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Community improvements

First off, thank you so much for writing an article ("The Music World Is Flat," Arts, June 17, 2011) highlighting the work of some of my favorite bloggers and FMLY. As a musician myself, I owe so many of my small successes to the love and support of friends I've made through music blogs. On the other hand, I did find myself cringing when I saw the sentence "Internet is the new local." While the Web is an invaluable tool for making connections and staying inspired, I believe wholeheartedly that the local scene is what is most important. Ultimately, it is what affects your day-to-day quality of life, ranging from creative people not moving away and independent venues staying open to more local collaboration and better art being produced in your town. While making songs and sending them to my Internet fans feels great; it never feels real the same way that playing a show or having a drink with a like-minded musician does. I just want to urge young artists, no matter how introverted, to find a balance between supporting Web-only labels and supporting bands in their immediate vicinity trying to make the community more vibrant.

JORDAN LEE
ALLSTON

SHINING THE JEWEL

Thanks for your July 8 editorial, "An Urban Jewel." It may be of interest to your readers to know that the citizens advisory committee (CAC) appointed by Mayor Thomas Menino has met for more than two years to review the revitalization plans for the Christian Science Plaza and has already held 21 public working sessions during that time. The majority of the CAC supports the plan, and concluded a letter to the Boston Redevelopment Authority in November 2010 by saying, "All in all, the development should be a significant improvement for the area, and provide additional generations of Bostonians a wonderful public amenity supported by private funds."

ERIC BASHOR
THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST
BOSTON