Essay Example on In the 1920s a heyday of bourgeois music criticism Rose

In the 1920s a heyday of bourgeois music criticism rose with many greats in this field such as Alfred Kerr and Alfred Polgar Since that pluralism of opinion and judgement of artistic work based on democratic standards and with professional competence are always practiced after Music journalism as a special writing career in music industry has always been acknowledged as an important space of mediation between artists and consumers It elevates the integrity of the industry It does not only reflect reality of competitive environment but also injects vitality into the art form Different media outlets provide varying levels of a wide range music coverage of interest to their readers from new release reviews to interviews with musicians passing through town Many freelance journalists provide extensive coverage on the local music scene General interest print magazines and websites sometimes prefer to publish in depth interviews with music artists and when they are featured on covers Stories like these allow music journalists to humanise the artist and give audience a look into the artist's real life In this way they can peel away the façade and avoid tabloid style journalism Review is the most common type Many journalists analyse the lyrics the production or the way the songs are constructed 

The priority is always to let public understand what makes it good or bad Sometimes previous work the artist has done can be linked as well to establish a difference Meanwhile opinionated and critical analysis of performance is also available Before the collapse of the traditional economic structure of music journalism there are some specialised professionals Though Joachim Kaiser who should always be taken account in this field once cites that music criticism has the function of absorbing some of the disinformation that overburdens the citizen which is a thought provoking view music critics still count for the business To make art out of someone else s art they give music adequate coverage and spring up the industry Robert Thomas Christgau an American essayist self proclaimed Dean of American Rock Critics is a famous music journalist As one of the earliest professional rock critics he is well known for his terse capsule reviews published from 1969 to 2013 in his Consumer Guide Columns in the Village Voice He has served as music editor for the publication for 37 years Christgau makes the first attempt to give album a letter grade ranging from A to E During this period he created the annual Pazz Jop which is published every February along with his essay analysing the results and pondering the year s overall musical output 

Christgau's blurbs are like no one else s Slate music critic Jody Rosen cites dense with ideas and allusions first-person confessions and invective highbrow references and slang Spin magazine also writes that all critics are in some sense Christauians There are more people influenced by Christgau now become freelance music journalists But commercial weight of music journalism has already been recognised since before especially for its historical role as an important referent in promotion strategies Back to days before digital era music journalist used to receive albums before everyone else and enjoy exclusive access to performing artists As consumers were understandably a little hesitant to spend money they gave people a reason with the five star rating system It is a two way mechanism running in music industry as well for the primary music format another method to review a piece of work is based on its sales number Music magazines such as Rolling Stone Billboard and Complex have been a window for public to look inside the industry Although appearing different writing styles and attitudes these publications were heavily influenced by a short-lived fanzine Mojo Navigator which is the product of youth and counterculture beforehand 

This predecessor was started in San Francisco focusing on interview of local musicians However over the last decade with the emergence of Internet and varieties of social networks nearly everyone has cheap access to powerful tools and a free way to distribute content As a result emerging media has also changed the mechanics of music journalism For instance Pitchfork which is a well known American online music magazine devoted to music journalism news album reviews and feature stories was initially inspired by locally run fanzines and blogs Its founder Ryan Schreiber who was working in a record store at the time was deeply impressed by the phenomenon that good album reviews equalled good sales Very different from traditional music journalism Pitchfork doesn't just provide music recommendations it delivers numerous of messages in music industry instantly With a wide demographic Pitchfork develops a reputation for its extensive focus on independent music but it had since expanded with a variety of coverage on both indie and popular music artists From latest news to behind stories of music production this outlet mixes news with sarcasm and humor Pitchfork is one of leading figures that feed public with more numerous more diverse and more opinionated sources in an entertaining way With all links to different social media platforms it leaves readers space to assemble their own picture of events and helps to build more focused public debate To this degree consumers become content contributors This new dynamic identifies a good listener as an expert in one s own field It lowers the boundary between music and public and make this art form more easily accessible At the same time the instant diffusion becomes the most efficient method for artists to understand market reaction and update their work Overall more music content is exclusively featured in popular culture magazines It is believed that there is still an increasing need of music journalism Its paradigm shift further proves how public consider music being spiritual wealth to something of artistic importance