Blog 3 - Critics, Reviewers and Journalists

The Gatekeepers!

In Week 11 of my Industry class at University, we've covered the topic of Media. How to converse with media, the origins of critics and reviewers, what the media looks for. It's a pretty interesting topic, and i'm sure a lot of musicians would agree with my reserved feelings on the matter.

It's pretty similar as all the focus that we put into Social Media, and how that focus takes away from the music. Reviewers and critics have been around since the 1700s in France, where the first art critics started cropping up. It's always going to be a part of consumerism, people pay for a product, and they will tell you how the feel about that product. Constructive criticism from the public is important when producing a tangible product to facilitate their needs, however i feel it's less important in the world of music.

Now that's not to say that i don't think it has any place. Critique and music discussion is one of my favourite things to do and what better ways to spark those great conversations then to read reviews on new albums and compare. The real gripe i have with the mainstream music media is that it isn't objective discussion, it's sales. Seems like the only way to maintain musical integrity in the current creative climate is just to be independent and drop your chances of making a substantial living tenfold.

That's not to say you can't find great, insightful music discussions, you just have to find like minded individuals, generally in little independent magazines or websites. Guys like Pilerats or i probably hate your band, will actually give you relevant reviews and discussions with good Aussie musicians.

The gatekeepers as my Lecturer Tim Dalton called them, are the bouncers standing at the door to the major labels, magazines and eventually the public eye. These are the guys that decide who has something that they can market to the world, who has got the look and the flavour of the month music.

Most of what i've learnt through this trimester of CIU is that i need to navigate this Industry with care, and hold on to my values. One of my favourite producers Steve Albini has never signed a contract, and he produced In utero Nirvanas follow up to Nevermind, probably one of the most anticipated albums in the world. He takes no royalties, just his pay and records an amazing album. If a guy like that can hold on to his punk values and record some of my favourite and successful albums in the world (Pixies, Jawbreaker), then we all can stay true to our own values.

This is just page one of the "proposal" he wrote to Nirvana, you can read the rest from the link at the bottom if you'd like.