The Chat is Open
Imagine the slacker table in the high school cafeteria, but for grownups who get really excited about new music
Today I’m (formally) announcing a new addition to the Substack: a New Bands for Old Heads subscriber chat. Think of it like an open discussion forum that lives independently of individual posts. Or like an incredibly slow and asynchronous AOL chatroom of yore.
Substack really really wants me to make this a paid-only space. And I will probably make some juicy, premium chat threads at some point, because a girl has gotta pay her bills. But the thing is that I want this whole newsletter, the entirety of New Bands for Old Heads, to be an open discussion forum. The idea that music discovery and the community around it should be commodified feels weird to me. Plus TikTok is increasingly hostile for this sort of thing, so let’s just hang out here where there aren’t character limits, maybe?
So far I’ve posted a few threads — for introductions, for nostalgia, for thoughts on gatekeeping music. But you can start discussions, too.
Some of you are there already, so you know the drill. For the rest of you, I hope you’ll come join us.
Keep scrolling for more detailed instructions.
See ya!
-Gabbie
How to get started
Get the Substack app by clicking this link or the button below. New chat threads won’t be sent sent via email, so turn on push notifications so you don’t miss conversation as it happens. You can also access chat on the web.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.