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Download the Cyber PR Artist Bio Checksheet!

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*work on media release, bio, one sheet (use mailchimp template to send a digital one), and review
*work on draft of critical essay - part of the assessment is receiving feedback and editing based on the feedback, so I will need a draft in the next week or so.

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*Micheal Dwyer 1pm - 2pm
*review critical piece and other pieces of writing

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A critical essay is an analysis of a text such as a book, film, article, or painting. The goal of this type of paper is to offer a text or an interpretation of some aspect of a text or to situate the text in a broader context. For example,...

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read bob lefsetz's review of new sam smith album

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read bob lefsetz's review of new sam smith album

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Week 24 Sept 6 - choose major written piece topic, see 'Assessment 2'....

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Week 24 Sept 6 - choose major written piece topic, see 'Assessment 2'....

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...and start researching
-Keep reading media releases (AIR.ORG.AU is a good source)
keep reading newsletters, bios, blogs
-new blog piece
-write newsletter content

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While social media continues to dominate the focus of online marketing discussions, there is no question that email has, is, and will continue to be the key to success for musicians. With a strong email list and a proper email marketing strategy, comes long-term success.

Why email is so important?

"Email marketing has been shown to be as much as 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined."

Ultimately, the answer is simple. You own the email list, and with it the permission to reach your fans directly to connect, stay in touch, and sell music, merch, tickets and more. Email marketing has even been shown to be as much as 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined.

So with that said, we've put a guide together covering all you'll need to know to get started with building your own email marketing strategy.

Choosing Your Platform

The first thing you need to do is choose a platform to host your band's mailing list and newsletter. Due to the can-spam act, it is illegal to host a newsletter without offering a form of 'unsubscribe' within, so running your newsletter through your Gmail account and BCC'ing is not an option. Plus, email marketing platforms give you a much more robust experience, allowing you to use HTML templates, track and review analytics, and more.

There are several options available to musicians to choose from, many of which are specifically built with music marketing in mind. Of course, we suggest the go to be Bandzoogle's very own built-in mailing list tool.

If Bandzoogle is powering your website already, this is a no brainer. It features many native solutions such as offering fan incentives to build your list (free song/album downloads), and automatic geo-location to help better identify where your fans are (great for booking!).

Other options for a mailing list service include MailChimp, which is a great standalone email marketing platform, though it doesn't have a direct focus on music marketing. It's free up to 2000 subscribers, and you can easily embed the signup form onto your website. There is also FanBridge, which is another easy to use, standalone email marketing service. However, there is no free option (plans start at $19.99/month).

Building Your Mailing List

Once you have your email platform chosen, it's time to start building your list.

It's important to note that people must opt-in to your mailing list, as is required with any form of permission marketing. With that said, the first step in building the foundation of your mailing list is to build a list of everyone you already know and send them an email specifically asking for their permission to join your mailing list.

Once you've got that setup, there are several other ways to continue building your mailing list over time, including:

1. Email for a stream / download

2. Sweepstakes opt-in

3. Access to exclusive past content

4. Future access to pre-sales

5. Incentivize existing email subscribers to help drive new subscribers

For more ideas on how to build your mailing list, check out 9 ways to build your mailing list (and sell more music online)
Frequency of Newsletters / Emails

And now the fun part - time to start sending newsletters! But how often should you be sending newsletters to your fans?

The goal here is to focus on consistency. In other words, how often do you feel you can send your newsletter in a regular interval. Once a month? Once every two weeks?

The best way to test the waters here is to start less frequent, get comfortable, and pick up speed. It's always easier to deliver less content to your fans, and then reward them with more if you can, than it is to start delivering tons of great content, only to have to scale it back.

There is both an art and a science to sending out an effective newsletter on a regular basis. You don't want to hold onto too much information for too long, as your newsletters will become overwhelming to your fans and likely to be ineffective.

But you also don't want to send so often that you run out of compelling content to share. You'll need to test it out with your own fan base, understand what works and what doesn't, and make tweaks from there.

What to Include in Your Newsletter

But wait... you've decided to send a bi-weekly newsletter, and you've figured out which platform to use, and you're actively working on building your mailing list. So what type of content are you supposed to include?

Well, the answer is really just yet another question: What are you trying to achieve?

The answer to this question will help you to determine the type of content you should include in your newsletter.
Are you hoping to engage with newly interested fans?
If so, maybe focus on a YouTube video where your band covers the song(s) of one of your main influences to help these new fans learn more about you and your music in an accessible way.
Are you trying to build loyalty from your existing fans?
If so, maybe a personal note explaining the meaning behind a recent song, and/or a photo of some handwritten lyrics.
Are you planning to use your email marketing channel as a way to sell more albums or tickets?
If so, make it clear and concise. Then make sure you include some sort of an intro and/or other content (like a music video) so your newsletter doesn't only feel like a sales pitch.

These are just a few of the many reasons why you may be ready to send out your first, or next, newsletter. And the reason may change from one newsletter to the next. Always try to think through your goals first, and then determine what sort of content will help you to achieve those goals.

Each newsletter should have one clear 'call-to-action'

Your call-to-action could be a button or a hyperlink, driving fans to whatever it is that will achieve your goal.

Selling albums? Include a 'buy the new album' button. Increasing awareness for your new music video? Include a 'watch the new video now' button.

Avoid including more than one call to action, as it can not only cause overwhelm, but any call to action that is not focused on achieving your goal cannibalizes your opportunity for success.

Subject Lines

"If the subject line isn't attention grabbing, the email won't be opened."

A note on the importance of a killer subject line:

No matter what you put in your email, if the subject line isn't attention grabbing, the email won't be opened. And that great email you worked so hard to put together will never be seen.

Again there is an art, and a balance, to a great subject line. You want your fans to be so intrigued by your subject line that there is no question they will open the email. However, it needs to be relevant. You don't want people to open the email, only to be annoyed that whatever you promised in the subject line doesn't actually exist.

The best way to find success with subject lines is to simply test them and learn using split testing (sometimes called a/b testing). The idea here is that you create two separate subject lines, and send each one to a small % of your overall mailing list, maybe 10 - 15% each. Whichever one has the strongest open rate is the one that the remaining fans on your mailing list will receive.

Tip: Think of your subject line as a tweet. The length should be similar, and ultimately needs to be compelling enough for someone to take action. Rather than a click or a retweet as you may achieve via Twitter, here you get the open.

Analyzing Data

And finally we come to the science of it all. Marketing is only as good as the goals you've set in place, and the best way to tell if you are effectively meeting those goals, is to analyze the data. You can then let it inform how to improve the next time around.

All email marketing platforms will give you the open rate and click thru rate of your newsletter. Use this data week after week to create a benchmark for yourself to understand your average open and click thru rate.

You may find after a few months that you average a 20% open rate and a 5% click thru rate, but you noticed that the one time you included a personal note as the introduction to your newsletter, you saw the click thru rate jump to 10%. This is a great insight to help you create more relevant content moving forward.

Or maybe one week you decide to use a question as the subject line and you saw that average 20% open rate jump to 40%. Again, the data here is telling you something! Use this and develop a series of winning strategies that will help you to achieve your goals, no matter what they might be.
This post was written by Jon Ostrow. Jon is the Director of Sales at Bandsintown, Founder of MicControl, lover of all things music, a raging Phish head, and a coffee addict. Bandzoogle websites have a built-in mailing list tool, and you keep 100% of your sales when you sell music, merch, & tickets online. Sign up free with Bandzoogle now.

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The Complete Guide to Email Marketing for Musicians

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While social media continues to dominate the focus of online marketing discussions, there is no question that email has, is, and will continue to be the key to success for musicians. With a strong email list and a proper email marketing strategy, comes long-term success.

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When Ivan Rivera expanded his e-commerce business to include a brick-and-mortar location, he found himself spending more and more of his limited time helping customers in the store. His morning subway ride had become the only spare moment in his day he could spend on marketing emails.

Like many small-business owners, Ivan needs a marketing tool that goes wherever he does.

That's why we built a new version of MailChimp's mobile app, which is available on and devices. Now, you can create campaigns directly from your phone and tablet whenever and wherever you need to.

Design for your marketing goals

Whether you're attending a conference or just prefer building campaigns on your phone, MailChimp's mobile app makes it easy to design beautiful emails with a workflow that's a lot like the one you already know from the web.

Once you tap the create campaign icon, we display a selection of intent-based templates with recommendations to inspire your design, and our content blocks make it easy to quickly add text, images, video, and more to your campaigns. You can customize your emails with a logo, and even add a background color or to match the style of your brand.

With our mobile app, you have direct access to more file managers like Dropbox and Google Drive, so you can create campaigns on the same device you store your images and files. Plus, it's easy to insert product images we automatically pull in from your connected store , upload a photo from your camera roll, or snap a new one your customers will love.

You can quickly update your campaign content or basic settings-like campaign name, subject line, list, from name, and email address-and preview how it will display on desktop and mobile.

Before you send, we'll show you the same pre-delivery checklist you see in the web version, so you can make sure your email is ready to go. And if you typically send the same type of campaign to your subscribers, you can replicate any draft or sent email to update the content without starting from scratch.

Important data at your fingertips

MailChimp's mobile dashboard makes all your most important metrics visible at a glance to help you keep tabs on your account wherever you are. Similar to its desktop counterpart, the dashboard displays your audience growth, campaign engagement, and e-commerce performance right when you open the app.

The 3 navigation tabs-Explore, Overview, Activity-organize your metrics into single views, making it easy to switch from personalized marketing tips to a snapshot of your account's overall activity.

You can quickly spot trends like what campaigns are generating the most revenue, where your subscribers are signing up, and who's engaging with your campaigns, so you can track how much your business is growing.

Mobilize your marketing

Our mobile app is designed to let you work seamlessly here, there, anywhere. Now, if you start a campaign at the office and get called into a meeting or need to make a trip to the bank, you can pick up where you left off on the mobile app while you go about your day.

If you haven't signed up for MailChimp yet, you can even create a new account while you're on the go. Our streamlined signup process guides you through setting up an account, creating a list, and sending your first campaign, so you can get started in just a few taps.

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Introducing Campaign Creation in MailChimp's Mobile App | MailChimp Email Marketing Blog

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When Ivan Rivera expanded his e-commerce business to include a brick-and-mortar location, he found himself spending more and more of his limited time helping customers in the store. His morning subway ride had become the only spare moment in his day he could spend on marketing emails.

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-object writing
-continue media releases - review write some in class
-set up a newsletter practice template - with mail chimp - discussion of newsletter stategies
-continu blog posts
SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS, READ BLOGS, READ INTERVIEWS AND STUDY THE QUESTIONS

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-object writing
-media releases

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object writing, 'when writing', 'who writing'
-start a blog post, start to 'find your voice
-review newsletter strategies - set up an email template for a campaign - see email example forwarded from simon winkler rrr

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Setlist, the music business podcast from CMU, sponsored by 7digital. CMU's Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review the week in music and the music business.

