwards and upwards, my friends!
All the best always,
Jordyn Tilchen, Editor-in-Chief
More thoughts from our team…
Anna Glinski, Senior Editor
Wow! I can’t believe it’s been a year! I remember when we were just coming up with the concept for this website. Jordyn and I met through concerts. Well, specifically we met outside of Justin Bieber’s hotel at around midnight when I was 16. Throughout the years we have attended dozens of concerts together in various states. Our goal was to create something meaningful out of the experiences we have shared together. Soundigest was born! I cannot believe the amount of success we have experienced in this last year. From all the people eager to contribute, to even getting press/photo passes, it is crazy to think about how people can become interested in your passion. Most importantly, I think Soundigest is a community of diverse, yet like-minded people. We all love music and it unites us across different genres and different parts of the world. Because, after all, music forms inseparable bonds between people. We want to continue building these bonds and expanding our community. Stick with us.
Drew Allen, Senior Editor
I can’t believe it’s been a year already! Soundigest has given me an outlet to publish my thoughts about music and all the important moments that come with loving it. I’m so grateful for the team and Jordyn especially for her unwavering enthusiasm and diligence when it comes to maintaining the site. Happy anniversary Soundigest!
Amanda Meyer, Artist Relations Manager
What I have loved about Soundigest from day one is the fact that I am surrounded by a ton of creative and hardworking people. Soundigest is different than any other site I’ve worked on, in a good way, because it’s not just generic music news or interviews with an artist. I love how everyone has their own voice and it’s really inspiring to read all these different views on music. Aside from the focal points of our site, we have some amazing people who have shot live shows and interviewed artists. Everyone has a different, yet creative mind, and it’s amazing to see it all come together in one online space. I can’t wait to see what’s next for the site!
Kerry Gallagher, Senior Reporter
Growing up my life was plagued by a lack of consistency, but music was always a steady and constant friend to me. I consumed it during the best and worst times of my life and looking through all of our work here on Soundigest has made me realize that I’m not the only one who’s been anchored through music. Contributing to Soundigest paved a new path for me personally and professionally. I’ve been able to tap into my creative side and experiment with my writing all while being in incredible company. Congratulations to Soundigest on an incredible year of creation and here’s to many more!
Victoria Moorwood, Senior Reporter
Soundigest has been an incredible platform for me to improve my writing, pursue opportunities, and work with an inviting, intelligent and creative team of writers. As a college student, Soundigest has been my main publishing source, and being able to do what I love while still obtaining my degree has offered me so much invaluable experience and real world lessons. I write about music because of the artists. Interviewing musicians and getting a glimpse into their mysterious minds is always an adventure. I also love an excuse to keep up with the music world and share my take on music, talent, and concerts. I hope to continue down this career path and Soundigest will, for me, always be where I started.
Sarah DeNunzio, Writer
Soundigest has given me a platform where I’m able to combine both of my passions for writing and music. I work with an incredible team of bright, young people who all share a love of music and want to express that love with the written word. Soundigest is different from a typical music site because we don’t focus on the gossip that surrounds many of today’s artists; instead, we highlight their commitment to their artistry, their work, and their creativity. I believe if more websites and publications followed suit, the music industry would be less about drama, and more about the content and quality of the music. Although I am relatively new to the Soundigest team, I have greatly enjoyed my first few months as a writer and look forward to bringing you all more quality content about today’s music.
Casey Fitzsimmons, Writer
I can’t believe Soundigest is 1! I remember counting down to the launch of this website, being so excited and so ready to be part of a music website. Over the past year, Soundigest has grown and given us contributing writers so many opportunities. We’ve had the chance to interview up and coming artists, talk about our concert experiences, review albums and singles and build relationships over our love for music. It’s truly incredible how music can bring people together, and being part of Soundigest has brought so many people together. I’m forever grateful for Soundigest and can’t wait to see where the next year takes us. Here’s to another year!
Tamara Chapman, Writer
Soundigest has been the perfect way to build the beginning of my future writing career. What inspires me the most about this site is that it gives aspiring writers the opportunity to build their own personal platforms as well as share their love for music with an audience. It’s a place to celebrate music and remember why we love the artists that we do. Every single member of this team has something special that they can bring to the table and as the website grows we get to grow with it. Music is what keeps so many of us sane and concerts are just ethereal experiences to help us appreciate it even more. To be able to write about the one thing that has the power to bring people together from all over the world is such an honorable thing to do and I am grateful for that everyday. I know that I’ll be able to witness a lot of self-growth through writing for Soundigest and I really can’t wait to see what’s down the road for us as a united team.
Courtney Gould, Writer
Being a part of this collaborative platform has really changed how I view music as a whole. I’ve always been passionate about certain artists and bands, but since joining the Soundigest team, my respect for them has only grown stronger. Whether I’m reading through the site or working on an article of my own, I always get the opportunity to learn more about the music industry and educate myself on the current events taking place. As a writer, I really enjoy contributing to the site and gaining more experience with journalism. I love that I can use Soundigest as a creative outlet to discuss music and why it’s so special to me. I truly feel that music has the power to unify large quantities of people (that may have contrasting personalities), which is so important for this generation. The love and devotion that goes into fan-bases keeps me inspired to write about the positive impact music has on all of us, and I am so thankful I joined Soundigest for that very reason.
Annette Mayorkas, Writer
To me, Soundigest is a place where music lovers and writers can come to together and experience. We all experience music in so many different ways, from so many different perspectives. I love that people from all over get to express their opinions and feelings on the universal language of music and the people who create it. From my experience, the people I’ve met via Soundigest make the site even better. Not only do I get to combine my passions of writing and music, but also I’ve met such incredible people that inspire me on a daily basis. My life truly would be so different without this website, and even though I’m fairly new to the site, I’m so grateful to be a part of this awesome team.
Amanda Larrison, Writer
Soundigest has allowed me to live one of my dreams in life. Finding somewhere where I could write and photograph the things that interest me the most, which is music and concerts, has been so amazing. I’m so glad that I was given the opportunity to share my experiences and thoughts with the world along with the rest of these talented writers. I love this site so much and I’m so excited to see how much we grow in the future. I’m so grateful for everything Soundigest has done so far.
Emily Grinberg, Writer
Writing for Soundigest has allowed me to write about music with others who are just as passionate about the industry as I am. I absolutely love having the freedom to create pieces about whatever makes me happy and that I know our readers will want to hear. The collaborative email blasts make it super easy to connect with the editors and other writers. I’m extremely happy that I decided to join the Soundigest family. After all of the success it has had already, I know that it’s only going to grow from here.
