A Micro-Chop Update
A Micro-Chop Update
A brief explanation of my infrequent output over the past year.
If you subscribe to the Micro-Chop newsletter, you may have noticed a rather slow writing rate in recent months. I’ve published only eight articles since July of 2021. One story - an interview with Pursuit Grooves - has seen publication under the Micro-Chop banner in 2022. In the meantime I’ve experimented heavily with music threads and YouTube playlists.
The reasons for this downturn are varied. I went back to teaching full-time in January 2020 after a 3.5 year part-time stint. I just haven’t had the same time and mental energy for writing. I’ve also invested more time into reading other writers as a way to improve my own practice.
I started Micro-Chop in the summer of 2016. I moved from a self-created Medium publication to a Substack newsletter in 2019. Since 2021 I’ve felt conflicted about publishing on Substack due to some of the writers who have found large audiences and monetization on the platform. The scope of this issue exceeds in-depth analysis in this update, but you can read more about it via these features in Mashable and Vanity Fair.
I shared my specific concerns with people at Substack in recent weeks. I appreciate their willingness to listen to my feedback. I plan on sharing concerns and feedback with them more often moving forward.
I have considered moving to a Substack alternative like Ghost and continue to explore other options, but I worry that any and every newsletter platform - including Ghost - could face many of the same issues as Substack. I remain on Substack for now.
I paused all of the paid subscriptions to my newsletter indefinitely a while ago. This means nobody is billed by Substack through Stripe for the time being. There are also no paywalls on any recent articles. I am so thankful for any and everyone who bought a paid subscription. Seriously, thank your for your help and support.
I will continue to think about a good system for reintroducing paid subscriptions in the future but I’m not there yet. If you want to make a financial contribution to Micro-Chop, you can make an easy one-time payment through Buy Me A Coffee. Any and every bit of support is hugely appreciated.
Most importantly, I want to get back to writing. The plan is to publish a couple of producer interviews that I’ve had in the can for some time in the coming weeks. Rap and instrumental hip-hop remain a major focus of this publication. Expect to see additional stories on other genres (film and video game scores, funk, jazz, soul, etc.) that I love and appreciate.
I aim to write at whatever rate I can sustain without burnout. I will also celebrate and share the work of other writers because there are so many great journalists out there who deserve your time and attention.
As I consider possibilities for the future, I look forward to sharing my work with you and hearing your feedback.
If you enjoyed this article and want to support Micro-Chop you can subscribe to the newsletter and YouTube channel. You can also buy me a coffee.