The Sound Café: A Note From The Editor July 2024:
When the pandemic hit in early 2020 no-one knew what lay ahead, especially in the music industry, I had been running a successful international online radio station for almost ten years, and had supported artists around the world in many genres of music on our weekly schedule, but, we were only scratching the surface of music that was being submitted. I had written articles for music magazines in the UK, Australia and the USA, mainly about independent artists based in Canada, where there is such a wealth and depth of talent in all genres. I had one or two articles a month published, again, it seemed that it did not make any dent in the music landing on my desk.
As the months crept on into the Summer from Spring of 2020, I wanted to do more to help artists who had ceased touring, whose revenue streams were drying up and whose future seemed uncertain. I created a website to house my own articles, and spent time in lockdown gathering these all together. I have a very good friend who is an extremely talented singer-songwriter - she is also a savvy businesswoman - I asked her what she would like to see and read about if I created an online magazine, a few days later she came back with some great ideas, a number of which I had also thought about. The resulting website is what you see today.
The Sound Cafe Magazine was launched on June 1st 2020, within a few weeks we were receiving submissions from PR company's, artists, managers and record labels. The team of one grew rapidly into a global network of contributors covering a wide range of topics and genres. Linking up with our radio station, Blues & Roots Radio, we launched listen on demand podcasts, showcasing the station with a selection of shows from around the world, we currently air 16 shows weekly from Canada, the USA, The Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales and Australia.
I want to acknowledge the advice given by my friend Richard Flohil, a veteran of the Canadian music industry, he ran a very successful PR firm, and started out his career as a journalist, the many talks we had in the early days of the magazine, helped me create a clear vision and path, and I was honoured he took time to write many amazing articles for us, that meant a lot to me.
On June 1st 2021 we celebrated our one year anniversary, having published over 450 articles, airing 23 weekly podcasts, and featured 75 in depth interviews with artists as diverse as Richie Blackmore & Candice Knight, Blue Rodeo, John McCutcheon, James McMurtry, Grainne Duffy, Mary Stokes, Shaun Murphy, Lachy Doley, Victor Wainwright, Eric Bogle, Joe Louis Walker, Joe Newberry, Michael Barre (Jethro Tull), Terra Spencer, Kirk Fletcher and many more.
Our readership and subscriptions grow month on month, we are truly grateful for that.
As of June 2024, we have now published close to 3000 articles, have featured interviews of over 350 artists, with an average monthly readership of between 50K - 70K, from many countries around the world. We shut down our radio platform in early 2024, as The Sound Cafe expanded rapidly beyond our expectations, we made the decision to concentrate our efforts on articles, reviews and listen on demand podcasts, and embraced the changing way people were listening to, and finding out about music, this lead to many great reviews as we embraced the ever evolving way people are consuming music. We have also, since January 2024, begun to publish in three languages, the two official languages of Canada, English and French, and also in Spanish, creating a more inclusive platform which has broadened our readership greatly around the world.
"The Sound Cafe team are sharing great global music news from all around the world, awesome news is The Sound Cafe is now publishing in three languages.... English, French and Spanish...great, génial, estupendo!" - Angie Lemon PR
We have also expanded the team over the last couple of years. We added exclusive columns and content by investigative journalist Erin McCallum, who is also a touring blues musician, we also have Blues aficionado, retired Associate Dean of Media & Entertainment Studies at Mohawk College, Ken Wallis, who contributes podcasts and written interview articles with leading Blues artists, and music expert Jo Louks brings us her exclusive picks of artists to listen to every month, all three are based in Ontario, Canada. On top of that, back in 2023 we had award-winning Australian singer-songwriter Jenny Biddle, who is at the moment based in Scotland, writing exclusive content about her songwriting process and the history of her fabulous album, Hero In Me, celebrating it's ten year anniversary.
It is with gratitude that I write this note to say thank you to the team at The Sound Cafe, to all of our contributors, everyone who submits music to us, our followers on social media platforms and to you the reader for supporting us, by supporting us, you are supporting the artists we write about.
"Canada's leading online music publication" - Toby Soriero
The Current Team & Contributing Media:
Editor | Publisher:
Stevie Connor | FEA Media
Contributing Writers:
Erin McCallum | Stevie Connor | Megan Routledge | Richard Flohil (Retired)
Jo Louks | Ken Wallis |Jenny Biddle (2023 special feature) | Neil Mitchell | Anne Connor
PR Contributors:
Eric Alper | Pati deVries | Devon Leger | Sarah French
Glenda Rush | Angie Lemon | Jennifer Smits
Interviews:
Ken Wallis | Stevie Connor | Erin McCallum
Podcasts:
Dave Bagdade | Esme Thomson | Calum MacDonald
Marc van der Burkt | Michael Park | Bud Johnson
Paul Long | Ken Wallis | Doug Cox | Eric Cooper
Jock Hossack | Gene Godsey | Chris Kirkham
Beth Williams | Linda Conway | Stevie Connor
We celebrated our fourth birthday in June, and have tens of thousands of visitors to our platform every month. As always there are many great articles published daily / weekly / monthly, in a large variety of genres, we are of the opinion that music should not be pigeon holed, we just like writing about great music that I'm sure you will find interesting, and hopefully you'll explore artists you might never have thought to listen to.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge my wife Anne, for her support of The Sound Cafe and for 12 years at Blues & Roots Radio, the old saying takes great relevance for me.... 'Behind every successful man, there stands a great woman'.
Tell a friend, help spread the word that there is always an open door and a welcoming seat in The Sound Cafe. We have some new features coming later this year that I can't wait to share with you. Until then, stay safe, explore, engage and enjoy!
Stevie Connor
Editor - The Sound Cafe
FOLLOW THE SOUND CAFE
Stevie Connor, a Scottish-born polymath of the music scene, is renowned for his versatility across various domains within the industry. Initially destined for football, Stevie's heart found its true calling in music. His multifaceted journey has seen him excel as a musician, composer, recording artist, journalist, and internet radio pioneer.
In 2012, Stevie laid the foundation for Blues and Roots Radio, an online platform that quickly became a global stage for blues, roots, folk, Americana, and Celtic music. His visionary leadership propelled the platform to international acclaim. Not content with just one venture, Stevie expanded his influence in 2020 by founding The Sound Cafe Magazine, a multilingual platform dedicated to artist interviews, album reviews, and music news.
Stevie's impact extends beyond these platforms. His discerning ear and industry acumen have presented opportunities to be selected as a juror for national awards such as the JUNO Awards, the Canadian Folk Music Awards, and the Maple Blues Awards. Through his tireless efforts, he has earned a solid reputation within the music community, garnering respect from peers and artists alike.
Despite his extensive responsibilities, Stevie remains deeply connected to his roots, both musically and geographically. He continues to contribute to the vibrant tapestry of the music world, ensuring his influence resonates far beyond any single platform. Stevie's enduring passion and commitment to music make him a true luminary in the industry.
Stevie writes a weekly chapter on his Substack platform about his life in music called, 'The Long Road To Flin Flon', which is accompanied by a weekly podcast, you can read or listen and subscribe for free.
Stevie is a verified journalist on the global PR platform, Muck Rack.
Muck Rack's First Featured Journalist of 2023
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