My Interview With ChatGPT
What happens when an indie writer and AI meet?
Good Morning!
It’s Friday so we’re going with something a little lighter today
I stole this idea from Josh Spector.
Twitter may (or may not) be in its end stage. But even as the walls crash down around everyone, there are still some fun things to be found on the platform. His “interview” with ChatGPT is one of them.1
Elon’s still giving angry divorced dad energy, so I can’t embed the tweet, but it’s here if you want to check it out. I took Josh’s prompt, adapted it for On Repeat, and from there, just rode the wave. The text below is lightly edited for typos (mine).
As for AI itself? It’s a divisive issue- no more so than in the writing community. My take: If someone is knocking out generic hotel reviews for places by the interstate at .01/word, you might be in trouble. For anyone else, AI is more likely something akin to a research intern.
I’d love to hear what you think. Please feel free to defend your corner in the comments!
The future is here.
Great! I'd love to learn more about your newsletter and how it helps music listeners discover new songs without relying on algorithms. Here's my first question for you:
Can you tell us a little about your background and how you became interested in creating a newsletter focused on music discovery?
I missed the days of making mixtapes and when discovery meant a friend coming up to you and saying something like, "You gotta hear this!"
I couldn't find a place to do that online, so I built it.
How do you go about discovering new music to feature in your newsletter, and what factors do you consider when deciding whether to include a song or not?
I usually find tracks by going through my own collection. Other sources include other blogs, terrestrial radio shows, BandCamp, and more. Sometimes a song pops in my head, and it's a good track to use.
That sounds like a diverse range of sources for finding new music. Can you tell me a bit about the process of curating the songs that you feature in your newsletter? What criteria do you use to determine which songs make the cut?
I will listen to just about anything, but for a song to make the cut it has to be objectively good. That's hard to do with a subjective medium like music, but I think I do an okay job with it. Over time I've also learned a little about what readers prefer and try to include things I know many will like. You won’t see a lot of orchestral pieces or subgenres like death metal.
That makes sense - it's important to balance your own tastes with what you think your readers will enjoy. How do you structure your newsletter, and what kind of information do you include about each song?
Most issues are structured the same way: A short intro, a link to a longer article or review, and then the song itself for the listener to play on their platform of choice. I also include the record it featured on, album art, and a band photo wherever possible.
It sounds like you provide a lot of context and visual elements to accompany each song. How frequently do you publish your newsletter, and how many songs do you typically feature in each issue?
I publish four times weekly. A playlist on Mondays, a regular newsletter on Weds. & Fridays, and a longer form piece (artist interviews, etc.) on Thursdays.
Wow, that's an impressive publishing schedule! It sounds like you have a lot of great content to share with your readers. Can you tell me about any particularly memorable or successful issues of your newsletter? What made them stand out?
I am always surprised at what songs really resonate with people. I have a general idea of who might like what, but I'm often surprised and delighted at how many people like a particular song. Power pop and 90s alternative tend to do very well compared to other genres.
It's always great to see unexpected songs resonate with your readers! I'm curious to know if you've noticed any trends in the kinds of songs or genres that your readers are most interested in discovering. Have you seen any shifts in their interests over time?
No giant shifts in any specific group or people. As the community itself has grown, there have been subtle shifts overall.
That's interesting to hear. As your community has grown, have you received any feedback from your readers about how your newsletter has impacted their music listening habits? Have you seen any evidence that your newsletter has helped people discover new songs or artists they might not have found otherwise?
Yes! I hear quite a bit that people are hearing a song for the first time. That’s always great to see. I also hear from people that might not’ve heard a song for years. Reading about it usually takes them on a fun trip down memory lane.
That's really cool to hear that your newsletter is helping people discover new music and rediscover old favorites. How do you see your newsletter evolving in the future? Do you have any plans to expand or change the format?
The last few months have seen quite a lot of growth. I want to continue on that path and do more big things like more artist interviews, record reviews, and longer-form magazine-style articles.
I also want to work with more writers and look into putting on events (Zoom calls, etc.). There's a LOT more I want to be doing. I'm already testing the waters on a lot of it. Direct support from readers is the fuel that makes that happen.
That sounds exciting - it's always great to see a project grow and evolve over time. One final question for you: what advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own music discovery newsletter?
This comes up a lot—enough so that I often just cut and paste it whenever it gets asked. I’m no expert, but here’s what’s worked for me.
Do good work
Find other writers in your same space and engage with them
Be consistent
Keep doing good work
Give more than you take
More good work
Link in bio
Offer to crosspost and/or guest post
Be patient
Keep on keepin’ on
Check out aggregators like The Sample and Inbox Reads for more opportunities Keep… you guessed it shipping your best work.
Remember that quality work always rises to the top.
When you get some momentum, help the people that were in your shoes a year ago.
That's excellent advice - consistency, collaboration, and persistence are key when it comes to building a successful newsletter. Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me today!
Thanks for coming along on this side trip with me! What do you think of the hype/hysteria surrounding ChatGPT and AI in general?
Note: Tomorrow (4/22) is Record Store Day. In honor of that, I want to share a great documentary about both RSD and the resurgence of vinyl in general. This is an interview I did last summer with the team behind the documentary. They’re great guys and put together a film well worth your time!
On Repeat is a 100% reader-supported publication. If you enjoy what you read here and want to support this project, the best ways to do so are to share it and subscribe.
Thanks for being here. Back to the music Monday. Have a great weekend!
Kevin—
P.S. Lively up your inbox! Every day The Sample forwards you a newsletter to discover. The more you use it, the better it gets at delivering what you want.
If you’re a writer, Spector’s daily For The Interested newsletter is a great read- and refreshingly short.
So much more thoughtful than i expected! Always praising your answers before asking the next one. I could do better at that myself. What great manners CHATGPT has!
Honestly, the AI did a better job that I would ever do lol
I should stick to taking photos and leave the writing thing for the pros. And by pros I mean the AI, of course. LOL