Isn't it funny how one small change can make things a little more manageable? I recently made the decision to stop accepting CDs for review for the Celtic Music Magazine. Well, sorta…

One of the first features outside of free MP3s that I added to the Celtic Music Magazine many years ago was CD reviews. I know how much I like having my album reviewed. I thought other musicians would like it too. I had one problem. I couldn't figure out a way to keep up with them.

You see, here's how I did. Bands mailed a CD. My friend Raenell ripped it. She uploaded it to a private server. I shared the link with reviewers. They wrote the reviews and posted them on the website. I approved the reviews. Voila! Another CD was reviewed.

That's all fine and dandy. But I ran into a number of snags sharing the albums with reviewers. It was never very seamless. It took steps. Those steps clouded my mind because organization is not my strong-suit.

I wasn't done yet. Next,I had to download the ZIP file of the album. I had to drag all the files into iTunes for archiving. Now when do I listen to all that music?

Well, the answer became I listened whenever a song came up on random play or when it was time to add a song to the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. More often than not, I didn't listen until I played A song. That's frustrating in itself.

One Small Change and One Big Sigh of Relief

A few days ago, I notified my CD reviewers of the change. No longer will *I* accept CDs for review. The magazine will continue to review CDs, but now it's the duty of the artist to send a CD or a download link directly to the reviewer.

It's funny how that one small change made me breathe a little easier and work better.

Now I receive 1-3 single MP3s from Celtic bands. Today, I happily downloaded two month's worth of Celtic MP3s that were submitted. Then went directly into iTunes. I listened to them as each was downloaded. I read a little bit about the band. I feel better informed, less stressed, and happier. *Sigh*

I should've done this a LONG time ago!

Check out Scott Hoye. I listened to some of his music today. I love the tracks I got!