Welcome to Only The Host (OTH), a community of independent musicians and artists. Founded in 2022 by John Woodson (the Host), the OTH community began as a small circle of artists who shared  their music and thoughts with each other. Over time the community has grown to include hundreds of  musicians and listeners from all over the world. The community operates on several different platforms and has developed a sort of language of its own which may be confusing for newcomers. This guide should explain things and allow you to quickly start interacting with the community. 

The centerpiece of the OTH community is the Indie Music Hunt (IMH, or simply “the Hunt”), a livestreamed presentation that showcases music and videos from OTH artists. This is shown on YouTube Monday through Friday, usually (but not always) at 2:30 Eastern time (North America). A few hours before, The Host generally posts a link describing that day’s Hunt (along with the start time and a list of some of the artists whose tracks will appear that day) on his Twitter/X account. So the best way to start your involvement is to follow @onlythehost on Twitter/X. Hunts tend to last 1.5 to 2 hours, and are most notable for the diversity of styles and artists played.

Anyone can listen to the Indie Music Hunt; it is completely open to the public. Participation is hashtagged #dothething. The Hunt itself is presented in a video format, mostly involving the Host playing music like a DJ and adding occasional comments. Thus the livestream can simply be listened to like a playlist. However, the most interesting aspect is that all active listeners can and usually do comment on each track as it plays. This is like a live reaction video, with 20-50 people all providing input to each track as it plays. Feedback is mostly positive – a hallmark of the OTH community – but if you ask for constructive criticism you will get it. The live chat also includes plenty of humor and sidebar conversation. This chat is a great way to get to know other OTH artists, see their personalities, and hear the kinds of music they make. Most Hunts are posted for replay on YouTube, so if you miss one you can watch it later.

The community tends toward flavors of rock (everything from acoustic folk to death metal) with a healthy dose of synthwave, ambient, and dance music, but generally no style is excluded. Obscene language can be a barrier, however.