The end of an era (2011 - 2018): Circles & Soundwaves has come to an end.
Seven years.
Can you believe it's been (almost) seven years since I started Circles & Soundwaves?
Seven years ago, when I started this blog, I knew some day I'd sit down to write this post. I knew at one point I would say goodbye and end Circles & Soundwaves. I didn't know when – and for a long time I waited for a "sign" of some sort, a life event that would tell me it would be over, but that never came – and now, that time has come. Circles & Soundwaves is officially over.
Seven years ago, I had (almost) no experience writing about music. I had no publicity contacts and I didn't know any other writers, photographers, or people who ran blogs of their own. I wasn't in any networking groups. I didn't know how to run a music blog, conduct an interview, write a review, photograph live music, or contact a publicist, but I did know that I loved doing this. I had goals – a lot of them – and figured starting this blog was my way of working towards them.
Seven years later, I've interviewed, photographed, and reviewed hundreds of bands. I have many publicity contacts and know several other writers, photographers, and people who have run blogs of their own. I'm in several networking groups and regularly have people coming to me for advice. I certainly don't know everything there is to know about music writing, but I know a hell of a lot more than I did seven years ago. Perhaps the most striking thing I know, however, is that I love writing about and photographing music even more than I did seven years ago. I found something I am completely in love with doing and I can't imagine it not being a part of my life.
With that being said, I also know deep in my heart that this chapter in my life – the chapter where I run a music blog called Circles & Soundwaves (always with an ampersand, and "soundwaves" always as one word) – has come to an end. I'll still be writing about and photographing music, and there were many factors that lead to this decision – some personal, some in how the music industry has shifted over the years - but it all comes down to the fact that it's time for me to move forward.
I've learned a lot over the past seven years, and I've accomplished things I'd never thought possible. I've interviewed bands like Yellowcard, at the same venue my dad took me to see them when I was 14, and Jimmy Eat World, which was done over the phone in the middle of a whirlwind travel schedule for work. I covered the Vans Warped Tour and photographed and reviewed artists like Tove Lo, DNCE, Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and my favorite band of all-time, Good Charlotte, on their reunion tour and at one of the final Webster Hall shows. I did several interviews and photographed countless times bands like Major League, Pentimento, Patent Pending, Vanna, and Have Mercy, and have felt like I've truly had a part in telling their stories.
I've accomplished a lot through Circles & Soundwaves. In addition to the obvious writing and photography, I've developed time management and organizational skills that I'll carry with me wherever I go. I've met so many people in the music industry. I've found other music journalism opportunities, online and in print (which is a dream come true), internships in college, and now, a real job in the music industry. And an incredibly rewarding feat has been the messages from people who have told me they found their favorite bands through Circles & Soundwaves. I'm forever grateful for all the opportunities I've found as a result of this, and the lessons are ones I'll carry with me always.
To answer the questions I know will be asked…
Yes, circlesandsoundwaves.com will still exist; all content will continue to live on the internet. We – myself and the dozens of contributors who have been a part of the site over the past few years – have created something special over the past seven years, and I'd like to preserve that. The Facebook page, Twitter account, and Instagram account will continue to exist as well. I may share content I or other members of the C&S team create on other platforms; I may retweet or share updates from the bands and organizations we believe in.
No, I'm not ending Circles & Soundwaves for any one reason or because of any new opportunity that has been presented my way. There were new things that came in to my life over the past year, but as I said before, it just boils down to the fact that this chapter has come to an end. Do I know exactly what's next? No – but in the words of a very dear friend, it's whatever I want it to be.
There were a few people I told before making the decision public – current and past contributors, publicists I worked regularly with, and a very small number of close friends – and more than once I heard, "that must've been a hard choice." It's something I've wrestled with for a while now, but then… I knew. And when I knew, the decision wasn't so hard after all; in fact, it was a clear choice and I've never felt so sure something was right. I hope you all understand.
For years, I've signed off on emails as "molly C&S". The "m" was always lowercase; I think I just liked how it looked. I've signed off on thousands of emails that way, and doing so became so routine that I found myself in the habit of signing off non-C&S related emails as such (though I always caught the mistake and deleted it). It'll take a while to get out of that habit, but for now- I'll sign off as molly C&S one last time.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you. If you're reading this – whether you were a regular reader or visited the site just once or twice, a contributor, an artist I featured, a publicist, manager, or otherwise worked with me to coordinate coverage – thank you. I couldn't have done it without you.
With all of my love,
--molly C&S
