The blog title is associated with the Wells Fargo account fraud scandal. Their rank and file employees were faced strong pressure to cross-sell products, "eight is great". The basic idea was to get every bank customer to sign up for eight products and services, regardless of whether they actually needed them. I also try to promote my product to others. However, the product is free of charge and no strings are attached. I launched the website on 1st March 2014. This is eight years ago, "eight is great". The first blog entry I posted had the dramatic title "So it begins...". Since then I have posted an anniversary blog post this time every year. The second blog post (2015) had the expectantly title "So it continues...". Here, I discussed the past, present and future for the site. The third blog post (2016) had the prosaic title "And so it goes on and on and on and on and on...". Here, I did some merciless following up on ambitions and promises. The fourth blog post (2017) had the patronizing title "The necessity of content gardening". Here, I stated that a website, with proper content gardening, could live forever. The fifth blog post (2018) had the technical title "Ratchet effect through organic growth”. Here, I speculated how web indexing and algorithms drove traffic to unprecedented levels. The sixth blog post (2019) had the glorifying title "5 years and 100 000 hits". Here, I rattled off statistics lengthwise and crosswise. The seventh blog post (2020) had the dutiful title "The show must go on". Here, I concluded that the responsibilities I have towards society are too important to be calling it quits. The eight blog post (2021) had the explanatory title "7 is the number following 6 and preceding 8". Here, I complained about muddling through in the time of the pandemic. Today, it's time again for a new blog post. The visitor counter indicates 182 591.

Assessment

Executive summary: The website has operated successfully for the last eight years. New content has been added with regularity and to a sufficient degree without any deterioration in quality. The website is in need of a minor review, primarly with the intent on updating existing texts and removal of dead links. A plan for this has been developed. Minor disruptancies in the operation of the website have occured, but this haven't affected production or quality. The coming year we will see a strong focus on content and the management and development of the site.  

Visitor statistics

To go from zero to 180 000 visitors took 2 889 days. Business was slow in the beginning. Then the web indexing and Google algorithms began to kick in. The average number of days to reach another 10 000 visitors has normally been around 130-140. The last year has been a record year. More than 30 000 visitors during the last year. All time high.  

Department statistics

I wrote one new article last year, listed one more artist in the table, created zero new lists and wrote 30 blog entries. I also have a list of 4-5 bands waiting to be included in my prestigious article series. 

Most visited pages

The five pages below are the most visited. The order has shifted over time. The start page (Home) is and have always been the most visited page. Not very surprising. The second page is the list "10 essential gothic country albums", which comprises a canon of must-have gothic country albums. The third page "Artists" is a simple list with links. Review of "Fossils" (Sons of Perdition collaborative album) is placed as number four. The "About" page with mission statement is a newcomer and placed as number five. The Sons of Perdition article page belonged to the five most visited pages for many years. It's now placed as number seven. 
 

Flaws

The website has been up and running almost twenty-four seven. During planned network maintenance my web hosting privider experienced an issue with one of their core switches (2021-03-05). They experienced an issue with their service due to a disturbance in their network (2021-06-12). I have a backlog of work. The website contains certain obsolete information and dead links. I will make a complete overhaul when I find the time. Last year I felt compelled to disconnect the YouTube module on the site since the videos are living matter. If you stumble over any obsolete or incorrect information or any dead links don't hesitate to contact me and I will fix it. I take some pride in that the website is updated. 

Reflections

I haven't received a single e-mail from market or web solutions companies where they claim earnings from the site. The site is non-profit and free of advertisment. This is the way it has been and will always be.

Future

I will go on untiringly within the limits of family, work and other duties. 

