28 Replies to “September 11”

  1. “Pop and Rock music are closely associated with gender.” What I took away from both of these articles was information about the music journalism field and how much disparity there is for women as well. This is something I’ve always had in mind about the music industry across the board as an African American woman. I’ve never seen a lot of people that look like me attempting the profession I am looking to pursue and of course that adds anxiety to your pursuit of the career field. In the first article it was stated that “In 1999, Rolling Stone’s journalism staff only consisted of 15% females.” That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me when I think about some of the biggest rock fans I know are females. Some of the biggest music fans I know are females. I feel that that fact should be reflected in the type of people that are creating the content and making the content available. Like i stated above, I’ve always had anxiety about my profession because I rarely see “myself” working and thriving in the industry. The second article talks about how important friendships are in music journalism and in life. I believe we all look for friends that we can relate to. Whether it be through our career choices or our similar lifestyles even being raised similarly. My goal is to one day be someone that a person like myself, A young women of color interested in the music industry can look at and say “I can do it, because she did.”
    The article I am attaching from the LA Times talks about current Black female R&B artists and their take on “making it” in the industry
    http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-rb-women-20170901-story.html

  2. I found the first article informative regarding the transitional period of the 1960s, wherein music journalists shifted from writing exclusively about classical pieces to supporting and encouraging the development of pop music (e.g. The Beatles). This legitimized the idea of sensationalist pop music holding value as both a genre and as true music to be critiqued and, with the support of critics, also furthered its development. I found an interesting article that focuses on the evolution of pop music and also offers some scientific explanations about why certain types of music have a greater appeal to humans than others:
    https://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/evolution-pop-music-quantified-hip-hop-rap-one-giant-leap-n354311

    1. Regarding the second article, an important takeaway is that self-initiative is key in starting projects or jobs to ensure the endeavor is long-term and profitable. While the music industry is competitive, it is also, for the most part, a level-playing field for most people starting out. This is something I have not thought about much, but this might explain why some businesses or big name pop stars are as well known and talented as they are. They probably expended extensive effort in trying to get that next gig or putting time aside to work on a project. This is something that artists should especially keep in mind if they have desire to thrive in the music scene. Here is an article that discusses how to make a music career high profile and sustainable:
      https://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/evolution-pop-music-quantified-hip-hop-rap-one-giant-leap-n354311

  3. I find the second article most intriguing due to the importance of how our future truly is based on the people we know. You can be 4.0 student, be involved and have great letters of recommendation, but someone who has a 3.5, also involved and happens to be family friends of the person in charge…it is most likely the family friend will get hired due to connections. The article also makes a great point in that our friendships, people we know and our enemies not only play a big role in our career but in our lives, which is why you should always mend fences and to let the opportunities come your way.

    Here is an article that elaborates more on how meeting the right people is worth it and the steps to take. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238026

  4. I found both of these articles enlightening because now that I think about it, I do read a lot of articles related to music journalism. Although I couldn’t care less about critic reviews, I do like to keep up with news relating to song releases and artists.

    I found an article from Revolt titled “The Murky Parameters of Modern Music Journalism” this article touches on the negative aspects of music journalism; mainly the fact that most music journalists are too afraid to give an honest opinion. Either they are too afraid to offend a big name celebrity or they are too concerned with the glitz and glamour of making connections.

    This article also mentions how a music journalist named Wanna was let-go from her position at Karen Civil because her harsh opinion insulted Nicki Minaj.

    https://revolt.tv/stories/2018/07/05/murky-parameters-music-journalism-0700c603e6

  5. I found the first article caught my attention, specifically the portion towards the end about Gender and Race Theory. It intrigued me, although it did not surprise me to see that even in the field of music journalism there were problems with gender inequality. “problem for women [popular music critics] is that our role in popular music was codified long ago” -Anwen Crawford. Much like many other fields, Music Journalism started out dominated by men. Although its come a long way, some of us still feel the pressures of breaking the barriers, or going the extra mile to prove our potential, no matter what field we choose to go into. This article, though its title may be misleading, is written from the perspective of a woman in music journalism today and her response to the writings and experiences of Anwen Crawford, and many other women in journalism.

    https://www.thefader.com/2015/06/03/the-world-doesnt-need-more-female-music-critics

  6. It’s interesting to see, just like everything else, how far music journalism has come. From its beginnings in classical music, to the emergence of rock in the late 1900s, to what we have today. After reading both articles, my main takeaway is how intriguing the business of music journalism is today. With the emergence of social media, many people have created very big followings by just posting their musical opinions online. The second article suggests writing and posting wherever you can, and I believe that in some instances can yield greater results than going to college. Just look at some of the bigger music reviewers on YouTube.

