The Authority of Independent Contemporary R&B Music

The question of what makes a Music blogger "credible" or a Trusted Authority of their particular genre in this case " Contemporary R&B" has popped up recently. So I decided to drive into this topic. My research found that it's mostly subjective and based solely on the "belief" of that person.

There are several bloggers that wrote pieces about this subject so lets take a look at a few and see what they have come up with. Shoutmeloud.com states that the following characteristics makes a credible blogger:

• Always do your research
• Recommendations
• Confidence
• Correct Grammar
• Maintain consistency 
• Decent blog design

Well if you look at Media companies such as Harvey Levin of  TMZ  or Bloggers like Prez Hilton they wouldn't exactly be considered credible or an authoritative source of information based on the amount of times they purposely published inaccurate or flatly untrue stories. Remember when TMZ published a false story that Lil Wayne died? And, first let me say that I'm not the best writer in the world, but Prez Hilton haven't exactly mastered the English Language either. So how about their blog design? That's very subjective and just a manner of taste. However, they both do possess a hefty amount of confidence, that's for sure. Lets continue.

Ponn Sabra of the Heartifb.com has an different approach on how bloggers can demonstrate  their credibility. Lets take a look.

• Be Professional
• Use strong branding
• Gather recommendations from industry peers and fellow expect bloggers
• Provide your contact details
• Create an FAQ Page or section on your site
• Use High-quality Photos
• Answer your readers comments and questions
• Network
• Invest in Quality
• Maintain integrity
• Be positive
• Seek Feedback 

I also believe that Investing in Quality, Networking and strong branding are very important factors in developing credibility for your business. However, the term "Professional" is again very subjective, many business set different guidelines on what professionalism means to them. In this country you could be a racist, a liar or a thief and still make your way all the way to the top into the highest office of the land, look at our current "President". So maintaining integrity, especially in politics might not be the only way a person can exhibit professionalism. Have you  watched Fox News lately? It's awful. My idea of "professionalism" is abiding by company policy, staying compliant with Federal, State & Local Laws, trustworthiness, keeping a high moral character and being kind and courtesy to your customers. I keep it simple.

So who decides on rather or not a Blogger is credible? Is it the Record labels? The Mainstream media? The Fans? Does anyone really know? It could be an combination of all those things. In my humble opinion it's based solely on how serious you take your own craft. You can't expect to obtain validation from others, especially from other bloggers. It's very competitive and most bloggers are self-centered and only care about their own platform. They would never publicly give another website a compliment, unless it benefits them in some way. You also can't judge a site based solely on webtraffic, since a common marketing trick bloggers can use to boost page views is to embed their back-links or external links on popular platforms like Wikipedia to promote their site. You have to look deeper and evaluate them on their content, knowledge on the topic and consistency. Does youknowigoutsoul.com hold more Authority than me because they used SEO tricks that I haven't used yet? No.

So, who's behind ebonynsweet.com? Well, Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Stanley the owner. I'm 37, (classically trained violist since the age of 8). In High-school I was selected to participate in the Kentucky Honor's Orchestra (2nd chair) during my freshman year. I went on to attend Lexington Community College, and graduated from Natl College with an Bachelor's Degree in Accounting. I don't mean to brag, but How many bloggers do you know can actually read sheet music and balance your books at the same time? I'm joking.

I kinda fell into blogging by accident because I was looking for a way to lend my administrative  support to Unsigned Independent Artists with no budget, and they didn't have the means to pay for promoters. Between 2007-2011 I was busy earning my Degree in College, but occasionally I would teach unsigned artists how to complete basic tasks, such as "How to create an EPK" or submit music to websites. However, There were several barriers that existed that made it difficult for these artists to get their music featured on large platforms. It just wasn't enough room in the typical News cycles for everyone, so alot of great music was ignored. So in 2013 I decided to create my own Blog without such limitations. The first incarnation of my blog was named Lyricsnpride.com  and earlier this year in 2017 it was re-branded and changed to Ebonynsweet.com. In all, hundreds of artists benefited from my blog completely free. I was recognized and followed by dozens of signed/verified artists on twitter over the last 4 years. Some even trusted me well enough to assist them on special projects. I may not be the best writer in the world but lets be honest, nobody likes to read long winded articles these days. I like to get straight to the music. I do however take these artists very seriously, and do my best. I've accumulated an impressive music archive and featured over 1,500 unsigned/independent R&B Singers on this site. My knowledge is on-par, if not more extensive than any of my competitors such as thisisrnb.com or singersroom.com. I could challenge them to a game of Jeopardy and I would win acourse. I have full confidence in my abilities and treat myself as a professional.

I'm constantly searching and thriving to find new ways to improve and learn from my mistakes. It's a daily grind, and I truly enjoy what I do. It doesn't manner if I'm ever granted exclusive interviews by Major record labels or giving Free press passes to events. I'm not trying to be "Hollywood", like Prez Hilton or Karen Civil. And there's no money to be made in blogging unless you allow Ad placement or charge artists hefty submissions fees which i'm against. For Now, I'm devoted in keeping my blog FREE. This website is a Labor of Love and It is my goal to make Ebonynsweet the #1 Music destination for unsigned/independent R&B artists in the world! Is that possible? I think so. I'm dedicated in making sure the general public is fully informed about all the great R&B music that's available out there.  #StayTuned
 

Any new R&B artist suggestions for me I’m tryna vibe to something new today

— AILMENT (@ABasaJJ) November 12, 2017

I need new good r&b/soul music !
Any suggestions? 👀

— . (@guillermoraw) November 12, 2017

I️ need some new r&b/soul in my life.. any recommendations?

— Gamboa (@DGambeezy) November 12, 2017

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The Public awaits, they calling for me..!!!