The music industry is in motion.  And despite my lowly rank as Industry Outsider, with amateur-at-best musical expertise, even I can see that.  Nick Rios, co-founder of crunkbox.com, and his cohorts see the industry is in motion, too.  I think they're on to something.  Every conversation I've ever had with Nick somehow winds its way back to Crunkbox.com, and inevitably, I had to ask:

What is Crunkbox?

Looking back on it now, I can't recall exactly what I was told, but whatever the answer, (and this is hard to do) I was satisfied.  As of late, this same question has been posed to me.  I did a little research.  I went straight to the source.  Surprisingly, the masterminds behind Crunkbox.com were more than hospitable, granting me glances at their business model, tours of their massive financial projection sheets, and they humored me through my detailed inquisition.

I was briefed on dozens of channels constructed for communication among artists, agents, journalists and fans.  E-commerce is ready for launch; Virtual cubby-holes await contribution.  They have even built an online storefront to buy everything from CDs and MP3s to ball caps and baby T-'s to support this Indie community.  If nothing else, Crunkbox.com provides resources- competent writers, creative support, promotion opportunities, CD duplication and distribution- All for the love of Indie music.

But what is Crunkbox?  Moving from the construction of the site, documentation of developers' discussions revealed more detail.  This site is about to upload the mother load of interesting and engaging music industry news and information.  Now-empty forums will soon lend a soapbox to musical opinion, and open blog space will encourage the communication among us of appreciation for and frustrations about the music industry.  One can only conclude this project could quite possibly serve as a future benchmark for major shifts in the way we participate in the Indie community and the way the industry reacts.

Recently, Nick and the Crunkbox crew turned efforts to recruiting aspiring music journalists in underground Indie markets: Boston, Philadelphia, Austin and Denver.  In return for clever and quick-witted journalism, Crunkbox.com offers access to an eager audience and exposure to its talented Indie writers.

It is a platform built to showcase the newest of all Indie music genres- rock, reggae, hip-hop, blues, electronic, jazz and more.  Crunkbox.com provides a home base for independent artists and journalists via profile space, music downloads, photos, communication with fans- all without breaking what is often the half-empty bank.  Crunkbox also supports musicians' efforts to market to potential investors: agents, producers, and the occasional random wealthy fan.  It happens.

In conversation, Rios conveyed his wishes to see artists, agents, journalists and fans use Crunkbox.com's myriad of resources to build sub-communities and share their info, advice and personal experience.

But what is Crunkbox?  Under stacks of background on this young site sat dialog upon dialog addressing exactly this question, and though no two responses were an exact match, you could see the common thread.  It seems that Crunkbox.com churns in a virtual glass bowl, cogs exposed, and calls you to find your place in it.  Could I venture to say, we are all a part of Crunkbox, whether we know it or not?

Nick ponders the question, not for the first time, "In many conversations...I hit this awkward moment...It's as if 'crunkbox' is just outside the comfort zone...And I love that."

But it doesn't stop there, "...the name simply means 'bad-ass computer platform'..."

CRUNK (adj.) - tight; awesome.
BOX (n.) - slang term for computer system or general interface.

"And voila."

Amidst slips of paper, late night conversation, and what can be termed interCRUNKd communications, is the desire for Crunkbox.com to become the link between agents and artists, and the producers and investors capable of propelling them forward.

I set out to find an answer.  I ended up with an industry article.  I definitively reply to the question, "What is Crunkbox?" Crunkbox is a main stage built by music fans, for music fans.  And here, we are all fans.

Nick Rios seems to watch us patiently backstage, hoping we make ourselves the underground music heroes he is too modest to admit he may soon become, letting us do what we will with a site that emerged in large part through a passion for music and overnight binges of code writing and interface design.

This venture has serious potential to become the ear of underground, exposing Indie labels to the sounds within.  Crunkbox.com is about music the fans want to hear, agents who have seen it, journalists who can tell about it, and professionals who can make things happen.  Perhaps it will bring a little Indie label competition back.

See you at the next show!
Blue Orchid