    The following article gives some more tips on how to make it as a music journalist. They even suggest getting a degree in something other than journalism. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44224091

    1. I like how you phrased your response. I have to agree on your stance of “whatever works” logic. I have friends who are successful in their fields because of a degree, and those who are successful in their fields because of passion and, what some might say, a divine plan. Reading these articles opened my eyes a bit as to how the music industry really does have jobs in every corner of the world. Journalism is a huge form of communication, such as music, and when both are used as a form of expression, it creates something beautiful. One think I love about music journalism is the critiquing that occurs. Without this, I feel like the music industry would not be where it is today.

      Below is a link which talks about how Tom Wolfe changed music journalism forever with his styles and unique niches.
      https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/how-tom-wolfe-changed-music-journalism-628195/

  7. Despite the decrease in open music criticism in printed media, there remain ways for music journalists to transcend their viewpoints out into the world. It seems like the internet has many ways it helps and hinders musicians, but perhaps we never thought about what it does to the critics. Many journalism jobs have been created and lost thanks to the internet and free media sharing websites such as YouTube and Soundcloud (for those interested in taking the podcasting route).

    Ever since discovering the topic of music journalism, I have had an internal argument with myself about what exactly these opinions have to offer artists and their listeners.

    The effects of music journalism are akin to that of a double-edged sword. On the positive side, music journalism has helped create more flexibilities for freelance writers (as well as professional writers), and, (perhaps more pertinent to the music industry), aid musicians when they are developing new sounds based off of what the people think.

    On a more negative side, the writings can impede the natural flow of artistry, making music more about the audience and less about the musicians themselves. This can be a metaphorical writer’s block or even a physical disruption of sales for an artist. If a music journalist absolutely trashes an artist, there will be those who take their word to be absolute and never give the music a shot. (However, this can be turned around to say it helps people buy the music so they can decide for themselves).

    As you can see, the perspective on the necessity and validity of music journalism is a multi-colored and dimensional argument. Perhaps only time will tell, but until then we can read more articles such as the publication linked below to get more insight into its origins and impacts.

    Click here for more information about the debate on music journalism:
    https://www.nlb.gov.sg/Portals/0/Docs/Browse/ArtsPublications/Numbers_Niches_Issue08_web.pdf

    To see a music journalist in action, click here:
    http://www.theneedledrop.com/articles?category=Reviews

  8. I think it is important for us to realize that we need to be more open minded about the specific job title that we want. This article really opened my eyes to see that there’s other opportunities for me than just becoming an artist management or only focus on live performance. There’s other gateways that are available to all of us if we just remember the music business is a broad spectrum. You’re not forced to only focus on one thing, but it would actually be more of an advantage to you if you put yourself in other positions so you can have the best experience in this field. Also by having other experience under your belt, it would help networking, and we all know networking is important in this industry. This article will go more in depth as to why networking is important:

    https://frostonline.miami.edu/articles/networking-in-the-music-industry.aspx

  9. When reading the Wikipedia page, I found something that really peaked my interest. “Music writers only started ‘treating pop and rock music seriously’ in 1964 ‘after the breakthrough of the Beatles…'” I didn’t know that the genre of pop music was ever looked down upon, especially as recently as 1964. I looked further into the topic and found than even the Beatles, as instrumental as they were, were not just looked down upon by critics but hammered by them. This LA Times article I found has a handful of citations from early (1964) music journalists on the Beatles. I think it’s especially interesting how a music group that was critiqued so harshly upon their arrival could have such an impact on the state of music.

    http://articles.latimes.com/2014/feb/09/opinion/la-oe-beatles-quotes-20140209

  10. Les deux articles: Writing for music seems to be a brother to actually making the music. Yes, brother (or sister, whichever). Hustling, living and breathing music, getting out there and doing what you need to do to do instead of waiting for someone to come along and tell you to do it: very similar ethics. Entrepreneurial.

    This linked article below further expands on the career of a music journalist explaining the new way of truly making a fruitful career such as taking the most advantage of social media, how constant contents needs to be, and how work is being demanded in a new way.

    ‘”She adds: “I no longer have to go and pitch or send my portfolio to people. They’re just scrolling and they take some of my posts and say, ‘Can you turn that into a campaign for us?'”‘

    https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44224091

  11. Reading the Second article “The Good Listener: How do you break into Music Journalism?” was very inspiring, particularly when Stephen Thompson reiterates how many people in today’s population have become successful with degrees that almost always don’t sync up with the degrees they pursued in College.

