Pauseandplay.com, dubbed “a terrific source for album
release dates” by Entertainment Weekly in its“100
Greatest Websites” list, is turning 15 on October 1, 2012.
“Surviving this long amid 180-degree changes in the music industry is an example of people’s unwavering passion for music,” says site founder Gerry Galipault.
“Surviving this long amid 180-degree changes in the music industry is an example of people’s unwavering passion for music,” says site founder Gerry Galipault.
“If they didn't still love music, my site wouldn't exist,” he
says.
When the St. Petersburg, FL-based Pauseandplay.com was launched on October 1, 1997, it was a completely different world. President Clinton was in his second term, Steve Jobs returned to Apple, Michael Jackson was a first-time father, “Tubthumping” was all the rage, MTV still played music videos, and Princess Diana was killed in a car crash just a month earlier.
There was no Napster, Google, iTunes, iPhones, e-readers, MySpace or YouTube; Amazon.com was essentially an online bookstore. And people bought their music at incense-filled places called record stores.
“At first, Pauseandplay was a vehicle for my artist interviews,” Galipault says. “As time went by, I started collecting album release dates, keeping track of when albums were coming out. It was mostly for my own benefit so I could decide who I wanted to interview.
“Eventually, these release dates would get the most attention on my little one-man site. Readers were feeding me information about their favorite bands. The lists kept getting bigger and bigger.”
It also caught the eye of Entertainment Weekly. In 2007, the pop-culture magazine included Pauseandplay.com on its first list of “100 Greatest Websites.” It was one of only 17 music sites to be selected, joining the likes of AllMusic, Pitchfork and Pollstar. When EW revised its list last year, Pauseandplay.com remained in the lineup.
Pauseandplay.com doesn’t just list album release dates. It also keeps tabs on the latest MP3s and music-related DVDs/Blu-rays and books.
Galipault is the proud father of three children … and his website.
“Knock on wood, there will be 15 more years and then some,” he says. “True story. The other day, I got an email from a prominent indie record company; their publicist had noticed that his label's releases weren't included on a retailer's weekly email newsletter. When he asked them why, they said they get all their info from Pauseandplay. He said he was going to be more diligent about keeping me updated on his future releases. That totally made my day.”
When the St. Petersburg, FL-based Pauseandplay.com was launched on October 1, 1997, it was a completely different world. President Clinton was in his second term, Steve Jobs returned to Apple, Michael Jackson was a first-time father, “Tubthumping” was all the rage, MTV still played music videos, and Princess Diana was killed in a car crash just a month earlier.
There was no Napster, Google, iTunes, iPhones, e-readers, MySpace or YouTube; Amazon.com was essentially an online bookstore. And people bought their music at incense-filled places called record stores.
“At first, Pauseandplay was a vehicle for my artist interviews,” Galipault says. “As time went by, I started collecting album release dates, keeping track of when albums were coming out. It was mostly for my own benefit so I could decide who I wanted to interview.
“Eventually, these release dates would get the most attention on my little one-man site. Readers were feeding me information about their favorite bands. The lists kept getting bigger and bigger.”
It also caught the eye of Entertainment Weekly. In 2007, the pop-culture magazine included Pauseandplay.com on its first list of “100 Greatest Websites.” It was one of only 17 music sites to be selected, joining the likes of AllMusic, Pitchfork and Pollstar. When EW revised its list last year, Pauseandplay.com remained in the lineup.
Pauseandplay.com doesn’t just list album release dates. It also keeps tabs on the latest MP3s and music-related DVDs/Blu-rays and books.
Galipault is the proud father of three children … and his website.
“Knock on wood, there will be 15 more years and then some,” he says. “True story. The other day, I got an email from a prominent indie record company; their publicist had noticed that his label's releases weren't included on a retailer's weekly email newsletter. When he asked them why, they said they get all their info from Pauseandplay. He said he was going to be more diligent about keeping me updated on his future releases. That totally made my day.”
Galipault hopes to take Pauseandplay.com to the next level
and partner with a national or global music web or print publication to benefit
readers and music lovers.
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