Stylus is dead...

...long live Stylus!

Tomorrow is Stylus' last day as a going concern. I joined as a writer at the end of May and am gutted that it is ending so soon, but everything that Todd (Burns, the editor) explained about his reasoning was completely understandable. I would not want to sacrifice for five days what he has sacrificed for five years for that site.

I applied to the site in May on a whim: I never thought I would be accepted. I knew Stylus had some of the best music writers on the internet, so I could barely believe it when I got the e-mail from Todd saying I'd got in. The same day I'd received good news about my final Uni grade: I was far happier about being accepted by Stylus than I was about getting a good Law degree.

Since news of it's closure emerged, I've been reading reaction on forums, in comments boxes and on other blogs. Of course, the sadness expressed has nothing to do with anything I've written, but it has filled me with more pride at just being part of the team for a short time. Even Simon Reynolds expressed great sadness about it on his blissblog, and he's one of the greatest music writers ever. Looking back at some of the articles and reviews we've published - handily compiled on 'A Bluffers Guide To Stylus' - is truly inspiring to a budding writer like myself.

It was a privilege to write for you Todd. I only wrote 11 album reviews, and 3 blurbs. I wish it could've been more, and that one day I might've written something deserving of a place on that Bluffers Guide. Tomorrow, the world of music journalism will weep, but real life will keep moving. I'll continue to write for The Skinny, and re-evaluate in the new year.