    Thompson moves forward with that idea and explains that there comes a point in a journalist’s career when experience becomes far more important than what school a person went to. Going out and not waiting to be told to do things, but rather going out and just doing them. Alongside that, knowing the right people and using those people carefully to your advantage Thompson explains can be useful in the industry. This can be said for many different career paths, and as I mentioned in the paragraph before, it is Inspiring to know how some career paths don’t require any particular degree in order to be successful in that field, but rather a drive and willingness to succeed.

    Here is an article explaining the ins and outs of being a music Journalist in the Music Industry.
    https://www.theguardian.com/careers/music-journalism-best-of

  12. Music journalism has been a part of the consumer experience of music listening since the 19th century. What I found most interesting in the Wikipedia article is the influence society (in regards to the time period) has had on how music is critiqued as well as how music is received by the general public. I also was interested in how the article explains in great detail the history of music journalism from its roots in critiquing classic music, to its transition to assessing rock and pop music as well as other genres. However, after reading both articles I wondered how music journalism has changed in the age of digitalization. Music listeners consume music entirely different than they did decades ago, so how does this change how music is critiqued? The following article defines digitalization and the role it’s played in changing society as well as music criticism/journalism: https://www.diggitmagazine.com/papers/music-criticism-digital-age

  13. I have often heard from people that I have talked to in the music business almost exactly what was discussed in the second article. Though it is a good idea to get a college degree for credibility and networking purposes, it is often stated that, “Experience is far more important than what and whether he or she studied in school.”

    More so than this, connections are vital to making it in the music industry, or any industry really. It is all about what you make for yourself in any career. If you put in the work, results will follow. Being nice in general is also extremely important for your overall reputation and lasting impression on those who could potentially help you in moving up in the industry. All of these things are true for music journalism, but can be applied to most careers.

    I have also taken from this article that it is important to take as many opportunities as possible, even if they are not exactly what you want to be doing. This opens up the doorway for even bigger opportunities.

    Here is an interview with music publicist, Claire Coulton, that reiterates what the second article was saying on how to make it in the music industry.
    https://www.nme.com/news/want-to-work-in-the-music-industry-heres-how-i-did-it-2181975

  14. Music Journalism as a form of media has morphed along with the advances of technology, and along with the shift from physical media to digital, the way people see and consume the information has brought not a one sided conversation, but a debate on the newest music and news that circulates the music world. A conversation can now be had with these music blogs and magazines, whose audience has not changed despite the shift, they are still music-heads who analyze every bit and piece and have high opinions and criticism of the airwaves.

    Newer publications that represent this same idea, of having a conversation between the consumer and the critics, are Genius and Complex Magazine. They have multiple different avenues of getting their ideas and thoughts across, (website, Youtube, social media, etc) but they all are founded and successful ( in my opinion) by how they present their pieces, as a way of having an open dialogue with listeners of all types, rather than a closed one sided-conversation or analysis. The listener here has a chance to comment, tweet, send their thoughts BACK to the publication creating a more interactive and immersive experience for journalism as a whole. Whereas before, a printed magazine that had the latest opinions from these Journals could not get the same feedback and response almost instantly as an online publication can have.

    Included are brief summaries of both Genius and Complex, and links to their Youtube Channels where i feel as though that avenue of having a dialogue is most open here.

    Complex:
    https://www.complex.com/about
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE_–R1P5-kfBzHTca0dsnw

    Genius:
    https://genius.com/Genius-about-genius-annotated
    https://www.youtube.com/user/RapGeniusVideo

  15. Something I found interesting about the second article was the point made about how specific college degrees aren’t a “stone-cold prerequisite” for many jobs. This is something that I have thought about a lot over my college career when thinking about what I want to do post-college. College is pushed on almost everyone nowadays as the best (or only) option post-high school, but I think people forget to include information on what you can actually do with certain college degrees. There are more broad topic degrees that get pushed to the wayside in fair of specific ones, but I think sometimes the broad degrees can be just as beneficial. They make you more well rounded, and most jobs nowadays are going to look for someone who knows how do everything, rather than someone who can do only one thing very well. Like the article said, it’s about experience.

    The article also mentioned that “the workforce is overflowing with successful folks whose degrees don’t sync up with their careers”, and I think this relates to people not knowing what degree to get. College is a great learning experience, no matter what field you are pursuing, but I think sometimes people get a really specific degree, not knowing what they want to do, and end up not ever using the information they gained from it.

