DCHeavyMetal.com is turning 8 years old in September and there’s been a few changes around here. First up, you may have noticed this week that I’ve changed the way concert listings appear on the Upcoming Metal Concerts Calendar. Go check it out if you haven’t.
The calendar is by far the most popular part of DCHM and it has taken a hell of a lot of work to keep it updated over the years. Unfortunately it is a very time consuming project and it doesn’t take much to get backed up with each individual concert listing taking me a half an hour or more to create. Now I’ve made it so that I can get a listing up in around 5 minutes. How did I reduce the time it takes to create a concert listing? I simply don’t list much info about each show any more. I still use the concert poster/flyer artwork so you can quickly flip through the calendar at a glance, however now I only list a few things like the date, a link to the event page and a ticket link (if available). I don’t list or link the bands any more, nor the venue, price, etc… Most of that info tends to be on the artwork anyways, and the linked event page should have all that info and more as well.
The calendar has been behind most of the summer however this week alone I added around 40 listings. So the trade off is more listings, but with less info on each listing. This has me thinking that I might do something that people have been asking me about for some time, and that is listing shows in Frederick, Maryland. They aren’t on the calendar yet but if that’s something people still want I am seriously considering it moving forward.
Secondly, we’ve parted ways with one of our album review writers. That means if you’re interested in possibly writing some reviews of new releases by local metal bands on DCHM then now’s the time to send me some examples of your writing. A review or two of any metal album(s) of your choice will do, local or not. You can send your writing samples to DCHeavyMetal@Gmail.com for consideration. Be sure to let me know what your favorite metal subgenres are, and which ones you don’t like at all. You’ve got to be a local (live somewhere in the greater DC, Baltimore and Northern Virginia area) as this site is a local site first and foremost. We use Google Docs for easy editing online so please have a Google/Gmail account set up already, even if it isn’t your primary email.
Third, there are 2 new DCHM shirt designs ready to be printed. One is a fun Metallica parody and the other is “not a DCHM t-shirt” that the old school locals should get a kick out of. Details on how to order those will be released soon!
I’m actually really excited about DHCM as we head into our 8th year and I’ve got a ton of ideas about what to do with the time I’ll be freeing up from constantly working on the calendar. I won’t be working on DCHM any less, I’ll just be working on the calendar less. Next week we’ll be running a ticket give away for Exodus and Obituary at the Baltimore Soundstage on Sat 9/16. Be sure to check in next week and enter for your chance to win. I know this hasn’t been the most exciting post but there’s a lot of great stuff coming soon. Stay brutal everyone and thank you for your support!
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