It had been nearly 2 years of making music on iOS. I made my 1st all iOS track on my birthday May 2nd 2009. I had already signed with an indie music label that would release my first all iOS made electronic music. That was FatelessFlowsRecords, (who had been and I think is still working their website?) and they released my first album “Technopolis Lost” in October 2011. Before that release, one of the things they asked me to do was a blog of some sort. I hated the idea. I didn’t want to do it at all. I didn’t think anyone would care, so what would be the point? They suggested (insisted really) I just write about what I was doing musically with my iPod Touch and iPad; the experiences and such. Again I thought it was uninteresting.
I just wanted to make music and thought a blog would only be a distraction. After some thinking and a little pressure from FF to get moving. April 20th 2011, I decided to build a small page, tried out some names, and was gifted my domain name shortly after. I consider April 21st 2011, the “Birthday” as that was the day I committed to doing this and built the first page, but later scrapped it. It wasn’t until early May around my actual Birthday (May 2nd) I settled on a name, theme, and started posting, first official post was May 11 2011 on this blog. I decided to just write reviews of the music apps I liked and a little bit about how I used them. My niche would be that I would only write about the best apps I felt were good for people taking iOS music seriously from the artist perspective. I wouldn’t accept payment, or use LinkShare. If I don’t buy an app myself, I only accept promo codes to redeem music apps in exchange for an honest review. It would be, and has been, a service I hope to provide to anyone interested. I only want to be of some help. No news, press releases, or sales involved. Just reviews of the apps I use or would recommend, and sometimes post about my personal experiences as an artist using them. Simple. I am glad I did it. I’ve met (none in person) loads of really interesting, and talented people who have largely been very supportive of my blog and music. I have made friends, and learned a lot from everyone that has interacted with me.

I have had the opportunity to experience numerous music apps I may not have otherwise had the chance to were it not for my blog. Some great apps, some mediocre ones, and on occasion a real turd hit my devices. I just didn’t write about the turds.
Most developers I encountered were happy to have me write a review of their music app. Some ignored me completely, but those jerks were expected since most were huge names in the music business. They have no interest in real world end users with names they’ve not heard or seen in lights.

The existing iOS music bloggers welcomed me warmly. I honestly was not expecting a friendly greeting. However they did just that. A few even very kindly helped me with my questions and offered helpful advice. They followed me on Twitter quickly, reTweeted my posts, invited me to write a few guest reviews for their .com, and even reposted my reviews on their site. They continue to show support today.

It’s been a lot of fun, and only mildly stressful. I remember being contacted by a couple developers who I hold in high regard. Two developers in particular wanted to speak with me. The first developer invited me to a Skype chat. He wanted to tell me some things he thought were very important. Not one to ignore free advice from a knowledgable source, I accepted. We had a very friendly conversation, he offered great advice and I was very grateful. Its hard to remember the details but I won’t forget his name. Sebastian Dittmann.
The other developer sent me a private message asking for my phone number and a good time to call me. I was really surprised, and it made me very nervous. I gave him my phone number, and waited for him to call. I was overly concerned about his intentions, and kept thinking I had somehow done or said something terribly wrong. When that call came, my nerves subsided and we ended up having a friendly chat about his music apps, and iOS music in general. When I asked him why he wanted to call me, he said, “just to say hi”. It was an enjoyable and enlightening conversation. Particularly memorable to me since it was Jordan Rudess, and I am a fan of his music and skill.

Most interactions have been just as friendly, but always online somehow. Communications have been largely by email, or Twitter.
My point is that I am very grateful to everyone who has taken the time to converse with me in any form. Whether it was just to say hello, chat, advise, help, or even counsel, all have been instrumental in how and why I continue on with my blog. Not to mention the support of my music in many cases as well.

In closing I want to say with much sincerity, thank you for reading and supporting my little blog, and music for these first 2 (4 for the music part) years. I really hope you have found it helpful, useful and/or enjoyable. I will do my best to continue bringing much more as time goes on. Your support has made all the difference.
If anyone feels especially supportive of my efforts, and since I do not ask for donations, preferring to exchange something for another, some of my 100% iOS-made music can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby.com, or most online digital music retailers. Just look or search for: SmiteMatter “Technopolis Lost”.
No links, just if it feels right to you. It would certainly mean a lot to me. Artist first, blogger second.

Additionally I want to thank the following blogs for early support, regularly reposting and or referring my reviews on their blogs and websites.
iDesignSound, PalmSounds, iOSMusicianBlog, iOSMusicAndYou.
I hope I didn’t leave anyone out. Tell me if I did so I can fix that.

P.S. Say no to wires!