    Here’s an article from the Washington Post on college graduates who are unemployed or in fields unrelated to their degree: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/05/20/only-27-percent-of-college-grads-have-a-job-related-to-their-major/?utm_term=.c5a54bdf1da9

  16. I believe both articles go hand in hand. Women that are driven to become rock journalists should learn from the NPR article. From the first article, I have learned that music journalism is very male dominated and probably due to the stereotypical idea that males are competitive and females are nurturing. The author from the second article brings up the quote, “Nice guys finish last” and in this case, I think it applies. More women should pursue whatever profession they want. Regardless of stereotypes.

    This is a roundtable discussion from nine female music journalists that I found very interesting.
    https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2010/08/26/129458207/on-writing

  17. At first, it seemed to me that these two articles had little to nothing to do with each other besides the fact that both of them pertained to music journalism, however after pairing the two together, a theme that I found between them was the growth of music’s accessibility to and acceptance from the common public over time. The wiki article described in detail how music journalism evolved from theorists analyzing “classical” works and an almost exclusive group of music connoisseurs reviewing performances to everyday common bloggers with music experience that varies from advanced to very little being able to publish reviews for millions on the internet to see in a matter of minutes on all types of music. The second article almost echoes the timeline of the first, with the author doing away with notions that some higher understanding or degree from an institution is necessary to become a successful music journalist and suggests that an aspiring music journalist simply start a blog to begin honing their craft.
    Another idea that occurred to me as I was reading these articles, especially the bits about music journalism in the late 19th to early 20th century and rockism was elitism, the feeling of superiority to others. The exclusivity of early classical music journalism endorsed this idea not only because it made apparent that classical music was believed to be the only music worthy of serious criticism, but also because it implied that only people with an extensive music background and a highly regarded name were capable of forming legitimate opinion on music.
    The later prejudice of rock music critics towards pop music promoted elitism under of the pretext of that particular type of music being less authentic than others due to its appeal to the masses and commercial, formulaic nature. This suggests that rock music, in the eyes of critics then, was an exclusive genre that only a select population was capable of understanding.
    However, as time would have it, these two types of music journalism would eventually fall from the limelight and become a part of what is now a massive community of amateur and professional music critics/journalists alike. With this change of times also comes the death of elitism in music journalism, as evidenced by the existence of the second article. This article that I found gives more info on the destructiveness of elitism in music and the reasons for its existence that follow closely to what the other two articles have to say. If one thing is to be taken away from all three articles, it’s the futility of musical elitism because art is almost entirely subjective, with the only objective quality to judge it by being popularity and sales, and as times change so do people’s tastes and views, thus betraying the static nature of elitism. https://www.cutcommonmag.com/the-danger-of-elitism-in-music/

  18. These articles gave much insight on music journalism and the history of critique in music. In the second article I enjoyed reading it in a point of view perspective, getting and giving advice on what to do in a situation like the 28 year old wanting to do music journalism. The part about “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know..” could not be more true. Networking is the name of the game in the industry and it always will be. The demand for jobs is too high for these superiors to simply waste their time reading the thousands of resumes coming their way every day. It is always important to get yourself out there and break out of your shell. Shy people are never the ones getting famous or making friends, it’s super easy to go out and just simply start talking to people, you never know whom you might run into! I was just talking about this with my twin sister yesterday, she is the very shy one and I am the outgoing one and she’s always asking me how I make friends so easy, I just learned to not care if people think i’m weird or loud because 99% of the time it works in my favor to attract attention, I’ve made some awesome connections!

    For more on networking, this article talks about the basics of professional networking and what the superiors look for when networking with potential clients and employees. https://www.careeraddict.com/professional-networking-basics-what-need-know

  19. Music journalism seems to be both fading away and have a steady need in my opinion. Back when classical music was the only genre that was written about, music was traditionally obtained through albums or live performances. Even after the surge of pop music journalism, the internet and accessibility to virtually every genre of music there still seems to be a need to have a voice through which a lot of the content can be filtered and sorted to formulate an opinion people trust. However, it doesn’t seem to be specific content that users seek out, such as subscribing to a magazine made up of solely music articles but more so that users read articles written and distributed through social media.

  20. Just like everything else in the music industry, music journalism has changed. Things went from being super critical of the actual music to being critical of the music and the feeling. I find that super interesting. That’s probably best for today’s style of music because of how artists are really influenced by their moods and feelings when making their music. However, after some digging I found that there are some downsides of that. Some journalists now have ties to what they’re writing about. That makes whatever they write about not even worth the read. It’s taking a lot from national and political news networks and I personally think that that isn’t good at all.