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Whether you're signed, independent or just getting started in the music biz, it's important for artists to keep up to date with what's going in the industry. There are thousands of great music blogs out there, but we've picked out ten that every aspiring musician should be reading.

From the latest industry news and advice on developing your music careers, to features on emerging artists from across the globe, these blogs all offer essential info for up-and-comers in the music biz. Got a favourite that isn't mentioned? Let us know in the comments!

The 10 Best Blogs for Musicians in 2017
1. Hypebot
Hypebot posts daily content for indie musicians and record labels, including blogs about the music business, news and technology. Their posts are usually in-depth and well worth reading, but great tips can often be found in the comments section of their posts too, so remember to scroll down and you might find something interesting.
2. Music Business Worldwide
Although it's not necessarily a blog, Music Business Worldwide offers comprehensive news, insight and analysis from across the global music industry. It's also well worth subscribing to their newsletter if you want the very latest music industry news delivered straight to your inbox.
3. Ditto Music Blog
At Ditto Music, we're passionate about supporting independent music however and whenever possible. Our blog is regularly updated with useful tips and advice for musicians of all levels, to help them to create sustainable music careers, focussing on marketing, promotion, technology, opportunities and much more.
4. The Unsigned Guide
The Unsigned Guide is filled with useful info and articles for up-and-coming bands and artists. The site's free-to-read blogs are filled with lots of great tips and opportunities, but you can also subscribe to view their wide-ranging directory and access the contact details of thousands of industry bods and companies, from labels and studios, to managers, publishers and more.
5. Pitchfork
Pitchfork is one of the world's most popular independent music blogs, updated every day with reviews, features, videos and events. More of a news than an advice blog, Pitchfork is the place to go to find out the latest happenings from across the world of indie music.
6. CMU Insights
The CMU Insights blog is filled with expert articles on all facets of the music industry, offering a fantastic resource for up-and-coming musicians. If you'd like an even more in-depth understanding of music industry subjects, CMU also runs a number of seminars, conferences and masterclasses throughout the year.
7. The Music Entrepreneur
The Music Entrepreneur provides tips and advice for people looking to build a profitable, long-term career within the music industry. The site has articles for all kinds of industry professionals, including musicians, label owners and more, covering topics ranging from marketing and promotional to instrumentation and playing techniques.
8. Bob Baker's The Buzz Factor
The Buzz Factor is a fascinating music industry blog from musician, author and ex-music mag editor Bob Baker, providing music marketing advice for musicians, songwriters and bands. Bob's blog helps musicians learn ways to get exposure and connect with their audience and features articles, videos, courses, podcasts and more.
9. Ledger Note
Ledger Note is an excellent resource for all types of musicians, with plenty of detailed articles to get stuck into. Topics range from recording, mixing and mastering techniques, to music theory, beat production and gear reviews, helping artists of all skill levels enhance their performance and productions abilities.
10. /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers
While not necessarily a blog, Reddit's We Are the Music Makers thread is filled with user-generated content and advice for musicians and performers of all genres and abilities. You can browse the thread and check out the most popular posts, or even pose your own questions and get helpful responses from expert and amateur music makers alike.
And there you have it! Our favourite resources and blogs for musicians hoping to learn more about the music industry and get tips and advice to further their career. Do you have a favourite music industry blog that isn't mentioned above? Let us know in the comments and share this list with any friends looking for advice about the music business.

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10 Music Blogs You Should Be Reading in 2018

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Whether you're signed, independent or just getting started in the music biz, it's important for artists to keep up to date with what's going in the industry. There are thousands of great music blogs out there, but we've picked out ten that every aspiring musician should be reading.

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Blogging can be an excellent way for bands and artists to gather more traffic to their personal websites by building up their SEO, but creating new and interesting content out of thin air can be a challenge, particularly if they're already investing creative energy in music.

Blogging is a great way for musicians to increase their SEO , bring more traffic to their websites, and gain more fans. But thinking of new blog post ideas can be difficult when you already spend so much creative energy on your music.

If you're a musician who wants to blog, or if you already blog but the pipeline is empty, consider these 11 ideas for blog posts:

This can be a simple blog post in which you just give your fans all the information they need to know about your upcoming tour. These types of blog posts are helpful for SEO, in case any of your fans do a Google search for "[name or your band] tour dates."

If you have a new album coming out soon, you might want to write a blog post to get your fans hyped up about the release. You can talk about the inspiration for the album, how long you've been working on it, and perhaps even post some song lyrics as a teaser.

Alternatively, you could publish a blog post at the same time your album comes out.

Talk about your songwriting process

There are many different ways you could do this. You could, for instance, write a blog post about your daily routine and what rituals you perform to keep your creative juices flowing. You could also blog about the technical process of taking a song from an idea to a full recording. Or, you could blog about your sources of inspiration, whether those be life experiences, other music, or other forms of art.

Blogging about your songwriting process will bring you closer to your fans, especially the ones who are also artists.

Another great way to get closer to your fans is to take them behind the scenes at a practice session or in the recording studio. Put together a short behind-the-scenes video and incorporate that into a blog post about how your rehearsals or your recording session usually work.

People love to hear about life on the road-that's why travel blogs are so popular. If you're on a tour, try to write a new blog post for every city you go to, discussing something unique about the city and what you did there, both on and off the stage.

Blog about your successes and your failures throughout your music career. Are there any big lessons that you've learned along the way? Anything that you would have done differently? Or do you have no regrets? All of these things make great blog topics.

Blogging about your career ups and downs gives you the opportunity to attract even more visitors to your website-visitors who may not necessarily be looking for music, but who want advice on how to succeed.

Answer questions from fans

Here's a super easy way to create blog content. Announce on your social media pages that you are taking questions from fans. Pick the most frequently asked or most interesting questions and answer them all in a blog post.

If there's nothing interesting currently happening in your life or in your career, look for inspiration elsewhere. Find an article or a YouTube video about your genre of music or about another band or album you like. Write a blog post discussing the article or video and ask your fans what they think. You may want to subscribe to these blogs to find good discussion fodder.

This could be a great opportunity to do a promotional swap. You can write a blog post about your friend's band, and your friend can write one about your band. It's a win-win: You get more content to put on your blog, and both of you get to tap into a new audience that you might not otherwise have access to.

Your blog doesn't necessarily have to be all about music. You could talk about a political or social issue you think is important. These types of blog posts may attract new fans who first come to your website because they care about the same issues you care about.

Fans want to connect to you. So anything you can share to make you seem more real is good for that relationship. So get personal. Maybe share your favorite restaurants. Or perhaps what you're currently watching on Netflix (after all, nearly half of people watch Netflix every single day). Just make sure to draw a line so you don't let people too deeply into your personal life.

Blogging can be difficult because in order to be successful at it, you have to do it regularly. But if you are always looking for sources of inspiration, the ideas will come. For more blogging ideas and advice, check out the blogs of these successful musicians: Amanda Palmer , Mark Herman , , and Ari Herstand .

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Blogging can be an excellent way for bands and artists to gather more traffic to their personal websites by building up their SEO, but creating new and interesting content out of thin air can be a challenge, particularly if they're already investing creative energy in music. __________________________ Guest post by...

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There are plenty of reasons for musicians to blog on a regular basis. First and foremost, blogging is one of the best ways to drive people to your website. Every time you create a new blog post, it's an excuse for you to invite fans to check out your website.

Blogging also shows that you are active in your career. If a potential fan visits your site, enjoys your music, and then sees that you have months of regular blogging under your belt, they might click on a few posts to get a better sense of your personality. If they really like what they read, you might have a fan for life.

Blogging is a great way for your fans to get to know you better. Reading about you and your art adds context to the music, and that's how they'll come to value it more. They might be fans of your music already, but if they become fans of you on top of that, then the music gains an increased perceived value.

Blogging is great for SEO

Improving your SEO (search engine optimization) is another great reason to blog. Simply put, the more you blog, the more Google can find you, and the higher in the search results you will potentially appear based on the keywords, titles and content of your blog posts.

So what can you blog about? Here are 13 topics that musicians can easily blog about:

13 Topics Musicians Can Easily Blog About

Not sure what to blog about? Here's a quick brainstorm of 13 things you can blog about that might help trigger even more ideas:

1. Preview an upcoming show

2. Review a recent show

3. Stories from the road

4. Behind the scenes at rehearsals

5. Songwriting process

6. Crowdfunding campaign

7. Other great bands/musicians in your local scene/genre

8. Music that's inspiring you at the moment

9. Your crazy pet(s)

10. Passion outside of music (maybe you're a big sci-fi geek, or have a favorite sports team)

11. An issue you care deeply about outside of music (the environment, human rights, etc.)

Note: If you do decide to start blogging, it's really important to keep it up to date. Just as an updated blog can show that you're active in your career, if your last post is from a year ago, it can create a negative impression. Focus on blogging regularly, rather than trying to make each post perfect.
Photos & Videos

Some of you might be thinking " Well, that's sounds great, but I'm not good at writing blog posts! ". That's ok, your blog posts can contain mostly photos, or can even be videos.

Whichever method you are most comfortable communicating with, go for it. The important thing is to post new content on your site on a regular basis where fans can gain some insight into your career and who you are as an artist.
Build a professional website in minutes that has everything you need built-in like a blog, music players, social media integrations and more. Sign up free with Bandzoogle now!

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13 Topics That Musicians Can Easily Blog About

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There are plenty of reasons for musicians to blog on a regular basis. First and foremost, blogging is one of the best ways to drive people to your website. Every time you create a new blog post, it's an excuse for you to invite fans to check out your website.

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[The following is an excerpt from Guerrilla Music Marketing Online, by music marketing guru Bob Baker of www.TheBuzzFactor.com. Friends and clients of CD Baby get a 20% discount if you'd like to purchase the whole book. To buy now, click HERE, add the book to your shopping cart, and then type "CDBaby" into the coupon code field during the checkout process.]
Musicians: Tap Into the Blogosphere
One of the best ways to interact with your fans (and make new ones) is by blogging. It's easy, affordable, and particularly well-suited for creative people like you who love to express themselves.

Here's a quick primer on blogs and how you can use them to promote your music ...
Web + Log = "Blog"
A blog is an online journal composed of media-rich articles known as "posts."

The term "blogosphere" refers to the ever-expanding collection of blogs across the Internet.

Blogs can be published on any subject matter imaginable - from seafood to vampire fiction. Anyone can easily and inexpensively publish a blog.

