THEMILKFACTORY – AN ANNOUNCEMENT

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Posted on Sep 10th 2012 11:04 pm

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Comments (16)

Dear friends,

At the end of September, it will have been thirteen years since themilkfactory first appeared. Along the way, I have met many people who have become friends, and discovered some amazing music and artists, some of whom are now amongst my all-time favourites.

themilkfactory has been a huge part of my life. I have spent many an evening writing until way past my bed time, just because I wanted to publish a review; rushed home after a gig so I could try to capture some of the essence of a performance, and generally devoted a lot of time to a site I have loved, often to the detriment of my life, and to my long-suffering partner.

Thirteen years is a long time, and it seems as good a moment as any to put the site to rest and move on to other things. It hasn’t been an easy decision to make, I have put it back many times, and I know I will be missing it dreadfully, but I also know it is the right decision. I will continue to publish reviews until the end of the month, and after that, the site will remain entirely accessible for the foreseeable future, but it will no longer be updated.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the artists, record labels and PR agencies for all their incredible support and help over the years; the contributors to the site who have kindly shares their passion and broaden my horizon, and that of the site; but mostly, I want to thank you, the people who have come to this site either occasionally or regularly, and made it all worth while.

Thirteen years is a long time, yet it feels like it’s all happened in a flash.

Thank you

themilkman

Filed in News |
Comments (16)

16 Responses to “THEMILKFACTORY – AN ANNOUNCEMENT”

  1. Andrewon 11 Sep 2012 at 1:41 am

    Wow so sorry to hear the Milk Factory is closing! I’ve been following the site for many years. It’s been one of my favorite sites and a great resource for finding the music that interests me. Thoughtfully curated reviews and great interviews have made the site an essential resource. You’ve turned me on to such great stuff. I know it’s selfish to say how bummed I am you’re closing the site, but things change and life goes on. Your labor of love has been greatly appreciated. Thanks for all the great reviews and interviews and all the hard work!

    Glad to hear your keeping the site up as an archive. Very cool.

    All the best for the new world milkman!

  2. Jimboon 11 Sep 2012 at 9:25 am

    All the best milky, your reviews have always been informative and your judgments sound. Cheers.

  3. Utility Playeron 11 Sep 2012 at 12:51 pm

    Your communications from the outer reaches of the Milky Way have been hugely appreciated. The signal to noise ratio has been strong, enabling me and many others to fine tune our ears. Thanks for the clarity, enthusiasm and support.

    Enjoy the new found space between the tracks.

  4. Christian Schornoon 11 Sep 2012 at 1:04 pm

    What a pity, dear milkman, but your reasons have to be respected. I know what you are talking about and I know how it must be for your suffering partner.
    I will miss your insightful articles and reviews a lot. They were a great and welcome complement to other blogs and services.
    What strikes me a lot is the fact that you have no contributors who can take over and continue what you started so successful.
    So thank you indeed for all the nights you spent writing and for letting the site accessible.
    Christian Schorno

  5. Colinon 13 Sep 2012 at 6:18 pm

    Sorry to see you go, but I understand the feeling entirely. Thanks for publishing themilkfactory, it’s been a great resource over the years and I’m glad to have contributed to it in however miniscule a way.

    Hardformat salutes you! :-)

  6. themilkmanon 14 Sep 2012 at 1:41 am

    Guys, thank you very much for the kind words and thoughts.

    Christian, there were a few contributors for a while, and that was great for me and for the site, but things came back to just being me progressively a little while ago. I would probably find it hard to let someone else take over and put their stamp on it, and I guess it is time for others to do their own thing. The site will remain accessible for the forseeable future, and I might actually bring some of the older reviews into it at some point, so it acts as some kind of archive… Who knows.

    Colin, you have contributed more than I could ever thank you for, and helped making the site what it is with the reviews and features you have kindly provided. I have appreciated you writing for the site and I know we will keep in touch through our various interests.

  7. Decemberemberson 21 Sep 2012 at 1:23 am

    I’d only just become a regular reader of your site, but you have an amazing perspective on music and I’ll definitely be using your archives as a major source of developing the more abstract side of my music taste.

    In particular I love you for repping last year’s Jenny Hval record, probably my favourite record of the last 5 years.

    Thankyou very much and best of luck.

  8. Headphone Commuteon 23 Sep 2012 at 1:38 pm

    Hey man… Thirteen years is indeed a very long time, and I wish you the best of luck! If anyone understands how difficult it is to keep up with music it’s me. And I can only aspire to the work and time you have put into the Milk Factory. It was always a great resource and an inspiration to me. Keep in touch, and know that my door is always open in case you wanted to reach to your audience again…
    ~HC
    headphonecommute.com

  9. Ianon 23 Sep 2012 at 2:56 pm

    Only just heard the news about this. The Milk Factory was, in my opinion, one of the finest sources of information and review for new releases which covered so much ground. Thank you so much for everything you have done and best of luck x

  10. jon yellow6on 23 Sep 2012 at 5:14 pm

    many thanks for all those years, and in particular for the support of my music, and for introducing me to lots of sounds i would never have checked out otherwise.
    best of luck for your future endeavours
    jon.

  11. orchestramaxon 29 Sep 2012 at 3:28 am

    Dear Bruno,

    Thanks for the support in the past and I wish you the best in the future. The Milk Factory will be immensely missed.

    Peace,

    -mf-

  12. Andrewon 19 Oct 2012 at 6:00 pm

    I know the site is closed but I thought I’d ask if you have any recommendations for blogs/reviewers that have similar tastes/style as your excellent, recently retired blog? Any directions you can point to would be great! Hope you are enjoying retirement!

  13. Trey Phillipson 29 Oct 2012 at 9:35 pm

    This is very sad news; I’ve had your webpage set right at the top of my favourites since 2004 when I first discovered your reviews and I can’t describe how much diversity you’ve introduced into my listening since then and how many happy moments when listening to an album that came through the post that you’ve recommended.

    Change has happened in many forms for me this year and I’m beginning to think maybe it’s not just me; that everyone has required a change for 2012 and I’m sure you’re do well with it milkman.

    Take care and thank you from the bottom of my heart,

    Trey.

  14. Brianon 07 Jan 2013 at 5:26 pm

    Very sorry to see the site go. You consistently helped me find bands I like and/or wanted to like and I very much appreciate it.

  15. Drixon 20 Jan 2013 at 12:23 am

    Sad to see it go, but there is still tons of articles and reviews I haven’t read, and I keep finding hidden gems all over this place, so a big thank you for all the work you have put into this. I have followed you on and off for many years and you have been a driving force in me starting my own site a few years ago. It’s no longer updated either and I guess for many of the same reasons you have for shutting this down. Good luck forward with whatever you do! You have added a much needed voice to music not often written about online or offline.

  16. yuvalgoon 22 Jan 2013 at 1:35 pm

    Thank you and good luck!
    You will be missed.