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With the proliferation of music online and off, it can be hard to separate the sucky from the superb. That difficulty in making crucial calls about cool tunes is what's led to the boom in music blogs. After all, we can all use the help of an editor.

One editor with his finger on the play button is Justin Gage. Founder of popular blog Aquarium Drunkard, Justin kicks knowledge to music fans each and every day. His genre and era-spanning love of music is apparent from his posts ranging from the brilliantly obscure to the funkily familiar.

We caught up with the busy Mr. Gage for a chat about inspiration, blogging, and music past, present, and future...

Hey Justin, when did you start Aquarium Drunkard (AD)? What was your impetus?

AD started in 2005 as a way to clue friends in to what I was into at the time, be it music, film, etc. The site took on a life of its own within a few months.

So it wasn't all about music in the beginning?

Initially, no, but I deleted the majority of the posts from the first couple of months once I realized I wanted it to solely focus on music.

Interesting. The beginning of a project is always painful when you look back...

Indeed! At the time there were, literally, only a handful of music blogs. Now there are thousands.

What tipped you to solely focus on music?

Well, it was mainly what I was writing about, so AD naturally and organically became solely a music blog.

Did you (or your friends) consider yourself a tastemaker when it came to music?

Yes. I have always 'played' that role going back to early high school. The blog is an extension of that.

What were you into back in high school?

Everything, really. My father was hyper into music so it came naturally. Off the top of my head: Fugazi, Slint, The Doors, Dinosaur Jr., Beatles, Pavement, and Sonic Youth was HUGE.

Have you always been working on a record collection?

Yeah, I've been heavy into collecting since I was 9 or 10. I still have "Thriller" and "Licensed to Ill" on vinyl from the mid-eighties.

When did you first become aware of MP3 files? What did you think at the time?

While in college (UGA, Athens, GA) in '96 or '97, a friend made me a rare eighties new wave compilation on CD-R. All files were found on the Internet. That was my first "a-ha" moment when I consciously realized the role the Net would play in music, and the way we listen, obtain, and share it.

You saw the digital future pretty clearly...

In a way, yes. When I first saw Winamp, my friend built us a homemade MP3 player. It was essentially an old desktop hard drive that played nothing but MP3 files through Winamp. We ran it through the stereo at our house and it was what we used to DJ parties. That was '98 or '99.

Napster came along around during that timeframe. Were you a download freak?

Like everyone, I loved the accessibility of Napster. Both for the one-off cheesy singles you'd never buy, and more specifically, the out-of-print and hard-to-find rarities.

So did you amass a digital collection to rival your physical collection?

Almost. I still buy 5 to 10 real CDs each week on average, so it would be hard to have that much digital as well. It's dangerous having Amoeba down the street.

So, back to the site. You started AD in 2005. When did MP3 blogs start to blow up?

Until 2006, there were a somewhat "manageable" amount, to the point I felt like I had at least heard of most of them. Sites like Said The Gramaphone, Chromewaves, and Fluxblog had already been at it for a few years. In hindsight, there seems to have been a vast influx of new music blogs in the past 18 months.

Right. Lots of them have come and gone. Did those folks not understand the level of dedication it takes to post regularly?

Yes, many of them quit after a few months. But there's always another waiting to take their place. I wish I had the time to investigate them all.

Which music blogs rock the hardest?

There are various styles to the different music blogs, but off the top of my head I think Chromewaves and Large Hearted Boy do the best job aggregating interesting music news and features. I really like Gorilla vs. Bear's "ear to the ground" approach to indie-centric stuff, and Soul Sides blows my mind on a regular basis with his deep knowledge of funk, R&B, soul, and hip-hop.

What's gives you the oomph to keep posting every day?

I truly love it. All AD is—is what's running through my head and/or stereo at a given moment. Whether it's a tune from 2007 or 1977.

Where do you stand on the complicated issue of copyright, file sharing, and music?

Well, it's obviously tricky. I personally think the sharing of music leads to more purchases of CDs, and most definitely a greater return in touring. Many artists have gained followings, in part, due to file sharing. They may not have gained those fans 10 years ago.

So how did your Sirius show come about?

They contacted me at the beginning of the year and asked if I would be interested in curating/hosting my own show. I had been doing a Little Radio show for a year and half prior.

Do you go to NYC to do it?

No, I do it here in LA in my office studio and it's engineered in NYC.

Wow. An office studio. Sounds fancy. Is it?

Ha! Not at all. It consists of a couple of computers, GarageBand, and a fancy mic.

Cool. And Sirius gives you a free hand? You just pick what you like?

Yes, I have complete control over the show, which is crucial.

Has the show on Sirius helped AD?

It's hard to say, but I do receive emails from folks all over the country who had not heard of the blog prior, so that's great and rewarding.

What's been the most gratifying thing about running AD?

Absolutely, 100%, the readership. Have met some super interesting people via the blog. Well, and starting up Autumn Tone Records.

You started up a small record label of your own?

Yes, at the tail end of 2005. I had always wanted to start a label.

Is there any music genre you're not a fan of? Or are you open ears?

My interest in hip-hop has really decreased over the years (Clipse excluded). And I'm not on board with this current dance phase (Justice, the revival of Daft Punk, etc.).

Is there one album in your mind that stands above the rest?

Over the past two and-a-half years, that award would go to The National's "Alligator" album. Nothing has come close to touching it in my opinion.

How many visitors does AD get these days?

About 45,000 vistors per week.

What's in the pipeline for the AD empire?

Well, the blog, the label, Sirius, my little radio show, my AD Presents live concert series, a book deal, and my involvement in the Hot Freaks festival curation group.

Full plate! We'll end with the heavy question. What is the future of music and the music business?

My guess is we will see much more artist involvement á la Radiohead last month. I think the days of giant labels are becoming a thing of the past. Now, with everyone able to get their stuff out on the net via MySpace or whatever, the role of blogs sifting though it all is more valuable than ever.

Thanks, Justin! May your supply of tunes never dry up.

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Yahoo!'s crack team of editors serves up the coolest, funniest, or quirkiest sites we encounter on the Web. Got a favorite new link of your own? Share it with us!