C. J. Chilvers is a writer of Chicago. For ten years, between 1999 and 2009. He has been editing Music Press Report, the reference web to the musical journalists. In spite of the success of the initiative, he has just decided to close it and leave it to others.

Why have you decided to close Music Press Report now?
It was out of pure frustration. Music journalism has always been treated as a lower class form of journalism. The amount of pay and respect was lower than any other form of journalism and music journalists played the part. The vast majority now see it as more of a hobby than career - and maybe that's the way it should be - but the Music Press Report definitely approached it as a vital, important area of journalism. That was not the view of the majority of the readers.

And why have not you left, at least, a link to Music Press Report’s newspaper library, in order that it could stay as consulting material?
To my knowledge, pretty much all the original content from MPR is available on other sites. It was a part of the contracts I wrote, that the writers were free to repost their content after a certain amount of time, anywhere they wished. As for the news posts...those links broke frequently, because they were to music sites, and music sites spring up and die with great frequency. The news format of the site did not lend itself well to archiving, that was a big mistake - one I would correct if I had it to do over.

Have you met persons ready to buy you the web or they have offered you interesting agreements of collaboration?
There were several people who expressed interest in taking over the site, but when they realized the amount of work that went into it, every one of them backed out.

Do you have good relation with the artists and the professionals of the record industry?
My content spoke to music journalists primarily and musicians tend to view music journalism as a necessary evil. Of course, it takes a healthy music publishing community to maintain a healthy music community, but this is not at the forefront of musicians' minds. Individually, I always got along great with musicians and industry-types, but they weren't the people the Music Press Report was trying to help.

And… talking about the world of the music … how do you see the musical scene? Do you find quality bands?
I really like anyone trying to be original, so right now Ipecac Records is my favorite label. Most new bands sound the same to me. Boring. But that's the way it's always been. There's a few originals and countless copycats.

And how do you see the industry? Are you optimist because of future of the musical industry? Which do you think that will be the future of the record market?
You have to be an optimist about the musicians, but not the industry as we know it. At this point, I believe the industry has already accepted its fate. The formula now is to give your music away, perform amazing concerts, sell merchandise and hope all of that can fund a decent lifestyle.

Do you think the economic crisis will aggravate the crisis of the musical industry?
It will aggravate the musicians who already have lots of money, not the up-and-comers. They're used to not having money. For them, it can only get better.

Do you think the music’s multinational company has committed mistakes?
I think record companies are just marketing agencies right now. They always have been, but in the past, they were also interested in finding great music.

Might you value which is the one that has committed more mistakes and which is the one that better has developed the business in the last years?
95% are exactly the same: marketing companies who make most of their money through loan sharking unwitting musicians. There are a few exceptions, one of them being Ipecac, as mentioned before. They search for something interesting, package it in unique ways and create real value for the listener. The older I get, the more I appreciate that kind of business.

What does think of the free download of music by Internet? Are you a supporter of chasing thebootlegging?
I support bootlegging of unreleased material, because that's not hurting anyone. If anything, it creates a greater demand for a band's released material. I think it's extremely short-sighted for musicians to pass up that revenue, though. But I don't support pirating material that the band is selling. If you really like a band, you should support them. If you don't, why are you listening to them? Life is too short to fill your hard drive with music you're not willing to spend a little money on.

In the musical media in which I work, always we have defended the application of the methods of the conventional journalism also to the musical journalism. I want to say: To practicing the investigative journalism in the environment of the world of the music, to be demanding in the style of the draft and in the journalistic language, to respect the sources… do you see many differences between a musical journalist and a journalist of general information?
Yes, and you're absolutely right - we need music journalists, who are journalists first. But it's an uphill battle. The industry will not respect you as they would a "general" journalist. It's sad, but thousands of music journalists are training the industry to think of them as hobbyists who won't ask a tough question, for fear of loosing access.

Who are your three musical music critics or favorite music journalists?
The guys at Rockcritics.com. How can you argue with the kind of passion they have for the subject?

If I say some recognized names linked to the world of the music for diverse reasons, might you evaluate them in a only sentence?

Simon Fuller
Doesn't seem to care about music.

Britney Spears
What happens when you're very successful at something you have no passion for.

Stephen Davis
Wish I'd carved out a niche as deep as his.

Elton John
A genuinely talented guy, who wouldn't even get a second look from a record label exec in today's market.

Edgar Bronfman, Jr.
A man born a few too late for his passions.

Bond
I'd like to redesign their site.

Finally, have you thought of release again Music Press Report later or are you planning some another similar project?
I would love to do something more in-depth, but there has to be an audience for it and I'm not sure there is anymore. This kind of site takes huge amounts of time and energy, as I'm sure you know. I'd like to know if anyone still cares.