Boston Music Spotlight
Boston Music Spotlight (BMS) is a professional online magazine that is updated daily, providing readers with current news, features, InterViews, and concert reviews for nationally and internationally recognized artists. BMS is also committed to featuring New England’s best up and coming artists.
History
Boston Music Spotlight was founded in the summer of 2006 by Rory Flynn. Rory had been freelancing for various publications while also serving as Editor-in-Chief at Merrimack College’s student newspaper, the Merrimack Beacon. His vision was to develop an online magazine that delivered essential and timely information for music fans in a localized format.
In 2007, Boston Music Spotlight was officially incorporated and the redesigned online magazine was introduced in its current format. In February 2008, BMS gained additional national attention when ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons commented on one of its regular annual articles, The Top 20 Concerts of 2007.
Content
Boston Music Spotlight has a comprehensive news section, including quick hit items with a New England focus and updates on new music releases and tours. Live concert reviews provide critical input and highlight impressions of recent concerts. BMS also features articles on bands coming to the area soon, releasing a new album, and/or making news. These features often contain an interview with a band member. The reader’s spotlight section provides an opportunity for fans to propose questions directly to their favorite bands through BMS.
Boston Music Spotlight can be distinguished from other online magazines by its strong and consistent focus on the local music scene. Utilizing a format similar to the features section, Local Spotlight is focused on Boston/New England area acts. In addition to the Local Spotlight, BMS also provides readers with a weekly “Getting to Know” article in which up-and-coming local artists respond to a series of questions, encouraging readers to get to know the artists and providing them with the information needed to differentiate between them.
In addition to providing readers with timely and relevant articles, BMS is also committed to providing music lovers with the most up to date show listings and details regarding ticket purchasing. The upcoming events section is an easy to use calendar with a dated, single-page view listing of notable upcoming concerts. Listings are updated continuously as dates are announced and the section displays shows up to six months in advance. The online magazine also gives a detailed listing of all shows happening each night in the area, including large venues as well as club shows, in the Tonight’s Shows listings.
BMS publishes its annual “Best of” lists in early January, including the Best Concerts of the Year in Boston, Best Albums of the Year, and the Best and Worst Songs of the Year. The Boston Music Spotlight Band of the Year is also awarded to a local band that established themselves as top local act and is poised to breakout on to the national stage. Winners of the Band of the Year have included Eli “Paperboy” Reed & the True Loves (2008) and Bang Camaro (2007).
Events
The Boston music scene is acknowledged as being the [...] edge for both national and international music trends; BMS honors this tradition by hosting a variety of live concerts. Boston Music Spotlight has also partnered with a variety of bands, venues, promoters and charities to co-sponsor numerous concerts throughout New England. In addition, BMS hosts a variety of their own events, including:
The Local Spotlight Live Series
The Local Spotlight Live Series was launched by Boston Music Spotlight in February 2009 at Olivers Nightclub at the Cask’n Flagon. The series of showcase concerts not only provide local bands with an opportunity to share their original music with broader audiences but also provide the audience with an amazing live music experience in an intimate venue. A variety of local favorites from the New England music scene have performed at the series including Barnicle, Beautiful Lies, The Candace Brooks Band, Cemetery Superfly, Mission Hill, Topheavy, Say When, The States, and Vivian Darkbloom.
BMS Battle of the Bands
BMS hosted its first ever Battle of the Bands on September 18, 2008 at Olivers Nightclub at the Cask'n Flagon. Five New England-based bands - The Candace Brooks Band, Cemetery Superfly, Hello Mahalo, Six Day Slide, and Tunnlvision battled it out for prizes, including cash, studio time, legal services, album production and (of course) bragging rights. Audiences were able to catch local music in a different kind of setting.
The five bands performed before a panel of five judges, who judged bands in the following categories: Musicianship, Vocals, Song Writing, Timing of Set, and Stage Presence. Points were awarded on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being the highest. A bonus category allowed judges to give 1-3 points extra to each band for crowd reaction.
The 2008 winner was Hello Mahalo.
BMS Battle of the Cover Bands
Boston Music Spotlight held its first ever Battle of the Cover Bands, on Friday, May 15 at Oliver's Nightclub at the Cask'n Flagon. Classic Yellow, Heart of Boston, Red Square, and Wild Nites and the C&B Horns all performed at the event.
Beyond the glory of victory, the bands were also in the running to receive $2000 in cash and prizes. The four bands performed before a panel of four judges, who judged bands in the following categories: Musicianship, Vocals, Timing and Diversity of Set, Stage Presence, and Crowd Reaction. Points were awarded on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being the highest. Points in the Crowd Reaction category were worth double.
The 2008 winner was Classic Yellow.