Stereo racks, stands and cabinets are hideous. There is no question about it. The relevant question is why. The explanation may be quite simple. Simultaneously trying to fulfil two opposing ideas, aesthetic and stereocentric. Which of the two ideas do you support? The answer depends, almost always, on whether you are a man or a woman. My personal experience is that women doesn't appreciate when a high-end stereo and all its necessary accessories dominate a room. When you are (and want to remain) in a relationship you have to be ready to compromise and sacrifice. As for personal experience, I had a stereo rack in fake teak with dark tinted glass doors (I know, but it was from the early 1980's). It was thoroughly scrutinized before cohabitation and later marriage. It didn't make it. Well, you sacrifice pawns for the greater good. Besides, the rack was an awful piece of furniture. Other key decisions could tip the scales. The placement of loud speakers are almost non-negotiable. Needless to say, acoustic values and considerations always outrank aesthetics. Stereo racks, stands and cabinets are not only extremely ugly, they are often expensive. The Quadraspire Q4 EVO with spikes in the picture cost over $700. Still, it looks just like a modernized tea trolley. Spikes are used to couple the mass of the speaker to the larger mass of the floor for stability and diversion. The spikes need to be mitigated. Spike base dissipates vibration away from the electronics (the turntable in particular). But there are simpler and cheaper solutions. A low budget alternative is the IKEA furniture LACK with the standards 22x22", price approximately $10. The classic side table was introduced in 1979. Very functional. We moved to a smaller place a while ago. This had huge consequences for my stereocentric view of the world. My cds are nowadays stored in a small closet from floor to ceiling in double rows. I must be really motivated if I want to listen to a cd placed in the inner row. Compromise and sacrifice are an integral part of life. You have to live by the US Marine Corp mantra, "Improvise - Adapt - Overcome". But, neither of these verbs are my strong suit. 

Spotify has published their final accounts for 2021. They made a modest profit. It's hard for me to comprehend and accept. I'm shocked and appalled. I never thought this could happen. The operating income amounted to €94m ($108m). Spotify has incurred significant operating losses in the past, to say the least. The accumulated deficit amounts to €3 220m ($3 689m). An almost unimaginable figure. With profits of this magnitude, Spotify will have eliminated the accumulated deficit in the year of 2056. But, it was not streamed music that made Spotify profitable. It was controversial podcasts. Podcaster Joe Rogan signed a $100 million deal in 2020 giving Spotify the exclusive rights. The Joe Rogan Experience has a massive audience, and is the no. 1 podcast in more than 90 markets. Neil Young decided to withdraw his music from Spotify because it gave a platform to Joe Rogan, whom scientists have accused of promoting falsehoods about vaccines. Neil Young spoke out: "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both." Joe Rogan defended himself. "I do not know if they're right. I don't know because I'm not a doctor; I'm not a scientist. I'm just a person who sits down and talks to people and has conversations with them." CEO Daniel Ek is not known for good media management. The first line of defense was to state that Spotify is a platform, not a publisher. It didn't work. The second line of defense was the pathetic "We’ve heard you..." statement. The Communication Department burned the midnight oil making damage control purée. This included publishing the already existing Spotify Platform Rules, and highlighting the rules in the creator and publisher tools and adding "content advisory". Late and lame. CEO Daniel Ek said: "That doesn’t mean that we always get it right, but we are committed to learning, growing and evolving." It didn't work, either. The external controversy spilled over to internal turmoil. The employees were not impressed of how the management handled the matter. On the contrary; quite a few of them were angry, upset and disappointed. They live under the illusion that the company acts according to a code of conduct. The open and soft internal culture met the harsh and brutal reality. How will this play out? What's done is done, the dog barks and money talks.    