In many ways, blogs are just a website with multiple pages. You can visit and read a blog page in the same way you do any other web page. The main thing that sets a blog apart from a basic web page is a nifty web-based file format called RSS.

Definition: RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. In general, it is used to publish and organize frequently updated digital content, such as blogs, news feeds, and podcasts. The coolest thing about RSS is that it gives people the ability to subscribe to blogs and podcasts.

Your fans can subscribe to your blog using something called a news reader, feed reader, or aggregator. Most web browsers allow you to subscribe to feeds directly from their browser. Subscribers can also view blog content using a personalized page set up on Google, Yahoo or AOL.

Perspective: If you're not familiar with how these feed readers work, think about how your email inbox operates. You open your email program and up pops all of your latest incoming emails, listed by subject line, with the most recent message at the top.

Feed readers work in a similar way. Open it up, and all of the blogs you subscribe to will show up, with the latest content at the top, usually with just the headline and maybe the first few lines of the blog post displaying. It's a pretty convenient way to have only the information you want delivered to your desktop computer, laptop, or mobile phone.
Find Blogs That Cater to Your Fan Base
Later we'll cover publishing your own blog. For now, let's focus on getting as much exposure as possible for your music on other people's existing blogs. The first thing you should do is track down the blogs that are already attracting your ideal readers.

Here are the two best blog directories to start your search:
Technorati Blog Directory www.technorati.com/blogs/directory Google Blog Search
blogsearch.google.com

A great place to search for the most popular music blogs is Hype Machine at http://hypem.com/blogs

Search these sites for words and phrases related to your music.

Once you've compiled a list of targeted blogs, here are some simple things you can start doing right away:

* Leave comments. Most blogs allow you to post comments about each entry, and those comments do get read. Don't misuse this feature with "comment spam" that mindlessly hypes your album or band. Make sure your comment adds to or amplifies some aspect of the blog author's post. It's okay to make a sensible reference to your music within your comment. At the end, put your name and a link to your website.

* Send useful ideas and links to music bloggers. One of your online marketing goals should be to network with and get to know music bloggers. Search your favorite blogs for a 'Contact' or 'About' link that includes the email address of the blogger. Store these names and addresses in a database, then occasionally reach out to your contacts. Send compliments, links to music sites that might interest them, or news about something you are working on. Connecting with bloggers will provide you with new opportunities, resources, and exposure.
Uncover Blog Gold With Blogrolls
The term "blogroll" refers to a list of other blogs that bloggers recommend. You'll often find them in a side column on your favorite blogs. Not every blog features them, but the ones that do can be very helpful in your hunt for the perfect blogs.

The reason they are so useful: Blogrolls act as filters that will save you time when researching and identifying blogs that cater to your genre. For instance, if you go to the Music Industry Report blog at www.MusicIndustryReport.org, you'll find links to a couple dozen of the best music business related blogs, including mine. If this was your subject, this list would be invaluable.

So when you find a well-read blog that ideally covers your music, look to see if it features a blogroll and investigate those sites next. And if the best blogs on that list have blogrolls too ... you get the picture. Blogrolls can be great research tools.

Start your own blog with HostBaby today. Free 30-Day Trial!

---------------
About the Author
Bob Baker is an author, speaker, indie musician, and former music magazine editor dedicated to showing musicians of all kinds how to get exposure, connect with fans, sell more music, and increase their incomes through their artistic passions.

He is the author of the highly acclaimed "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook" and the "Music Marketing 101" course at Berkleemusic, the online continuing education division of Berklee College of Music.

Bob is also an active blogger and podcaster who is passionate about showing creative people how to use the Internet and low-cost guerrilla marketing tactics. His other books include "Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook," "55 Ways to Promote & Sell Your Book on the Internet," "Unleash the Artist Within," and more.

Visit TheBuzzFactor.com or MusicPromotionBlog.com for more details.

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Blogging 101 for Independent Musicians, Pt. 1 - DIY Musician Blog

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The following is an excerpt from Guerrilla Music Marketing Online, by music marketing guru Bob Baker of www.TheBuzzFactor.com. Friends and clients of CD Baby get a 20% discount if you'd like to purchase the whole book. To buy now, click HERE, add the book to your shopping cart, and then type "CDBaby" into the coupon code field during ...

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I've been hearing from a lot of bands who've had it with Facebook. These groups have spent years (and lots of money) using the platform to build a community of 1,000 or 10,000 or 50,000 Facebook followers. Now Facebook wants them to pay more money in order to reach the very same people that've already liked their band page - and usually the bigger your fanbase, the more you have to pay.

We've been saying this for years: your band's Facebook page is not a website. Social media trends come and go (remember MySpace?) and you don't want to spend all your marketing time building connections that are lost the minute people stop using a particular social network. YOU and your fans should be in control of your relationship, NOT some company that suddenly has to appease stockholders and drastically changes their platform.

That's why your #1 music marketing priority should be to build your own email list. People don't change their email addresses nearly as much as they used to. So in many ways, an email is forever. With email, YOU get decide when and how you communicate with your fans.

Here's how to build your band's email list without spending lots of money

1. Put an email signup box on your website - Place the signup box in a prominent place on your website so all your visitors will see it.

2. Put clear calls-to-action on your website - It's not enough to have an email signup option on your website. You have to make it obvious for visitors what you'd like them to do. Something simple, like "sign up for my monthly newsletter" or "get email updates about our music." Also, let them know what the benefits of subscribing are: that they can keep up with all your band news, concert dates, and more.

3. Give something in exchange for an email address - Most email marketing programs, such as ListBaby, will allow you to offer your fans a free download after they sign up to your list. So give away an MP3 of your best song, or perhaps a PDF with sheet music, or an eBook of your tour and recording diaries.

4. Give your email newsletter subscribers access to exclusive content - Let your subscribers know that in your world, they're VIPs, deserving of the special treatment. They get to hear your new music first. They get to listen to demos that aren't made available elsewhere. They get behind-the-scenese glimpses that nobody else does. Make them feel like insiders.

5. Prominently feature your email signup list at your merch booth - Create a template in Word (or whatever word-processing program you use), print some out before every show, and bring them to your concerts. Put the same call-to-action that's on your website on this sheet, make the benefits clear, and then be sure to draw attention to it, pass it around, announce it from the stage. Don't just hide it in the corner and hope folks will sign up.

6. Give something away for free at shows in exchange for email addresses - The same idea as with the online signup form: give something in order to get something. Maybe you trade a guitar pick, poster, or sticker for an email address.

7. Hold a raffle - Warning: this isn't legal advice, and some companies shy away from these types of online giveaways since they can be construed as lotteries; however, if you're an independent band just talking to music fans, you should be ok - as there's no legal precedent to punish this kind of thing in the indie music world. For more info, check out THIS article.

Anyways, here's how it'd work: you tell your friends and fans (via social media, at shows, etc.) that you're having a raffle and all they have to do to participate is sign up to your email list. Promise, of course, that you'll never do anything sinister with their email information, and have some fun!

8. Use social media to get your followers onto your email list - Ok. I know this post started off talking about the decline of Facebook, but that doesn't mean you should ignore social media altogether. Encourage your social media followers (those that can still see your posts, of course) to sign up for your newsletter, tell them what they'll get in return, and link them to your signup form.

9. Use your blog to get more email subscribers - Your blog readers are already engaged with your content. They may be the MOST likely people to sign up for your email list. Consider putting a signup box at the bottom of every post.

10. Trade emails with another artist or band - Do you know any other artists that actively manage their fan lists? Do a trade. You email your list on their behalf with an incentive to sign up to their list - and vice-versa. Everybody wins.

11. Create great content - This is the key to building your subscriber list. Provide the best content you can. For starters, it'll keep your subscribers from hitting that dreaded "unsubscribe" button. Second, they'll share your content with their friends, which is always a big bonus.

12. Get your fans to contribute - Can you involve your fans directly in your newsletter? Of course you can! Whether they're contributing the content (a photo, list, essay, etc.) or you're featuring them in some way (fan of the month, a photo of them in the audience, winner of a contest, etc.), that fan will show your newsletter to many of their friends, and your other fans will be psyched to see you showing your appreciation and sharing the love.
Do you have any ideas for growing your fan list? Let us know in the comments below.

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12 ways to grow your band's email list - DIY Musician Blog

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I've been hearing from a lot of bands who've had it with Facebook. These groups have spent years (and lots of money) using the platform to build a community of 1,000 or 10,000 or 50,000 Facebook followers.

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Email marketing is one of the most important elements of digital marketing for bands and musicians.

Why?

First of all, it's one of the only forms of online communication between you and your fans that is entirely future proof and within your control. Think about it - you don't own your Facebook fans or Twitter followers, Facebook and Twitter do - and it's entirely legal for them to charge you to reach them.

Email hasn't changed an awful lot since it was first introduced in 1993. It probably won't change much in the next decade either.

But that's not enough for me to recommend it so highly. Email is also incredibly effective when used well. The combination of effectiveness, ease of use, scalability and control are what makes it so appealing, and a powerful tool for savvy musicians.

I've created this monster of a guide on email marketing for bands to help you learn everything from how to choose a good email marketing platform to ensuring you get the best engagement and open rates. Feel free to skip to any part that you feel will help you the most right now, but to get started let's talk about email marketing platforms.

Email Marketing Platforms - Which One's Best?

The email marketing platform you use will form the backbone of your email marketing. It's where you store your mailing list, create campaigns, and schedule autoresponders to keep your fans engaged.

The primary reason for using a platform like Aweber over something like Gmail is the fact that you can send an email to a huge number of email addresses without getting banned or ending up in people's junk folders. So if you're getting started, which platform is best?

Which email marketing platform is best to use?

I recently wrote an extensive post comparing email marketing software providers and came to the conclusion that while some providers are better than others, it really comes down to a matter of preference.

That said, most of us want roughly the same thing. We want the most affordable solution that is reliable, easy to use, and enables us to get awesome results from email marketing.

Over the years I've tried a lot of different providers for Venture Harbour's various clients and projects, and there are two providers that I find myself coming back to time and time again; Get Response and Aweber.

Get Response is my overall favourite platform. The design of their newsletters are brilliant and the platform is incredibly easy to use and create emails on.

They've also got a tonne of cool features, like A/B testing (so you can test two variations of an email to different groups of fans to see which variation drives the most engagement), device previews to see how your emails look on different mobile devices, and something called 'Time Travel' which enables you to send emails that land in people's inbox at the same local time. In other words, your fans in Chang Mai, Chicago, London, and Kyoto can all receive your email in their inbox at 9am local time.

At $15 per month (and a free trial), Get Response is also one of the more affordable platforms for getting started on.

Aweber, on the other hand, have the legacy of being one of the longest established email marketing providers. While their platform doesn't look as slick as Get Response's, the functionality is very good and it's overall very easy to use.

