SoundStageReview InterMedia (or SSR) is an international Music Photojournalism project that gives professional commentary and an insider’s look within the worldwide music industry, though with a highly artistic element involved. Our responsibility within independent media, (the connection between musicians and fans) is of paramount importance to SSR and is what stands us apart from many other related organisations within the Music Industry.

SoundStageReview was created by Music Photographer Katarzyna Łydka and myself [Shane Fenton] in 2007. Both Katarzyna and myself have always shared a common unadulterated fascination of music photojournalism. Together, we had been associated with projects in our respective countries and from that association we realised within the worldwide music industry there was a huge community of music photographers and literature journalist (ranging from ammeters to professionals) active in employment, yet we had no genuine web-based international community to speak of, so… SSR was conceived.

Originally, Katarzyna and I created SSR for journalists only, simply a community where industry advice, reviews, photography, interviews and concert experiences could be shared and experienced by music fans alike from around the world. Though within a few months we both realised this project is more important than to keep it segregated just for Music Media, so we opened up our arms and invited in the world to share and contribute to our vision and experiences.

Our mission

SSR has one simple conviction… Accuracy and Splendour! Both Katarzyna and I have experienced the advertisement driven media monster at its worst, the disgust of reading music interview that never actually took place, photography that has no creativity or passion within its capture and a general financial driven attitude that (in my opinion) does much more damage to this industry than good.

How many times do we see media organisations conduct a 5min interview, take a quick photo with artists whom are bored to death and then the interviewer write up some lifeless story that a barely literate child could create with entry level photography attached, it’s pretty wretched and in some ways, damaging to musicians and the overall industry, there is a saying, no degree of attention is bad in the media, I seriously disagree!

I like to think of SSR as a platform for storytelling, not just a quick half page filled with words and a stock photo like most articles. Katarzyna and I are huge fans of the older styles of photojournalism, when they would join musicians on tours or spend an entire day with a musician before and after the live show that night, exploring every aspect of a bands personality and write about it, capture it, share it with fans, because that what fans really want, they want to know that the musicians they adore are actually true and the messages they sing are not just fake for the sake of fame and money.

The advantage of this mentality is an artist is truly captured at a great era of their music legacy, images and words last an eternity, this is a vital factor taken very seriously by SSR and something Katarzyna and I religiously maintain within this evolving project.

SoundStageReview... Your Passion. Our Obsession!