Goodbye, Substack

Loops will wind down as I go back to reporting full-time.

To all Loops subscribers, both new and old,

From the start, I envisioned Loops as a personal space—somewhere I could create without the pressures of scale, marketing, or the relentless pace of the media industry. It began with simply sharing my favorite music, though I approached it like a challenge. While crafting a newsletter was part of the fun, what truly intrigued me was discovering if I could actually make it happen.

Last year, I introduced paid subscriptions for Loops via Substack, and over two dozen of you—mainly close friends and family—chose to support me through monthly or annual plans. In return, I put out a series of interviews and podcast episodes with Denver and Front Range artists, including metal-ambient mavens Midwife and Paul Riedl, indie rock bands Kiltro and Isadora Eden, and boundary pushers Iron Hox and Pink Lady Monster. I reviewed shows and the Loudmen residency at Stay Tuned, which closed down months later. I also hosted guest mixes by local DJs, including Mitch Smith (also of Loudmen) and Vicky Burp. If there's one thing that connects these artists beyond their shared location, it's their deep respect and admiration for the musical history they feel a part of. Through Loops on Substack, we captured a unique moment and place in that history—something I hope resonates far beyond Denver for others to discover.

This work was personally meaningful, and being able to do it at my own pace was essential. However, I often wondered if that approach was fair to the paid subscribers and their expectations for a regular publishing schedule. Earlier this year, I paused paid subscriptions to focus on pursuing other journalism opportunities. And I found one: In December, I'll be the Denver Post’s new food reporter.

This seems like the right time to announce the end of Loops on Substack. The channel will be archived, existing paid subscriptions will be cancelled, and email subscribers will be transferred to my professional page. From now on, you’ll find any newsletters, blog posts, or personal writing there.

I’ll still write about music—I doubt I could stop—but it will be less frequent as I immerse myself in the culinary world and food writing. There are other topics I want to explore too, and I hope you’ll see some of that on my page in the future.

Thank you to every artist who took the time to meet with me and discuss their music. Your willingness to share made all of this possible. Thanks to Lauryn Lesley for a terrific logo, Ben Kothe for art and Hannah Covington and Faith Miller for copy editing. And thank you to every subscriber, especially those who have followed me across platforms since 2017. A special shoutout to my paid subscribers and 'Founding Members,' who supported me through major career transitions and believed in my work.

I won’t ask all of you to subscribe to the Denver Post, but that’s where you’ll probably find me. Either there or behind the decks.

Until then,

Miguel