Daytrotter is not your typical music “blog,” but typical isn’t what Daytrotter is about anyway, so it’s members aren’t worried about what you call it. Run by a group of passionate and creative writers, illustrators, and recording enthusiasts based in Rock Island, IL, this collective has quickly become one of the more influential music sites on the web thanks to their ability to attract amazing underground and independent acts into their studios for their “Daytrotter Sessions.” Daytrotter’s Sean Moeller (pictured left.. um, below, not the horse) was kind enough to answer a few questions about the site after being dubbed Best Music Blog by Hey! Nielsen members.

How and why did you start Daytrotter?
SM: Well, it was a quick sort of thing. We got the idea, rounded up one other troop besides myself and went to action. Bought ourselves a little domain with a made up name and then invited Catfish Haven and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin in to record with us. We were green and just hoped we could make something worthwhile that wouldn’t just be wallpaper or a wall flower, but would actually throw a little bit of originality out there onto the endless glowing pages of the Internet machine.

How do you deal with the issue of posting MP3s? What is your policy or agreement with labels, if any?
We don’t have any issues. Basically, we do everything with a gentleman’s handshake. We don’t have bands or labels sign anything. They retain all rights to their songs and it keeps everything friendly. We’re their servants in a way. Daytrotter exists to help these great artists make money doing the things that they do best. If there are ways that we can help them, we’re going to do that and the bands and labels appreciate that and I think they appreciate us. It’s a win-win situation for everyone and in the music industry/world, those situations are rare.

How did the “Sessions” come about?
The sessions were the glue. They’re just one of the things that I hope makes us interesting, but I’d never lie. They’re what make us the most interesting. I wasn’t going to start doing something like this without being unique and yeah, it’s a hard thing to pull off, but it’s been worth the effort. We just wanted to be special and memorable. These four-song sets are also long enough and short enough to give listeners a perfect impression of a band.

How is your point of view different that of some of the more well-known music sites or more established blogs?
I don’t really know how to answer that objectively. My point of view is just to be meaningful and not a part of throw-away culture. There’s too much of that out there. We really just want to help bands exist instead of feeling the pressure to cave and get a real job after two records and five US tours. I don’t like great band fatalities. We are passionate about something in a way that extends well beyond fandom. We’re in the appreciation business, but I want Daytrotter to be legendary — not just part of a roll call — and I think if we can be that, we’re going to help a lot of bands exist and keep on making terrific music.

What do you know about your readers?
We know that we have a lot of diehards who would go to the mattresses for us. They seem to be swell, upstanding people. They’re young for the most part. They’re mostly dudes and we’re trying to change both of those aspects to make it even out a little more. We want some more ladies and we want some more baby boomers on our site. I feel that Daytrotter is a very non-discriminatory little haven. If you’re 18 and checking out Vampire Weekend or 45 and checking out Vampire Weekend, you shouldn’t feel excluded. I just think the music that we put up on the site multiple times a week should be all-inclusive. I think everyone should know who Blitzen Trapper and Mac Lethal are, not just the kids.

What are your five favorite music sites/blogs?
I love Said The Gramophone, La Blogotheque, Gorilla Vs. Bear, Catbirdseat and a bunch of others are tied for fifth.

What do you want to be when you grow up / Where will your site be five years from now?
This is what I want to do and I’m doing it. I’m not all that young (29) and I think I’ve created my dream job. The site hopefully will be as on the tips of tongues as easily and omnipresently as Pitchfork’s. We’ve got some exciting things up our sleeves for 2008 that I can’t talk about them just yet. It’s going to be sick. Get ready.

What were some of the first albums that you bought? Do people buy albums? Do they still call them albums?
I buy tons and tons of albums and that’s exactly what I call them. The first records that I bought were by P.M. Dawn and Boyz II Men. They were great, great records and I need to hunt them down.

What was your favorite live show this year / ever?
This year, it was probably Dr. Dog and Black Keys in St. Louis or Vampire Weekend here in Rock Island at the pizza parlor. Ever, I still have a fondness for the Spacehog show I saw in Peoria. I think it just came at the right time, though I’ve been forever changed by the first show I ever saw — The Meat Puppets opening for Primus. Without that night and those two bands, Daytrotter wouldn’t exist.

If you could add a category to a music awards show, what would it be and who would win it?
No awards show is capable of doing anything for me because even something like a people’s choice award is not being given by people like me. I can’t think of anything. Awards don’t matter. The only award ever worth a damn is best album of the year. It’s what everyone should strive to do.

What’s the next great band everyone should know about?
I’ve got 500: The Deadly Syndrome, Grand Ole Party, The Dodos, Luke Temple, Harlem Shakes, The Subjects, Delta Spirit, Richard Swift, We Barbarians, Plain White Ts, The Teeth and Golden Boots.