It's a little bit more expensive than Get Response at $19 per month, but the benefit here is that it is free up to 500 subscribers. That said, by the time you have 500 subscribers you will probably be noticing an increase in revenue to comfortably support the cost of the platform, if you're using email effectively.

Aweber have an easy-to-use email creator and they have some handy tools to help you find what does and doesn't work, which is fundamental if you want your email marketing to get better over time.

For a more in-depth comparison of Aweber and Get Response, there's a comprehensive review of the two here . If you're still undecided, give them both a shot on the free trial and see which one you prefer.

Building a Mailing List: How & What to Consider?

Whichever way you slice it, building a mailing list takes time, but we'll talk about a few ways that you can reduce that amount of time in a second. First, let's get the legalities out of the way.

When building a list, you are legally required to have people opt-in to your email newsletter. This means they have to give you permission to email them, and you must make it possible for people to unsubscribe from your mailing list.

The beauty of email marketing platforms like those mentioned above is that they handle all of this for you. Once a fan has entered their details in a sign-up form on your website they will automatically receive an email to opt-in (also called a double opt-in).

Double-opt in can work two ways. The first is to have fans sign up and then confirm their sign up. The second is to send them an email once they sign up, through which they are given a link to activate their account/membership/signup. This is actually the best way because if your email starts out in the junk folder then they are more likely to take it out when they activate, which will mean subsequent emails are not sent to the junk folder.

Getting fans to opt-in or double opt-in has one major benefit for you; it keeps your emails out of the junk folder.

So now that we've got that out of the way, how can you go about building a list? Here are a few ideas to get started.

1. If you don't ask, you don't get

A good question to ask is "why should a fan join your mailing list? What's in it for them?"

Once you know the answer, asking for their email will be less awkward. If you offer 10% discount on merchandise, or give exclusive access to new music to your mailing list, fans will be more inclined to join your list.

I recommend asking for emails everywhere. If possible, set up an iPad at your merch table offering people the 10% discount if they sign up. Have a sign-up form on your website. Run social contests and require an email address to take part. The more you ask, the more you'll get.

2. Social contests & using tech platforms to gather fan emails

One of the fastest ways to gain a huge number of fan email addresses is to combine Facebook advertising with a social contest using something like ShortStack or . There are also a range of awesome music-specific platforms, such as and Jango (now called Radio Airplay ) that enable you to see the email address of every fan that has interacted with you. Another great passive technique for building your list.

3. Give away exclusive content to encourage sign ups

As emphasised in point one, people need a reason to join your list. As an artist, your have one thing that your fans want; music, photos, stories. Use that content to get fans to sign up to your list and encourage their friends to do the same.

Ideally, building your list should be a passive activity. In other words, it should run in the background while you focus on more important things. Sure, you'll have to invest some effort into getting the flywheel moving, but once it is moving and fans are joining your list, it shouldn't slow down.

Writing & Sending Emails That Engage & Monetise Fans

Let's tackle the elephant in the room; we're not doing email marketing for fun. It's an investment of time, energy, and money, that we want to see a positive return from. Now, for some of us that may mean more gigs or just happier fans, but for most I imagine revenue will be an important outcome that we'll want to see from email marketing.

So how can we measure or at least ensure that our email marketing is having a positive return on investment?

As an artist, it's likely that most of your income will come in spikes; the day you release a new album, the day you sign a sponsorship deal, or the day you're paid from a tour. As such, the investment in building your email list may not pay itself back until you reach that next spike.

In my experience, having a good list of loyal fans makes those peaks higher.

Having control over your fans can also pay itself back in better deals. If you're negotiating terms with a label or a potential sponsor you're more likely to get a more favourable deal if you can say that you have a list of 100,000 fans that you can message at any time.

That said, I track everything. Most email marketing providers will give you reports on your open and click through rate, and if setup correctly you can even find out how many fans went on to complete certain actions, such as downloading a song from your website. This information will enable you to measure the impact and ROI of your email marketing.

In order to give ourselves the best possible chance, we need to write good email campaigns. So what makes a good email?

What makes a compelling email?

Great email marketing is about offering consistent value to your mailing list in a way that makes them glad to see your emails arrive in their inbox. Fundamentally, that's what it all boils down to.

Here are a few good tips to ensure that you're writing good emails.

Before you send out any email campaign, see how many times you use the words 'I', 'me', 'us', or 'we'. The purpose of this is to identify whether the email is about you or the people you're emailing. The more it's focused on them, the better you'll do.

2. Writing amazing subject lines

Advertising legend David Ogilvy said that "When you write your headline you've spent 80 cents out of your dollar". This is because 80% of people will only ever read your headline. Unfortunately, this is also true with email marketing, which is why you need to learn to write great subject lines.

I've written in great detail what makes a good headline here . Business Insider also have some good tips on writing subject lines here .

Don't write long essays, keep it short and sweet. Even consider embedding images into your emails to convey messages visually.

4. Make your call-to-actions clear

Don't expect your fans to download your single if the only way to do so is through a hard to find linked bit of text at the bottom of your email. Make sure that your call to actions are nice and big and intuitive for your fans.
5. Getting your email frequency right
If you research this subject thoroughly, then you will find many differing and contrasting opinions. The truth is that you need to judge your frequency based on your target audience.

I'd recommend starting out by sending one email every two weeks and testing different frequencies to gauge which frequency works best for you.

Final thought

Email marketing's not easy, and you won't get it right first-time, but it's worth sticking at. The quickest way to get better at email marketing - or anything - is to measure what matters to you and focus all of your energy on improving it.

I hope this guide's been handy and if you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments below and i'll do my best to answer them. You can also find me on Twitter & Google+.
The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing & Newsletters for Musicians & Bands

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The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing & Newsletters for Musicians & Bands - MTT - Music Think Tank

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Email marketing is one of the most important elements of digital marketing for bands and musicians. Why? First of all, it's one of the only forms of online communication between you and your fans that is entirely future proof and within your control.

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Create a Sample Newsletter for Potential Subscribers

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Create a sample newsletter for potential subscribers, so they know the type of content you plan to offer and can decide if they want to sign up to your list.

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from chapter two - 'show before you tell

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from chapter two - 'show before you tell

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http://chvrch.es

Music

Bandsintown
Tour Dates

About

A lot has changed for CHVRCHES in the past few years.

When the Glaswegian trio wrote and recorded their debut, The Bones Of What You Believe (2013), no one had heard of them. The three members (Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and Lauren Mayberry) came together with the idea of working on a writing project together, unsure of what path that would take other than one which belied their previous musical projects and foregrounded melody and classic songwriting styles before everything else. There were no pre-existing ideas of what the record would or should be like, no pre-conceptions and nothing to live up to - just three people in a basement studio in Glasgow making music they believed in.

The Bones of What You Believe went on to sell over 500,000 albums worldwide. The band enjoyed critical success, with accoladed coming from Pitchfork, Spin, Rolling Stone, Q, NME and many more. They made their debut US TV performance on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon, and then went on Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show with Letterman and Last Call with Carson Daly.They've clocked in 364 shows in 2 years, selling out venues across the world and making signature appearances at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, Lollapalooza, Australasia's Laneway Festival, Reading & Leeds, Summer Sonic in Japan and countless others before retiring back into the studio for another go.

Approaching the new album, one could argue that everything is different for the band but they tried not to treat it that way. CHVRCHES returned to the same hometown studio that had housed them during the recording of their first LP, their basic goal to shut off the outside world and get back to what they know best: writing.

Made in CHVRCHES' Alucard Studios - a converted three-bedroom flat on the southside of Glasgow - Every Open Eye offers an alternative approach in a climate of music written by committee or the same handful of well-known songwriters, going back to the idea that a band can write, record and produce their work entirely by themselves.

Using some ideas the band had recorded in venues during their time on the road as a starting point, the band found riffs, loops and melodies they wanted to develop or started from scratch on the synths, pads and machines they had been gathering in their basement to create the instrumentals of the songs. Vocal melodies were developed as the songs took shape with the lyrics added last, developed from words and sentences from notebooks Mayberry had kept on tour.

Musically, Every Open Eye seeks to do more with less. To make big sounds without racking up endless tracks within Cubase sessions. To make something intense and urgent and visceral, using the basic tools of melody, rhythm and arrangement rather than the mentality that 'more is more'. Sonically, Every Open Eye develops CHVRCHES' signature style, juxtaposing the light and the dark, creating their own brand of twisted pop music that uniquely merges the organic with the electronic, molding sounds and ideas forged over two years on the road into an electronic-pop record with a heart.

Lyrically, Every Open Eye is not a break up album. It is a record about past heartbreaks and getting over them ('Leave A Trace'). About perspective and the benefit of hindsight. About being unapologetic and not being told what to do or who to be ('Bury It', 'Never Ending Circles', 'Playing Dead'). About moving on to better things, holding on to the good and letting go of the bad ('Down Side Of Me', 'Clearest Blue', 'Afterglow').

Mixed by Spike Stent and mastered by Bob Ludwig, Every Open Eye will be released on September 25, 2015 via Glassnote. Lead single 'Leave A Trace' is out on July 16.

Videos

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http://chvrch.es Bandsintown A lot has changed for CHVRCHES in the past few years. When the Glaswegian trio wrote and recorded their debut, The Bones Of What You Believe (2013), no one had heard of them.

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upload start of media release - you can use my doc 'for immediate release' (in media release column) to start your draft,
also read branding and image column, and rest of
media release column

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ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S MUCH LOVED SONGWRITERS, JORDIE LANE RETURNS WITH 'GLASSELLLAND'. A BOLD & ADVENTUROUS NEW RECORD THAT SEES LANE EXTEND HIS MUSICAL BOUNDARIES FAR BEYOND HIS PREVIOUS ACCLAIMED FOLK & ALT COUNTRY SOUND.

Jordie Lane is back from America with his long awaited first full length studio album in 5 years, GLASSELLLAND, (pronounced Glas-Sell-Land).

Released in Australia/New Zealand on Friday 16th September through Lane's own label, Blood Thinner Records via MGM Distribution.

To celebrate the Australian album release, Jordie Lane embarks on a massive National tour with the formation of his new band, The Sleepers. Taking in all major cities and various regional centres, tickets for all shows are on sale Thursday 11 August, 9am EST from http://jordielane.com participating venues.

Along with headline shows across the country, Jordie Lane & The Sleepers will also appear at several upcoming spring festivals,Dashville Skyline, Fremantle Festival, Mullum Music Fest, and Queenscliff Music Festival.