    For more information on this subject check out the article:
    https://revolt.tv/stories/2018/07/05/murky-parameters-music-journalism-0700c603e6

  21. I think the second article provides advice that goes further than making progress in a music journalism career. That is because it is advocating this kind of lifestyle that forces you to get out of your comfort, which is something i can passionately agree with and attribute to the greatest moments in my life. I think employers of a lot of different career paths find that people who are not afraid to reach out and give 100% in leaving their comfort zone create amazing work. As for the first article, it’s interesting to realize the role gender (or even race) could play in the success of someones music journalism career, especially when applied to the concept of reaching out presented in the second article. Also, the idea that music journalism has become less and less about the musical content and more about the musicians lifestyle is something i find irritating, below is an article relating to this shifting paradigm of music journalism.
    http://hypebot.com/hypebot/2014/11/penises-butts-and-gossip-why-modern-journalism-sucks.html

  22. Reading all the post before and the 2nd article I can agree that Music Journalist for the industry is very competitive. I do believe its able to be done but its also about who you and staying relevant. I feel as if all the music journalist talk or do the same thing you just have to put your own style to it and that what makes someone stand out from the others. Being in the music industry seems as if you have yo watch you back at all giving times and being journalist I feel they are the center of attention and their words that people use to feel or think about someone in the industry.

    I found article on how to become a music journalist. If gives a few tips on what to do and what areas you could go and also pros and cons and to always remember to step your foot in the door.
    https://www.thebalancecareers.com/music-journalist-career-profile-2460638

  23. As I was reading through the wikipedia article, I found the idea of “rockism” intriguing. The tension caused by rock and pop music peaked my curiosity on other potential rises of popular music. I am curious to see where the popular music trend will move towards next and how critics will react to this change.
    As of 2017, the music that dominated the U.S. charts were Rap/Hip-Hop and R&B. However, latin urban music continues to be on the rise, both internationally and domestically. With this rise in popularity of latin music, there is a potential for latin music to become the most popular form of music. At the current state of music journalism, I feel there won’t be a repeat of history. I don’t believe we will see a resurgence of “rockism”, especially since R&B and latin artists have been collaborating with each other for years, so critics won’t be surprised with the potential genre transition. I think that if the latin genre does eventually become the #1 genre domestically, music critics will be more understanding and accepting than overly-critical. I am interested to see more cohesion of latin artists with popular hip-hop and R&B artists, to see if “R&Bism” will come into fruition or be just a bad joke.
    For more information regarding hip-hop and R&B surpassing rock, check out:
    https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8085975/us-music-consumption-up-2017-rb-hip-hop-most-popular-genre
    For more information on trends to look out for in 2018, check out:
    http://time.com/5068527/music-trends-2018/

  24. I found the NPR article to be very helpful, because it reminded me of an important lesson I learned in one of my Music Business classes (while in college), and reiterated the importance of networking. I also have a saying of my own. “It’s not just who you know, or what you know, but also how you know it”. In other words, experience is one of the best teachers. Academic knowledge is very useful, and along with practical application, one can demonstrate a certain amount of proficiency and effectiveness especially when it involves tests or exams. Knowing someone who has the influence or clout to help advance your career can sometimes lead to opportunities, but just knowing them does not always lead to the desired result. However, if we took the time to get to know how they came to this position and gain experience from them, by really getting to know an understand them, we could make opportunities for ourselves. I feel that proper networking and experience is needed to be successful in any endeavor, whether it is professional or personal, but I believe that in order to critique a subject, it would be beneficial for one to have experience in the thing, with the person, or whatever the subject.
    Below is an article that explains the advantages of networking.
    https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-career-networking-tips-2062604

  25. The way I see it, music journalism can be good and bad depending on how open or close minded the reader is. Some journalists will write off artists who actually make good music purely because it’s not their style or judging the artist on their actions in public rather than the actual content of their music. Since everyone has different music tastes I think you either have to find a journalist who consistently holds similar opinions about the styles of music you like or honestly just spend some time exploring music yourself. Music isn’t an outlet that everyone can judge on similar standards like the movie industry because most artists aim to continuously push boundaries and either evolve music genres or make their own.

    Here’s an article on the untrustworthiness of music journalism.

    https://revolt.tv/stories/2018/07/05/murky-parameters-music-journalism-0700c603e6

  26. In the first article at the bottom where it talks about “genderizing” music critiques it really got me thinking about previous music articles I have read. The article talks about rock music getting covered by males and pop music getting covered my female journalists, so the tones of the articles would be different; rock more masculine and pop more feminine. Because the stereotype of music is so heavy and masculine, women journalists are pushed aside, such as Ellen Willis.
    This article from Fader goes into detail about how we do not need more women music critiques but that we need to acknowledge they exist. http://www.thefader.com/2015/06/03/the-world-doesnt-need-more-female-music-critics

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