Music

Our Musical Resolutions for 2016

• by Melissa Bobbitt
• Dec 27, 2015

Are you the kind to make New Year’s resolutions? We are, and since this is a music forum, we’re sharing with you our aural ambitions and goals for 2016. Many of them mirror ours for 2013 (which, admittedly, your humble writer failed pretty miserably at). So onward with a new perspective!

 

The more underground, the better

We pride ourselves here at Occur in covering artists that other sites have yet to discover. We want to amp up our local love for those smaller Los Angeles bands just starting to make names for themselves. Come one, come all, whether you’re on your sixth go at playing the Whisky or taking your first stab at a Santa Monica open mic. You never know where the next musical genius will pop up.

 

 

Continue to be a world ambassador

With MTV Iggy closing up shop in 2015, a major player in world music has yet to emerge, outside of the NPR circuit. We’re dedicated to our Occur Goes Global series, bringing you the best from each country, no matter how tiny. (Did you see our feature on Andorra? The entire country has only 79,000 residents, yet it has a vibrant scene.) So we’re all in when it comes to foreign favorites.

 

 

Buy, stream, repeat

We’ve long championed purchasing music directly from the artist and want to step it up a notch. Every time we buy, from there on in we stream that album to create an infinite giving cycle. Thank you to our friend Miriam Koch for the suggestion!

 

 

Expand our horizons

Not only does this mean covering the gamut of genres but professions as well. We’ll amp up our band interviews for sure, but we’d also love to talk to producers, beat-boxers, luthiers, music video directors and conductors. Everyone who contributes to music plays an important role, and we’re here to honor that.

 

 

Keep it positive

There’s enough chaos and disorder in the world already. We don’t need to add to the noise. We’re going to focus on the sounds we’re loving and will refrain from tearing others down. Music brings harmony and we want to join the chorus. We will definitely call out industry bullshit when we see it (discrimination against women and minorities at shows, scalpers, the closing of venues and record stores), but we’re going to steer away from hating on any artists. Who are we to judge, if their art is bringing joy to others?

 

What are your musical resolutions for 2016?