Foddershock are based deep in the coalfields of southwest Virginia, in the small town of Clintwood in Dickinson County. They are an obscure band whose artistry is heavily influenced by the four D's...the Devil, Drugs, Death, and Dysfunction. They have self-produced and self-released nine albums on their very apt "label", Inbred Outcast Records. I have managed to get a hold of four of their albums: "Roadkill Expressway", "One Good Eye", "Inbreds From Outer Space" and "Sordid Details Of The Human Condition". I don't mean to blow my own horn, but this is quite of an achivement since the difficulty level is ridiculous high: self-released cd-r albums sold locally and I live 7 064 km (4 389 miles) from the local market. Five albums are still missing in my collection: "Ghost Of Lonzo", "‎Black Lung & White Lightnin'", "‎Corn On Macabre", "Somewhere Between Heifer And Hell" and "God Awful Truth". There are no digital releases or streaming. I would like to write an article about Foddershock, but since I haven't listened to all of their albums, I'm afraid I would not do them justice. However, some bits and pieces are uploaded on Youtube, for example "Die In Jail" from "Corn On Macabre", "Dyin' To Make A Livin'", "Mountain Misfit" and "Searchin' For The Cure" from "‎Black Lung & White Lightnin'", "When Coal Was King" and "Evil Ways" from "Somewhere Between Heifer And Hell". Collecting rare cds and cd-r is hard work. Normally, I use several search methods. Systematic and random trawling is one of them. Monitoring through wantlists, wishlists and saved searches is another. Contacting, stalking and harassing people is a third method. In this case I probably have to add a fourth method: getting feet on the ground. Fly overseas, rent a car and drive to Clintwood, VA and not leave until I have found a copy of each and everyone of them. This coincides with an unfulfilled dream I have: a road trip from coast to coast. However, this roadtrip doesn't include any tourist attractions or scenic views. This roadtrip goes through the deep dark underbelly of America.

It's better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit. That's what management consultants claim when they can't find anything better to say. They haven't learned things the hard way, through hard-earned personal experience. A high ambition is good, but you should focus and deploy your resources in a sustainable way. The secret to happiness is low expectations. The lower the better. I had very high expectations on 2021 and it became a disastrous year when it could have been a fabulous one. New fresh albums were announced from Wovenhand, Antic Clay, Sons of Perdition, Slackeye Slim, Mr Plow, T.K. Bollinger, Oldboy (of the Fens) and The Victor Mourning. It didn't stop there. No less than gothic western legend Christian Williams announced a new album. This was very surprising since he changed his musical style to experimental electronica years ago. Evil doom country band Those Poor Bastards didn't announce anything, but they're always a steady supplier. Well, I hit the ground hard. The icy grip of the pandemic is long, cold and firm. Music creativity and music production has come to an absolute zero. Very few albums were released in the gothic country genre this year: T.K. Bollinger made 12 digital EPs. You can read a quick review in the blog section. Oldboy (of the Fens) released "Invisible Man". They maintain their standards and production rate. Those Poor Bastards released "Old Time Suffering". Their new album is fresh, energetic and exuberant with a couple of outstanding songs. This year must be an all time low for new releases. In terms of quality, 2021 was a passable year considering the circumstances.

What about next year? I have adjusted my expectations down to zero. I will not be disappointed. Come what come may. I haven't turned into Ebenezer Scrooge yet. There's a difference between expecting and wishing. I haven't stopped wishing. I've had the same three wishes for six years in a row. Not much of prosperity, only adversity. The first wish: a new gothic country album from Christian Williams. This will come true. However, the artist is sovereign and not a tool for other people's expectations. The album will be ready when it's ready. I can wait. The second wish: a new album from The Victor Mourning. They have emerged with a new direction and a new name, Swarme of Beese. I'm not too worried. I don't think their new name and direction means a complete u-turn (read more here). This wish will come true in 2022. The have a new album coming up. It will be released on vinyl and available for download in high-quality format. The third wish: to acquire at least one of the hard-to-find four missing albums (read more here) and to get all albums from the defunct label Devil's Ruin Records (this is actually two wishes in one). The first part of the wish failed (as always), and the second part failed this year. I wish for the same three things in 2022. What about new album releases in 2022? Wovenhand's ninth album "Silver Sash" was initially scheduled to be released in 2020, then postponed to 2021 and now the release date is February 4, 2022. T.K. Bollinger is working on a physical release of the best songs from his 12 EPs. Hopefully, there will be more. I don't know. What I do know is that it's better to aim low and hit.