Swans

Dean wrote: Not all innovative music is Progressive Rock... if it does not comfortably fit into the categories we've got (which are a wide and as catchall as they need to be when you actually look at what "Eclectic", "Heavy", "Crossover", "Prog Folk", "Progressive Metal" and "Jazz Rock/Fusion" are actually defined as here) then frankly, it's not Progressive Rock and we should never agonise over whether they should be here or whether we're missing out when we decide that: "Oh well, they don't fit, ho-hum... what's next on the pile? Brave The Vertigo... yet another bandcamp-band, is this Progressive Rock? Let's give it a spin and find out... "

 

Then how do you account for the proliferation of ''move'' votes and the ping-ponging of artists?

I actually believe that a fair degree of agonising is almost inevitable in making these decisions. Dean, the picture you paint of the evaluation process here is rather simplistic. I guess that was deliberate, but the trouble is it doesn't seem too far removed from the system that by all accounts operates elsewhere and I was only half-joking when I replied to Gulle earlier in this thread. I wasn't around in the early years of PA, but if I'm not wrong artist additions were handled in a much less formal manner in order to build the site. Maybe that's now happening on MMA? Colin mentioned that metal is perhaps easier to identify than prog. I don't know about that. Probably my biggest failing in my role here is my (poor) ability to differentiate between Prog Metal and Heavy Prog, but it seems I'm not alone. In any case, your scenario above... if flippant it certainly sounds like fun. Would that things were like the cosy little music appreciation group you portray.

 

The real situation is of course different and carries responsibility. The first point of contact for the majority of suggestions is this area of the forum, where one person's opinion can see an artist rejected without further evaluation. The pre-evaluation is useful for weeding out candidates that obviously aren't prog, but I wonder how many decent suggestions have been rejected over the years based on one opinion. I do struggle to come to decisions to reject artists because I think it's important, especially for the artist involved. Another point is that, yes, I do agonise over where to pitch some suggestions because, as I alluded to above, there are many artists who comfortably fit Progressive Rock but don't fit comfortably in our subgenres. I try to minimise the amount of unnecessary work for the already overworked genre teams. Have I been pissing my time against a wall needlessly? Regarding the evaluation process, we also have the situation where one team member can be responsible for rejecting a band that the other team members have voted in favour of. The fact that one person voting ''no'' on a 4-man team rejects an artist whereas it takes three negative votes on a 5-man team just doesn't feel right to me. By the way, I've read your comments on sampling theory several times (Over The Ocean suggestion thread, page 3, for those interested). I'll admit I am none the wiser, I just can't get my head around it although I do adhere to it during evaluations. My point in mentioning it is that I think the one dissenting voice on that 4-man team who will reject the artist has to be absolutely sure he is doing the right thing. Maybe even agonising over it in the process.

It would, however, stop the ridiculous situation we have that every single album by an added artist is de facto treated as a prog album. For no better example, I give you Miles Davis, who has 1940's albums available to review on a prog site, for heaven's sake.

Of course, the real root of the trouble we have here is this silly and pedantic sub genre split we have, most of which bear no relation to reality whatsoever, except in our little world. I have, of course, gotten into more than a little trouble for pointing this out before

 

Seriously though, David, are you able to describe the evaluation process on JMA and MMA? I've had a cursory look at both sites and can't find the info.