Glassellland was written and produced by Lane himself, with co-collaborator and in demand Songwriter/Producer Clare Reynolds (Timbaland, Haley Reinhart, Greyson Chance). They also took on the insane task of building tear down transitory studios in several spaces in North East Los Angeles and engineering and playing every single instrument and sound on the album. The record is a personal account of the way Lane sees the world with an at times tragic and vain or facetious delivery of heavy social themed lyrics, lathered with lush and sometimes frightening sonic landscapes.

Jordie explains it:

"It felt like fresh start, a time to get back to my youthful ways, approaching music with naivety and fearlessness. There was this sign on a hill, around the corner from our first recording space that stood only 3 metres high, that said GLASSELLLAND in big block letters. It was this ironic take on the original HOLLYWOODLAND sign. Instantly it became the symbol for the album before we'd even started writing. It was like a visual mantra that said: 'Your dreams are endless!' But the difference was it was not all glossy and fake Hollywood. It was a mundane, regular working class, real, gritty, neighborhood. Not far from what my hometown of Thornbury was like when I was growing up in Melbourne. Being the producers and engineers, Clare and I learnt how to use the recording gear, and inevitably our lack of knowledge gave us a sense of freedom and the so called "mistakes" gave the record a truth and authenticity that could't be orchestrated any other way."

When asked about what the record sounds like, producer, Clare 'Lollies' Reynolds says: " Imagine Rufus Wainwright is drinking tequila with Neil Young. In walks Paul McCartney, arm in arm with Neil Finn discussing the demise of human connection. If you can picture that then you're drawing closer to the space and fanciful world that Jordie and I have created with his new record GLASSELLLAND."

After Rolling Stone Magazine stated Lane's 2009 debut Sleeping Patterns "may come to be regarded as one of the most assured records ever by a local artist" and the follow up, Blood Thinner receiving nomination for 'Best Blues & Roots album' at the Australian Independent Record Awards in 2011, GLASSELLLAND is sure to rise to the occasion, with the first single 'Frederick Steele McNeil Ferguson' achieving steady high rotation on Double J radio in 2016 along with it's intensely powerful 'one camera' video clip, premiered on Rolling Stone earlier this year.

Lane has also had plenty of love in the USA of late, scoring National airplay on the 26 Million subscriber based Sirius-XM Radio, coveted performances on NPR's 'Mountain Stage' and tours with the likes of Grammy winner Ruthie Foster, and Pennsylvania's, The Stray Birds covering 38 states of America.

The long awaited Glassellland Album Release & Tour come as a welcome return to the national stage for Lane, after his starring role in the stage show of The Beatles: Rubber Soul Revolver' tour which saw Lane play alongside Marlon Williams and Husky in Australia's premier concert halls including Sydney Opera House and Hamer Hall last August.

" Frederick Steele McNeil Ferguson, the first single from Lane's forthcoming third album, was recorded in Northeast LA in a studio that doubled as a kitchen. Its brooding, alt-country vibe is rocked-up even further. It and another new song suggest the album will push Lane well beyond his affable folk-country roots".

"Take pieces of Jeff Tweedy, Ron Sexsmith and Jackson Browne, melt them down in a beautiful crucible of music and you end up with Jordie Lane: a truly diverse folk musician"

"A young man with an old soul and an honest sound, harkening back to Gram Parsons and Bob Dylan" - The Bluegrass Situation (USA)

"Holy F#$%, I LOVE THIS RECORD"
Tom Biller
(American Grammy winning producer - Kanye West, Fiona Apple, Gomez, Elliot Smith)

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ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S MUCH LOVED SONGWRITERS, JORDIE LANE RETURNS WITH 'GLASSELLLAND'. A BOLD & ADVENTUROUS NEW RECORD THAT SEES LANE EXTEND HIS MUSICAL BOUNDARIES FAR BEYOND HIS PREVIOUS ACCLAIMED FOLK & ALT COUNTRY SOUND. Jordie Lane is back from America with his long awaited first full length studio album in 5 years, GLASSELLLAND, (pronounced Glas-Sell-Land).

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Once again, Baron Von Rothbart demonstrates his dominance over the forest and the enchanted swan maidens. He commands the appearance of the swans, in the course of which the hunters arrive. Seeing the flock, they urge Prince Siegfried deeper into the forest for the hunt.

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It's a guilty secret that's not especially secret: everybody likes reading a really nasty review every now and then. And equally, as a critic, there's a perverse pleasure in writing such a review, in being able to sink the boot into an album that you truly despise. The thing is, though, sometimes we get it wrong. All critics have penned pastings that they've subsequently regretted (although some critics, it has to be said, are more prone than others to inserting both feet in their mouth simultaneously). And sometimes, when critics get it wrong, they get it spectacularly wrong - so in the spirit of our feature last month on scathing early reviews of classic novels, here's a similar look at some gloriously misguided reviews of albums that'd go on to be acclaimed as classics.

The critic: Rolling Stone 's John Mendelsohn

This review pissed off Jimmy Page so royally that he refused to speak to Rolling Stone for years, a fact that would cause the magazine much consternation throughout the '70s as Led Zep bestrode the world like tight-trousered, mudshark-wielding commercial colossi. Still, you can't blame Page for taking offense to this - amongst other things, Mendelsohn calls Robert Plant "as foppish as Rod Stewart, but he's nowhere near so exciting" and lambasts the guitarist as "a very limited producer and a writer of weak, unimaginative songs."

The nastiest bit: "In their willingness to waste their considerable talent on unworthy material the Zeppelin has produced an album which is sadly reminiscent of [the Jeff Beck Group's] Truth. Like the Beck group they are also perfectly willing to make themselves a two- (or, more accurately, one-a-half) man show. It would seem that, if they're to help fill the void created by the demise of Cream, they will have to find a producer (and editor) and some material worthy of their collective attention."

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15 Hilariously Negative Early Reviews of Classic Albums

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It's a guilty secret that's not especially secret: everybody likes reading a really nasty review every now and then. And equally, as a critic, there's a perverse pleasure in writing such a review, in being able to sink the boot into an album that you truly despise.

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These guys are the de facto worst rappers to ever come out of Scotland, mainly because they're the only rappers to ever come out of Scotland. This is one of those albums that people who actually like rap will think is a load of pretentious, noisy horseshit, but art students will find interesting. In other words, curdled milk in rap-man form.
ERIC PUNDERMANN

If you get a lot of press releases, you might confuse an artist actually having buzz with their publicist burrowing a hole in your subconscious. Dena is one of these musicians. No matter how many emails Clayton sends me, she'll always make music I can only stomach with enough ketamine to knock down Seabiscuit.
DICK NIERL

SCHOOLBOY Q

Schoolboy Q is so cool he could get away with wearing sunglasses indoors for the rest of his life. He's got this trippy, drugged-out thug vibe that we're thinking is going to be big this summer. Because of Schoolboy and Oxymoron, we've already started stocking up on tie-dye, bucket hats, and selective-fire assault rifles to rock at our next company turn-up function.
DR. EW

Holy shit, dude. Sometimes you just want to punch God in the face. Every time these fucking krauts spew out another aural queef nugget I try to give it a chance, but the second I hear the singer's thin monotone melodies backed up by lifeless, pointless beats, I remember how few shits anyone would give if these dickweeds were from Chicago. Yeah, yeah, Neon Golden. Sure. I'd sooner give Udo Kier a standing 69 under the Brandenburg Gate than hear this album again. Actually, that sounds fucking awesome, that guy's a babe.
GENEVIEVE MAY DOBBINS

I'm almost 30 (and a woman), so every time I order something from West Elm I pretend for an afternoon that I'm a full-grown adult. Then I put on some electro-soul dinner-party music like this and cram my novelty Spider-Man dildo down my throat. Seriously, what is wrong with me? This EP would pair nicely with a Loire rosé, a Selles-sur-Cher, and a diaper full of poopy kaka turd dung shitz.
EX-GIRLFRIEND

In an world dotted with shiny, overproduced Disclosure replicants, it's refreshing to hear a bit of crackle now and then-maybe a fuzzy field recording, or a rhythm section that sounds like you shook that tampon bin in the bathroom at work.
MAX PEARL

Getting embarrassingly into electronic music is part of every punk's life cycle, like breaking edge, or becoming a monthly sustainer of your local public radio station. When this happens, it's important not to fight it but also not to fully embrace it either. I don't know if you've ever seen a pack of drunks in Judge tees ramping up to sugary EDM, but it's heartbreaking. Nay, bleak and minimal analog experimental dance music like this should be dealt with alone, nude, and preferably under the influence of scotch and Quaaludes.
MARY-LYNNE CRUSHER

Wow. Here's a triple LP with a million songs on it, and I'm OK with that. This band is exactly as good as you'd imagine a band with releases on Flying Nun and DFA would be. The minimal dance stuff and cutesy girl vocals made me amped up enough to clean my room, and there's even an acoustic ballad on here that made me stop and text my girlfriend to say that I love her. New Zealand wins again, and their reward is another devastating earthquake. Maybe that's why their music is so good.
SANDY SLIMS

There's a special type of person who can survive two decades of after-hours ketamine baths and still have enough brain cells to pronounce the words musique concrète. At the dawn of techno's 30th birthday, you can find the genre's elder statesmen either drooling on an Ibiza beach or newly rebranded as modern classical composers. Francis Harris-formerly minimal-techno mainstay Adultnapper-is among the latter. It's time to turn down for 2014 because this record is the dopest #napjam I've heard since Ben Frost released Theory of Machines, like, seven years ago.
MAX PEARL

The first time I got really high was behind the Goodwill where I worked as a clerk in high school. Me and some coworkers were smoking out of an apple in the back lot and I remember not feeling anything at first. Then, when I walked back onto the floor, P.O.D. came on the radio like, "I... I feel so aliiiiiiive! For the very first tiiiiime! And I think I could flyyyyy!" and it blew my mind all over the men's outerwear section. Since then I've held a deep respect for bad music meant to soundtrack a teen's first psychic mesa. Deftones-guy's shitty new album should do the trick for your nephew, but for adults this is trip-hop Chinese water torture.
DANIELLE HI

I don't know what the hell is going on in Western Massachusetts these days, but I want in, and I'm looking for partners to go in on a winter timeshare! Here's the plan, team: we'll rent out Kim Gordon's tool shed and start hanging around Northampton High in a totally non-pedo way. Years of aimless, clove-fueled drives from Puffer's Pond to the Springfield Savers have imbued an entire senior class of scowly bozos with an inborn ability to steal their parents' Xanax and craft perfect mixtape alt.
SALLY

Grindcore has finally come full circle, from everyone taking it way too seriously in the 80s, to everyone treating it like a hilarious joke in the 90s, to everyone getting all Ryan Trecartin about it in the 2000s, to today, when Cripple Bastards are free to spray their bazillionth record of hateful dog piss into the ether for no reason. These guys are so old that all their parents are probably dead. Who are they trying to piss off with this shit anyway, their kids?
THE RED STRIPE GUY

How come the host of every after-hours drug party these days insists on throwing Fisher-Price: My First Doomgaze Project on the stereo? Don't they know we'd all rather be singing Saves the Day karaoke into empty beer cans until we're hoarse and the guy won't come back?
DOG LOG

BEST COVER OF THE MONTH

These guys are my friends, so I'm sure some queef huffer in the comments is going to accuse me of using my position as best music journalist in the world to logroll for buddies again. This makes me feel bad, until I remember that my friends are about a thousand times more talented, attractive, and fun than you and yours. This is not sarcasm, it's an unvarnished fact that makes my cell phone contact list a shoo-in for Top 50 Albums of the Year. That said, I almost gave these guys a pukey because Tucker keeps canceling on me when I invite him to the spa.
ALAN GRANT, PH.D.

