MusicJournalismRIP has written the following articles:
The death of the music critic I can live with, though I’d rather not. If the music writer is dead it’s really time to stir shit up. The critic dissects, the writer makes the music come alive.»
I chose to become a music critic in Brisbane, Australia as a stupid 19-year old in June 2007, after reading a factually incorrect and otherwise poorly written review of a show that I’d attended. Two years later, I’d like to think that my critical analysis skills have markedly improved, but I’d probably be disappointed.»
The recent death of pop-political scatologist Swells has prompted fresh introspection among music journalists.»
Louis Pattison talks us through the strange and cryptic lore behind assigning numbers to records»
A herd mentality replaced enjoyable argument. We lost, they won. Pity the brave soul who asks if Bon Iver (or whoever) might not actually be a tiny bit over-celebrated, if he/she wants to be commissioned again.»
A five point guide to starting a music magazine from Everett True»
Everett True asked me to tell you about some music journalism that interests me. There were a few problems with what he asked; firstly, his injunction to privilege slightly more under-appreciated or under-known examples of good music criticism – to “[steer] as far away from the obvious ones as possible,” in his own words. This will make sense to anyone who’s sufficiently au fait with Everett’s ideological position regarding the almost inherent validity of underground modes of expression.»
The day that I realised my girlfriend wanted to leave me for a musician was the day I discovered a burning interest in music criticism.»
I figured out long ago that music critics weren’t to be trusted. Journalism in post-modern times is a cynical business; everyone knows that there can no longer be any talk of the “new big thing”...»
I wanted to be a music critic. I became a games one. There had to be a reason for that. I have to believe there’s a reason for that...»
One of the main issues with music criticism and the Internet lies in the fact that anyone can post a review online and call themselves a critic. If they could honestly label themselves that way, where is the art in being a critic? If anyone can write a review, what justifies the column inches and salaries earned by critics?»
What we’re talking about – the public expression of opinion about cultural product – doesn’t really have a name that does it justice. Let’s use ‘criticism’ for the moment, but any single word that can encompass TS Eliot and Britain’s Got Talent is so vague as to be essentially meaningless. Maybe we should break it down further: critics; reviewers; pundits; judges; arbiters; theorists; tastemakers; hacks; bloggers; spin doctors; PR ninjas; purveyors of artistic snake oil.»
A day in the life of a music critic, according to John Robb.»
The last issues of Plan B Magazine finally departed from shelves at the end of July. kicking_k, former section editor and staff writer, spoke to himself about it...»
Ten bits of advice from someone without a clue – the Neil Kulkarni guide to being a record-reviewer...»
