Simply put, if you’re a fan of punk music you’ve no doubt stumbled upon Punkbands.com in your quest to dig up dirt on your favorite acts. Started by Norwegian punk enthusiast Carsten Jacobsen in 1998, Punkbands would grow into the web’s CNN for punk music, earning the respect of fans, mainstream media and the labels, scenes and bands it covered for its passionate coverage of the ins and outs of the genre.
Now 12 years after its inception, Jacobsen announced in January plans to sell the site he helped build from the ground floor. Jacobsen was kind enough to answer a few questions about the site’s humble intentions, its growth over the years and his hopes for the site’s future as he passes the torch.
AJ: Where did the idea to start Punkbands come from? What were your goals for the site at the start?
CJ: The idea to start punkbands.com came out of the frustration of not finding the websites, basic information, reviews, music etc. related to punk music. You have to keep in mind that the year was 1998 and the search engines was horrible and there was central source for punk music – the information on the new was very fragmented (it was out there, but you had to search for ages). The idea and main objective of punkbands.com was to have a one stop source for punk rock lovers - the first website was actually called “punk central” before I purchased the punkbands.com domain.
AJ: The site started in the midst of the dot com boom and eventually became one of the authoritative news outlets on the web for punk fans. Did you ever expect for the site to grow the way it did?
CJ: It was really fun in the early years of the site. The traffic was booming and we became one of the largest punk sites within a couple of years. I did not expect the site to grow in such a rapid phase. It kept me and the people who worked on the site really committed – we just had to keep the news fresh and the reviews and interviews had to be of quality.
I can still remember the day when we got about 3000 contest submissions in one day for an AFI contest back in 2000. Then I knew the site had grown big.
AJ: Punkbands always took a fan’s approach to covering the ins and outs of punk culture/underground music. It was credible and fans really latched onto the writers’ enthusiasm for the music. How important was it for you guys to take that approach?
CJ: The approach was key for the website. We were always looking for people who were really into the scene and loved the music. The approach for the “fans” view was something that the large and established players didn`t cover well and we always pushed the message that the website was for the fans - made by the fans.
AJ: In your most recent post to the site back in January, you announced you were selling the site and stepping away from running Punkbands day to day. What factors led up to that decision? As hard as it must have been to walk away, did you ever reconsider?
CJ: It has been an ongoing process for a couple of years now and I need to focus on my personal and professional life. It takes a lot of time just to maintain the website and working with the people who help me with the site. I hardly had time for keeping the site up to date and I’m over 30, living in Norway, so it is hard to keep up to date on the scene. It wasn`t fair for the website, the staff or myself.
AJ: How has the search for a new owner been going? What kind of person are you hoping to turn the site over to?
CJ: We are talking to some (people with) interest. The website deserves a dedicated person or group of people who has the passion, time and skills to run and develop the site. A combination of music passion and technical skill would be the perfect match to drive the website into the future.
AJ: Will you be involved with the site at all going forward (interviews, reviews, news updates)? What does life after Punkbands have in store for you?
CJ: I do not think it will be healthy for the website to have me involved. When we get someone who will run the site I will back off – period. I have a full time job doing marketing and finance for a company here in Norway, and I hope I`ll get a little bit more time off to do cross country skiing in the winter and bicycling in the summer :)
AJ: How do you look back on the experience of having started the site and brought it to where it is today? Are there any memories that stand out over the past 12 years?
CJ: I am really proud of what we have created (I want to stress we). Having worked with a lot of great people around the world has been a blast. We have had people from the US, UK, Netherlands, Norway and Australia work together, pulling in the same direction – that makes me really proud.
I can still remember some some incidents over the years:
- We announced the news about an AFI tour in Australia before the band even knew about it. I got a mail from a band member and were asked to confirm it.
- Being mentioned by the host on MTV and Muchmusic back in the days
- Threatened by lawsuits by 2 labels for publishing information about how they threat their bands – you can guess which labels.
- I also remember the first “MP3 of the week” where we featured an exclusive song by Saves The Day. I know this is very common nowadays, but we introduced the MP3 of the week feature.
- Being offered to be acquired by a dot com company back in 2001
RB