On the other hand, I'm supposed to give these private-school cock knockers a good review because all the girls in the VICE office have rock-hard clits for them. Oh, you formed a budget Strokes clone and named your major-label debut Manhattan? That's cool. Here's a message from everyone in Brooklyn: eat a dick, you fake fucks.
IBID.

BEST ALBUM OF THE MONTH

What was that? Four dudes made a record of reverb-drenched Swervedriver worship? Why yes, I'd love to give this a good review, thanks for asking, publicist! God, 1993 is like the mob. Every time I try to get out and live straight, it presses a $825,000 gem into my palm and convinces me to garrote some union delegate.
DARK E. SMITH

We Are the In Crowd got their start by killing every band that appeared on the Vans Warped Tour from 2006 to 2008, throwing their corpses into a gigantic blender, and going on a yearlong sabbatical in a North Florida Hot Topic where they survived off noxious smoothies of human flesh and Manic Panic residue. This is the sound of all the liquid shits they all got after drinking it.
GUCCI MANNEQUIN

At first, Epitaph wouldn't give me this record because they thought VICE would give it a bad review, but I conned them into sending me a promo with the whole "there's no such thing as a bad VICE review" trick. Now I've got a copy of this limp-dick Australian metalcore on my desk, staring me down as a reminder of why it's important to have high standards for all those doofy roofuckers down under. Whenever anybody talks about Australia these days it's all UV Race this and Eddy Current that, as if the Midwestern United States had a monopoly on sonic mallrat jizz.
BONES JUSTICE

I can get down with this. If you're going to play blackened death with stratospheric guitar solos and double kick pedals you better be from Gdan´sk, and you sure as shit better have a singer who stomped a mud hole in leukemia's ass and looks like Nick Zedd. Plus, these guys have been around for 23 years, and according to our market-research lady (hi Julie!) that's older than your pimply ass, so show some respect, tweens.
KARA GARGA

Maybe this is too Walmart of an opinion to have, but I think metal should have riffs and hooks and make me want to stage-dive into a pit of flaming boobs. Sure, it's nice to hear Mick Barr tear your local DIY loft party a new ass every now and then, but when you're huddled around a grill with a pack of bearded denim-vest dudes and Hank finally found cables long enough to string computer speakers out the window, I'll take shit like this over anything remotely "challenging" every time. Metalheads are sort of pussies in
that way.
WILLY BEAMISH

With 20 songs on this album in about 15 minutes, GBV has solidified themselves as the one-pump chump of dad rock. They're in me just long enough to crash the custard truck, but then they're turning over in bed breathing heavily and saying yes to whatever I say. I'm not implying I have a problem with that. What I'm saying is this is a short, solid record made by grown male adults and my giney has sealed shut from underuse.
SALLY

When you live in a punk house there are always weirdos flopping around on the floors and couches. The best you can hope for is a cute chick who keeps showing up until you realize she just lives here. Everyone will have a different opinion about her doing the dishes, and the whole thing will feel like that Agnes Varda movie about the hobo, but that's how I met Lelah, the drummer of Tacocat. One day she was just living up in my attic, unsure of when she was going back to Seattle, if ever. I was sort of pissed at first, but then I realized her mom was staying there too, and every punk house needs an actual mom who's over 19 around. All that said, Lelah's band is totally fine except when they sound like the Dance Hall Crashers.
BSHAP

Wait, which fairy tale are you talking about? The one where your Z-list fuzz-pop band produces a single memorable song? They may call Savannah "The Paris of the South," but that's only because it's filled with pretty girls with no talent.
DUKUS P. TEKUM

WORST COVER OF THE MONTH

Man, maybe I'm wrong about everything I hate! Ever since I got a promo copy of this Scottish indie rock I've been mowing more gash than I did during the great Decemberists fuckwave of 2003. We're giving this one-man band worst cover of the month because no one can use the Nirvana typeface for any words besides "nirvana," "bleach," and "flower sniffin', kitty pettin', baby kissin', corporate rock whores," which pretty accurately sums up this prancy chamber-pop street pizza.
LARGUS BARNACLE

SUN KIL MOON

Mark Kozelek, the singer-songwriter behind Sun Kil Moon, tells vividly imagined stories with his music. The stories are usually about trying to fuck Korean women and being depressed. Not one to disappoint, Kozalek yet again slapped together a collection of mediocre acoustic whiners-a.k.a. the soundtrack to an as-yet-unreleased Cameron Crowe movie. The absolute bottom for me is the track "I Can't Live Without My Mother's Love," a song that would wake a coma patient up just so she could say, "Hey dude, cheer up."
TRIPPY HEDREN

Writing VICE reviews is easier than you think-a lot of it is just racking your brain to remember choice synonyms for fart and ejaculate that have been buried since childhood. But for this one, we'll scrap all the synonyms, homonyms, and big words for dicks. After reading a few interviews where these bozos trash "the current indie scene," we're all just tickled to hear what they'll say about us when we call them, quite literally, the worst fucking rock band any of us have ever heard, ever.
VICE MEDIA

GARDENS & VILLA

By 2026, our robot overlords will have fully sunk their fleshlike tendrils into the totality of humanity, and there will be no more rock 'n' roll. All guitars will have been confiscated, along with all human desire for love, lust, liberation, and other feelings that start with the letter L. All that will be left is oppressively shitty bands like Gardens & Villa. While driving the scions of our mecha-masters to robot soccer practice, we'll be forced to listen to this album, its grooves pounding like a boot stomping on a human face-forever. Also, they say once is a fluke and twice is a tradition, so I'm starting a ritual for reviews of bands on this label: Secretly Canadian secretly stinks. [Editor's note: see the August 2013 issue of VICE.]
MUSCHA TRIMPOP

THE PETER ULRICH COLLABORATION

Peter Ulrich used to be the drummer in Dead Can Dance. Much like that band, his new project is a collection of near-unlistenable jingle-jangles of the sort that NPR plays at 3 AM. World music was invented by suburban moms so they could pretend to seem socially aware. I didn't listen to this album enough to confirm that a didgeridoo was used in the recording, but asking that question is like wondering if someone will use the N-word in a Jack Hill movie.
DAVID SCHILLING

NENEH CHERRY

Here's what you need to know: this is the chick who made "Buffalo Stance," a song that has preceded so many bouts of white-knuckled crotch grinding she's basically the Hitch of 3:49 AM. She hasn't put out a solo record in 16 years, and then out of the blue she drops a disarmingly personal record of pop and electro. This thing even has Robyn on it. If you want anything more, you're selfish.
SE7EN SISTERS

CIBO MATTO

How come every time Johnny Ding-Dong at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge wanted to talk about "Old New York," it was always getting knifed in Tompkins or shooting up ecstasy with David Wojnarowicz? I remember another side of the city, and it was a safe space for adorable Japanese girls to rent cheap apartments and make funny trip-hop about food.
MR. GONE

WORST ALBUM OF THE MONTH
XIU XIU

I'm a swarthy Ukrainian Jew, so by the time I turned 12 I'd grown enough body fuzz to learn (the hard way) that if I didn't wash my ass hair with shampoo it'd turn into a matted net that caught southbound turds like a smelly black spiderweb. When this happened to me, I didn't panic. No way. I kept my head on a swivel and pulled a budget MacGyver, cutting the whole knotted mess out with my pen knife and throwing everything out the window. Then I took a hot shower and no one was the wiser-until now. If I'd been caught, I'd probably have started a band like Xiu Xiu and spent the rest of my life puking up fake gothy trash to punish my gross butthole for making me gay. Jamie, sometimes you just gotta wash your ass and move on.
JARGON SCOTT'S LEGLESS DOGS

MARK MCGUIRE

This ex-Emeralds ginger seems like a good enough dude, and I've enjoyed his previous blissful guitar solo material a lot, but wa-holy cow the liner notes for this thing... Here, this is how it starts: "This album contains many stories. These stories have been told before, through many forms, by many peoples, stretching far back throughout history. At its core however, there is but one story. This is the story that burns in the heart of all mankind; the quest of the individual seeking the answers to the great mysteries of life; to truly understand the elements which not only contribute to the great cosmic construct known as the universe, but also that relentlessly veiled, ever-elusive, and endlessly perplexing facility which is ultimately the most important factor in experiencing this incredible universe-the self." There's more. Much more. Pages more.
STEVE KERR

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These guys are the de facto worst rappers to ever come out of Scotland, mainly because they're the only rappers to ever come out of Scotland. This is one of those albums that people who actually like rap will think is a load of pretentious, noisy horseshit, but art students will find interesting.

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•items for the marketing and/or promotion of music products

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Music journalists (from left to right) Robert Christgau and Ann Powers and musicology professor Charles Kronengolm at the 2007 Pop Conference at Seattle's Experience Music Project

Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on what is now regarded as classical music. In the 1960s, music journalism began more prominently covering popular music like rock and pop after the breakthrough of The Beatles. With the rise of the internet in the 2000s, music criticism developed an increasingly large online presence with music bloggers, aspiring music critics, and established critics supplementing print media online. Music journalism today includes reviews of songs, albums and live concerts, profiles of recording artists, and reporting of artist news and music events.

Hector Berlioz, active as a music journalist in Paris in the 1830s and 1840s

Music journalism has its roots in classical music criticism, which has traditionally comprised the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of music that has been composed and notated in a score and the evaluation of the performance of classical songs and pieces, such as symphonies and concertos.

Before about the 1840s, reporting on music was either done by musical journals, such as the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (founded by Johann Friedrich Rochlitz in 1798) and the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (founded by Robert Schumann in 1834), and in London journals such as The Musical Times (founded in 1844 as The Musical Times and Singing-class Circular); or else by reporters at general newspapers where music did not form part of the central objectives of the publication. An influential English 19th-century music critic, for example, was James William Davison of The composer Hector Berlioz also wrote reviews and criticisms for the Paris press of the 1830s and 1840s.

