Why You Should Keep Up With Music Journalism
Articles about music used to be the most well-loved form of journalism, but today it isn’t seen as much. Here’s why and how you should seek it out.
Traditional music journalism has become less and less popular due to modern technology as well as platforms like Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Music. People don't read music critiques or articles about up-and-coming artists/ bands. Why bother when you can go and listen to the song for yourself? Former music editor for The Guardian, Michael Hann said, “The job of music writers is to offer the most reliable and honest information and to entertain their readers.” in a 2019 interview with XLR8R.
Before music streaming platforms became the primary way people listened to music, albums, and songs actually needed to be bought. Que; music journalists. One of the biggest reasons to read music reviews was so you could have some insight on the music before you went and spent a paycheck on it. Free ways to stream music have taken away much of the original purpose for music reviews. That said, there is an aspect to reading a professional’s review that scrolling through top charts just can’t give you. “Just listening without critical commentary doesn’t provide some often fascinating background on the music,” said Mike Diver, editor of the (now closed) BBC Album Reviews website.
There is no better way for an enthusiast to really understand the music they are listening to than reading an article about the song or album. Journalists often provide insight into the nuances of the music. They also provide background information about the artist, enabling the listener to listen to it from a different perspective. Knowing what the artist was actually writing their lyrics about, or what they were going through when they were making an album, can give deeper meaning to the music.
Reading music journalism is also a great way to learn about aspects of music. It can help a person develop their music vocabulary, making it easier to express in words what a person thinks does or does not work in a song. It helps a listener to pick out one small piece of a song and understand why it was incorporated. Surprise, that barely distinguishable note in the background is definitely there on purpose.
Today, journalists face a new issue; having to write articles that are likely to have a high amount of traffic. This is a problem because it changes what the reviewer will write about. Before the internet, journalists could write about what they felt needed attention. In the context of music journalism, that could mean writing about lesser-known artists or bands instead of catering to the public and writing about people that are already known. This type of music journalism is, “increasingly repetitive and less revelatory than it ever has been; outlets run competitive interviews and profiles carved from the same diminished portion of time and the same homogenous pool of artists,” according to Jeremy Gordon in an article written for Colombia Journalism Review.
When If you’re looking for music journalism, try to avoid columns that just confirm thoughts you already have about music, there's so much more out there. Wondering where to find some good music journalism? You can start with the classic, Rolling Stone magazine. One of their website's best features is the ‘artists you need to know’ section, which is filled with articles about artists from all genres. Stereogum, a music blog, and their album of the week column is absolutely worth checking out. Some other great ones are Variety, Pitchfork, and This Song Is Sick.
