Home » Community Blog » Publisher's Desk

History of the Jazz Web

By Michael Ricci
June 21, 2023
5,558 Views

History of the Jazz Web: History of the Jazz Web

A friend recently queried ChatGPT with "The First Jazz Website" and emailed me the results (see below). As we've come to learn, AI needs fact checking and in this case, if it were 100% accurate, Jazz Online and Jazz Central Station would have appeared on this list and above JazzTimes and Downbeat (relative late comers).

In the early days, the websites that pushed the envelope were AAJ, Jazz Online, Jazz Central Station (a heavily-funded, resource-intensive website built during 14.4 dial-up times) and to a lesser extent, Jazz Review (US). All predated blogs by 8-9 years.

What I loved most about the early days of the internet (circa 1995-1999) was the freedom to experiment and explore without having to adhere to established standards. In many ways, we set the standards. Blogs became a thing around the launching of WordPress and Google's Blogger in 2003-2004. Speaking of WordPress and their connection to jazz... the content management system began a tradition (in January 2004) of naming its major releases after famous jazz musicians and named version 1.0 "Davis" after the Prince of Darkness.

As an aside, I couldn't help but notice Chat GPT referred to our community—meaning you—as vibrant. Vibrant is nice, but I think AI can do better.

Posted to Publisher's Desk IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Funding 2023 and Beyond
< Previous

This & That: June 2023
Next >

Comments

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.