Modern art music journalism is often informed by music theory consideration of the many diverse elements of a musical piece or performance, including (as regards a musical composition) its form and style, and for performance, standards of technique and expression. These standards were expressed, for example, in journals such as Neue Zeitschrift für Musik founded by Robert Schumann, and are continued today in the columns of serious newspapers and journals such as The Musical Times.

Several factors-including growth of education, the influence of the Romantic movement generally and in music, popularization (including the 'star-status' of many performers such as Liszt and Paganini), among others-led to an increasing interest in music among non-specialist journals, and an increase in the number of critics by profession of varying degrees of competence and integrity. The 1840s could be considered a turning point, in that music critics after the 1840s generally were not also practicing musicians. However, counterexamples include Alfred Brendel, Charles Rosen, Paul Hindemith, and Ernst Krenek; all of whom were modern practitioners of the classical music tradition who also write (or wrote) on music.

Women music journalists in the twentieth century who covered classic music performance include Ruth Scott Miller of the Chicago Tribune (1920-1921), Henriette Weber at the Chicago Herald-Examiner, and Claudia Cassidy, who worked for Chicago Journal of Commerce (1924-1941), the Chicago Sun (1941-42) and the Chicago Tribune (1942-65).

In the early 1980s, a decline in the quantity of classical criticism began occurring "when classical music criticism visibly started to disappear" from the media. At that time, leading newspapers still typically employed a chief music critic, while magazines such as Time and Vanity Fair also employed classical music critics. But by the early 1990s, classical critics were dropped in many publications, in part due to "a decline of interest in classical music, especially among younger people".

Also of concern in classical music journalism was how American reviewers can write about ethnic and folk music from cultures other than their own, such as Indian ragas and traditional Japanese works. In 1990, the World Music Institute interviewed four New York Times music critics who came up with the following criteria on how to approach ethnic music:

1. A review should relate the music to other kinds of music that readers know, to help them understand better what the program was about.

2. "The performers [should] be treated as human beings and their music [should] be treated as human activity rather than a mystical or mysterious phenomenon."

3. The review should show an understanding of the music's cultural backgrounds and intentions.

A key finding in a 2005 study of arts journalism in America was that the profile of the "average classical music critic is a white, 52-year old male, with a graduate degree". Demographics indicated that the group was 74% male, 92% white, and 64% had earned a graduate degree. One critic of the study pointed out that because all newspapers were included, including low-circulation regional papers, the female representation of 26% misrepresented the actual scarcity, in that the "large US papers, which are the ones that influence public opinion, have virtually no women classical music critics", with the notable exceptions of Anne Midgette in the New York Times and Wynne Delacoma in the Chicago Sun-Times.

In 2007, The New York Times wrote that classical music criticism, which it characterized as "a high-minded endeavor that has been around at least as long as newspapers", had undergone "a series of hits in recent months" with the elimination, downgrading, or redefinition of critics' jobs at newspapers in Atlanta, Minneapolis, and elsewhere, citing magazine's Peter G. Davis, "one of the most respected voices of the craft, [who] said he had been forced out after 26 years". Viewing "robust analysis, commentary and reportage as vital to the health of the art form", The New York Times stated in 2007 that it continued to maintain "a staff of three full-time classical music critics and three freelancers", noting also that classical music criticism had become increasingly available on blogs, and that a number of other major newspapers "still have full-time classical music critics", including (in 2007) the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Boston Globe.

Music writers only started "treating pop and rock music seriously" in 1964 "after the breakthrough of the Beatles".[attribution needed ] In their book Rock Criticism from the Beginning, Ulf Lindberg and his co-writers say that rock criticism appears to have been "slower to develop in the U.S. than in England". One of the early British music magazines, Melody Maker, complained in 1967 about how "newspapers and magazines are continually hammering [i.e., attacking] pop music". From 1964, Melody Maker led its rival publications in terms of approaching music and musicians as a subject for serious study rather than merely entertainment. Staff reporters such as Chris Welch and Ray Coleman applied a perspective previously reserved for jazz artists to the rise of American-influenced local rock and pop groups, anticipating the advent of rock critics. Among Britain's broadsheet newspapers, pop music gained exposure in the arts section of when William Mann, the paper's classical music critic, wrote an appreciation of the Beatles in December 1963. In early 1965, The Observer, the country's highbrow Sunday newspaper, signalled a reversal of the establishment's cultural snobbery towards pop music by appointing George Melly as its "critic of pop culture". Following Tony Palmer's arrival at The Observer, the first daily newspaper to employ a dedicated rock critic was The Guardian, with the appointment of Geoffrey Cannon in 1968.

Melody Maker's writers advocated the new forms of pop music of the late 1960s. "By 1999, the 'quality' press was regularly carrying reviews of popular music gigs and albums", which had a "key role in keeping pop" in the public eye. As more pop music critics began writing, this had the effect of "legitimating pop as an art form"; as a result, "newspaper coverage shifted towards pop as music rather than pop as social phenomenon".[attribution needed ]

In the world of pop music criticism, there has tended to be a quick turnover. The "pop music industry" expects that any particular rock critic will likely disappear from popular view within five years; in contrast, according to author Mark Fenster, the "stars" of rock criticism are more likely to have long careers with "book contracts, featured columns, and editorial and staff positions at magazines and newspapers".

Richard Goldstein (pictured at the 2015 EMP Pop Conference) was the first American music critic to focus on rock music.

Author Bernard Gendron writes that in the United States "the emergence of a 'serious' rock press and the rock critic" began in 1966, presaged by Robert Shelton, the folk music critic for The New York Times, writing articles praising the Beatles and Bob Dylan, the last of whom had just embraced rock 'n' roll by performing with electric backing at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Paul Williams, an eighteen-year-old student, launched the pop journal in February 1966; in June, Richard Goldstein, a recent graduate and New Journalism writer, debuted his "Pop Eye" column in The Village Voice, which Gendron describes as "the first regular column on rock 'n' roll ... to appear in an established cultural publication". Rock journalist Clinton Heylin, in his role as editor of The Penguin Book of Rock & Roll Writing, cites "the true genesis of rock criticism" to the emergence of Crawdaddy! Lindberg et al. say that, while Williams is widely considered to be the first American rock critic, he "nevertheless looked to England for material".

According to Gendron, Goldstein's most significant early pieces were a "manifesto" on rock 'n' roll and "pop aestheticism", and a laudatory assessment of the Beatles' album. Published in late August, the latter article provided "the first substantial rock review devoted to one album to appear in any nonrock magazine with accreditory power". Whereas Williams could be sure of a sympathetic readership, given the nature of his publication, Goldstein's task was to win over a more highbrow readership to the artistic merits of contemporary pop music. At this time, both Goldstein and Williams gained considerable renown in the cultural mainstream and were the subject of profile articles in .

The emergence of rock journalism coincided with an attempt to position rock music, particularly the Beatles' work, in the American cultural landscape. The critical discourse was further heightened by the respectful coverage afforded the genre in mainstream publications such as Newsweek, and in the months leading up to and following the release of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album in June 1967. Within this discourse, Richard Meltzer, in an essay for Crawdaddy! in March, challenged the highbrow aesthetic of rock proposed by Goldstein. The latter's mixed review of Sgt. Pepper in The New York Times was similarly the subject of journalistic debate, and invited reprisals from musicologists, composers and cultural commentators.

Among other young American writers who became pop columnists following Goldstein's appointment were Robert Christgau (at , from June 1967), Ellen Willis (The New Yorker, March 1968) and Ellen Sander (Saturday Review, October 1968). Christgau was the "originator of the 'consumer guide' approach to pop music reviews", an approach that was designed to help readers decide whether to buy a new album.[attribution needed ]

According to popular music academic Roy Shuker in 1994, music reference books such as The Rolling Stone Record Guide and Christgau's Record Guide played a role in the rise of rock critics as tastemakers in the music industry, "constructing their own version of the traditional high/ low culture split, usually around notions of artistic integrity, authenticity, and the nature of commercialism". These review collections, Shuker continues, "became bibles in the field, establishing orthodoxies as to the relative value of various styles or genres and pantheons of artists. Record collectors and enthusiasts, and specialisation and secondhand record shops, inevitably have well-thumbed copies of these and similar volumes close at hand."

In the realm of rock music, as in that of classical music, critics have not always been respected by their subjects. Frank Zappa declared that "Most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read." In the Guns N' Roses song " Get in the Ring", Axl Rose verbally attacked critics who gave the band negative reviews because of their actions on stage; such critics as Andy Secher, Mick Wall and Bob Guccione Jr. were mentioned by name.

Rock music received a considerable amount of criticism from conservative Christian communities within the United States. This criticism was strongest throughout the 1960s and 70s, with some of the most prominent Christian critics being David A. Noebel, Bob Larson, and Frank Garlock. While these men were not professional music critics, they often claimed to be qualified rock critics because of their professional experiences with both music and religion. For example, Larson tried to assert his authority as a rock critic by stating: "As a minister, I know now what it is like to feel the unction of the Holy Spirit. As a rock musician, I knew what it meant to feel the counterfeit anointing of Satan".

Christian criticisms of rock music in the mid 20th century often centered around arguments that rock was both sonically and morally bad and physically harmful to both the body and soul. Using these central arguments, Noebel, Larson, Garlock, and other Christian critics of rock music wrote extensively about the differences between 'good' and 'bad' music. In The Beatles: A Study in Drugs, Sex and Revolution, Noebel explained why rock music was 'bad' by contrasting it with qualities of 'good' music. In The Big Beat: A Rock Blast, similar arguments were posed by Garlock, with the additional argument that 'good' music must come from distinguished and educated musicians. Additionally, Larson argued that the beats used in rock music could cause rebellion in younger generations due to their hypnotic and influential nature.

Drawing from styles like rhythm and blues and jazz music, rock and roll was first innovated by black communities, but was soon appropriated by white populations. This aspect of rock's history has been overlooked by historians and the media, but music experts now widely agree that rock's true origins lie in the American south among black populations.

Early conservative Christian criticisms of rock music had strong footings in racism. Most white conservative Christians in the mid 20th century understood that rock started among black populations and feared what the success of the genre implied for the church, segregation, and racial equality. When critiquing rock music, Christian critics commonly portrayed rock music with "primitive and exotic imagery to convey [its] African-roots". For example, The American Tract Society in New Jersey released a booklet called "Jungle to Jukebox" that used racist, exotic tropes to illustrate the dangers of rock music to white youth.

In the 2000s, online music bloggers began to supplement, and to some degree displace, music journalists in print media. In 2006, Martin Edlund of the New York Sun criticized the trend, arguing that while the "Internet has democratized music criticism, it seems it's also spread its penchant for uncritical hype".

Carl Wilson described "an upsurge in pro-pop sentiment among critics" during the early 2000s, writing that a "new generation [of music critics] moved into positions of critical influence" and then "mounted a wholesale critique against the syndrome of measuring all popular music by the norms of rock culture".

magazine writer Jody Rosen discussed the 2000s-era trends in pop music criticism in his article "The Perils of Poptimism". Rosen noted that much of the debate is centered on a perception that rock critics regard rock as "normative ... the standard state of popular music ... to which everything else is compared". At a 2006 pop critic conference, attendees discussed their "guilty pop pleasures, reconsidering musicians ( Tiny Tim, Dan Fogelberg, Phil Collins) and genres " which rock critics have long dismissed as lightweight, commercial music. Rosen stated that "this new critical paradigm" is called "popism" - or, more evocatively (and goofily), "poptimism". The poptimism approach states: "Pop (and, especially, hip-hop) producers are as important as rock auteurs, Beyoncé is as worthy of serious consideration as Bruce Springsteen, and ascribing shame to pop pleasure is itself a shameful act."

American pop music critic Ann Powers

In 2008, Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times argued that pop music critics "have always been contrarians", because "pop music [criticism] rose up as a challenge to taste hierarchies, and has remained a pugilistic, exhibitionist business throughout pop's own evolution". Powers claimed that "[i]nsults, rejections of others' authority, bratty assertions of superior knowledge and even threats of physical violence are the stuff of which pop criticism is made", while at the same time, the "best [pop criticism] also offers loving appreciation and profound insights about how music creates and collides with our everyday realities". She stated that pop criticism developed as a "slap at the establishment, at publications such as the hippie homestead Rolling Stone and the rawker outpost ", adding that the "1980s generation" of post-punk indie rockers had in the mid-2000s "been taken down by younger 'poptimists,' who argue that lovers of underground rock are elitists for not embracing the more multicultural mainstream". Powers likened the poptimist critics' debates about bands and styles to a "scrum in rugby", in that "[e]verybody pushes against everybody else, and we move forward in a huge blob of vehement opinion and mutual judgment".

Music critic and indie pop musician Scott Miller, in his 2010 book Music: What Happened?, suggested, "Part of the problem is that a lot of vital pop music is made by 22-year-olds who enjoy shock value, and it's pathetic when their elders are cornered into unalloyed reverence". Miller suggested that critics could navigate this problem by being prepared "to give young artists credit for terrific music without being intimidated into a frame of mind where dark subject matter always gets a passing grade", stating that a critic should be able to call a young artist "a musical genius" while "in the same breath declaring that his or her lyrics are morally objectionable." Reacting to the state of pop music criticism, Miller identified a major issue as critics' failure to "credit an artist with getting a feeling across", specifically pointing out critic Lester Bangs as "a ball of emotion at all times", who nonetheless "never really related to his favorite artists as people who develop a skill of conveying feelings. You don't feel that he comfortably acknowledged being moved as a result of their honest work. Artists in his writing were vaguely ridiculous, fascinating primitives, embodying an archetype by accident of nature."

's Tracy Moore, in 2014, suggested that one of the virtues of writing about how music made one feel, in contrast with linking it to the sounds of other artists, was to avoid excluding readers who may not have musical knowledge as broad as that of the writer. In contrast, Miller believed that analytical readers would appreciate "more music talk in music criticism", suggesting that "sensitively modest doses" of musical analysis would provide helpful support for a conclusion "that great melody writing occurred or it didn't". For example, Miller noted that critics rarely "identify catchy melodies as specific passages within a song", in the way that working musicians might discuss "the A-minor in the second measure of the chorus".

Stevie Chick, a writer who teaches music journalism at City University London, said, "I think more than any other journalism, music journalism has got a really powerful creative writing quotient to it."

Tris McCall of the Newark Star-Ledger discussed his approach to music criticism in a 2010 interview, stating, "Most of us [critics] begin writing about music because we love it so much. We can't wait to tell our friends and neighbors about what we're hearing." According to McCall, even over the course of a long professional career, the enthusiastic impulse to share "never fades". McCall expressed his interest in "examining why people respond to what they respond to. I hazard guesses. Sometimes I'm wrong, but I hope I'm always provocative."

In the 2010s, some commentators noted and criticized the lack of negative reviews in music journalism. Saul Austerlitz from the New York Times Magazine noted that unlike other art forms, "music is now effectively free. Music criticism's former priority - telling consumers what to purchase - has been rendered null and void for most fans." He argued that this and " click culture" causes music critics to act as "cheerleaders" for existing stars.

The 2010s saw a rise of music critics who used YouTube and social media as their platform. According to magazine's Larry Fitzmaurice in 2016, Twitter (X) is "perhaps the last public space for unfettered music criticism in an increasingly anti-critical landscape". In 2020, The New York Times described YouTuber Anthony Fantano as "probably the most popular music critic left standing." Fantano's channel, The Needle Drop, is his main outlet, but he also streams music commentary on Twitch and posts on X.

In an article published in 2024, Jessica Karl, a Bloomberg News columnist, opined that "the way we critique music is broken". She argues that the current culture of consuming new music, particularly with the release of Taylor Swift's album The Tortured Poets Department (2024), is unhealthy. The author criticizes the pressure on both critics and fans to have immediate reactions to new releases, which often leads to superficial takes and a lack of time to properly digest the music. The article also criticizes the media's obsession with over-analyzing famous artists' lyrics searching for hidden messages related to their personal struggles, dating lives or controversies they were involved in; she found Taylor Swift to be a great example of this. She argues that this entire process reduces the focus on the music itself. The author concludes by encouraging fans to take their time listening to new music and avoid the initial wave of reviews and online discussions.

Applying critical theory ( e.g., critical gender studies and critical race theory) to music journalism, some academic writers suggest that mutual disrespect between critics and artists is one of many negative effects of rockism. In 2004, critic Kelefa Sanneh defined "rockism" as "idolizing the authentic old legend (or underground hero) while mocking the latest pop star". Music journalism "infected" with rockism has become, according to Yale professor Daphne Brooks, a challenge "for those of us concerned with historical memory and popular music performance".

Simon Frith said that pop and rock music "are closely associated with gender; that is, with conventions of male and female behaviour". According to Holly Kruse, both popular music articles and academic articles about pop music are usually written from "masculine subject positions". Kembrew McLeod analyzed terms used by critics to differentiate between pop music and rock, finding a gendered dichotomy in descriptions of "'serious,' 'raw,' and 'sincere' rock music as distinguished from 'trivial', 'fluffy,' and 'formulaic' pop music". McLeod found that a likely cause of this dichotomy was the lack of women writing in music journalism: "By 1999, the number of female editors or senior writers at Rolling Stone hovered around a whopping 15%, [while] at and , [it was] roughly 20%." Criticism associated with gender was graphically discussed in a 2014 article about the struggles of women in music journalism, written by music critic Tracy Moore, previously an editor at the Nashville Scene. Moore described how another female music blogger, an "admitted outsider" who threatened no stereotypes, was greeted with enthusiasm by men, in contrast with Moore's own experiences as a self-described "insider" who was nevertheless expected to "prove" or "earn" her way into a male-dominated journalism scene.

According to Anwen Crawford, music critic for Australia's The Monthly, the "problem for women [popular music critics] is that our role in popular music was codified long ago"; as a result, "most famous rock-music critics - Robert Christgau, Greil Marcus, Lester Bangs, Nick Kent - are all male". Crawford points to "[t]he record store, the guitar shop, and now social media: when it comes to popular music, these places become stages for the display of male prowess", and adds, "Female expertise, when it appears, is repeatedly dismissed as fraudulent. Every woman who has ever ventured an opinion on popular music could give you some variation [of this experience] ...and becoming a recognized 'expert' (a musician, a critic) will not save [women] from accusations of fakery."

Daphne Brooks, in her 2008 article "The Write to Rock: Racial Mythologies, Feminist Theory, and the Pleasures of Rock Music Criticism", wrote that in order to restructure music criticism, one must "focus on multiple counter narratives" to break away from racial and gender biases as embodied in "contemporary cultural fetishizations of white male performative virtuosity and latent black male innovations". Brooks focused on "the ways that rock music criticism has shaped and continues to shape our understandings of racialized music encounters, and what are the alternative stories that we might tell". Brooks pointed to Christgau's statement that, after the Beatles' arrival in America, "rock criticism embraced a dream or metaphor of perpetual revolution. Worthwhile bands were supposed to change people's lives, preferably for the better. If they failed to do so, that meant they didn't matter." Unsurprisingly, according to Brooks, "the history of women who've been sustaining a tradition of writing about rock since the 60's" has been "largely hidden in American culture".

Brooks theorized that perceptions of female artists of color might be different if there were more women of color writing about them, and praised Ellen Willis as a significant feminist critic of rock's classic era. Willis, who was a columnist for the from 1968 to 1975, believed society could be enlightened by the "ecstatic experience" of visions expressed through music's rhythm and noise and that such joy would lead people to different ways of sharing. Brooks wrote that "the confluence of cultural studies, rock studies, and third wave feminist critical studies makes it possible now more than ever to continue to critique and reinterrogate the form and content of popular music histories". In Brooks' view, "By bravely breaking open dense equations of gender, class, power, and subcultural music scenes", music journalists, activists and critics such as Ellen Willis have been "able to brilliantly, like no one before [them], challenge the intellectual and political activism and agency" of the entire music industry.

1. "Concerning Ruth Miller", ^ Chicago Tribune, November 7, 1920, p. 97; Hannah Edgar, Chicago on the Aisle: Claudia Cassidy's Music Criticism and Legacy, BA Thesis, University of Chicago: 2018.

2. Sandow, Greg, ^ "Yes, Classical-Music Criticism Is in Decline but the Last Thing the Industry Should Do Is Blame the Press" Archived 2018-01-12 at the Wayback Machine, Wall Street Journal. Accessed on March 9, 2010.

3. McGill, Lawrence; Conrad, Willa J.; Rosenberg, Donald; Szántó, András (2005). The Classical Music Critic: A Survey of Music Critics at General-Interest and Specialized News Publications in America (PDF). National Arts Journalism Program. Baltimore, MD: Music Critics Association of North America. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-09-11.

4. ^ Osborne, William (June 11, 2005). "Women Music Critics". IAWMLIST (Mailing list). International Alliance for Women in Music.

5. Wakin, Daniel J., "Newspapers Trimming Classical Critics", The New York Times, June 9, 2007.

6. ^ Lindberg, Ulf; Guomundsson, Gestur; Michelsen, Morten; Weisethaunet, Hans (2005). Rock Criticism from the Beginning: Amusers, Bruisers, and Cool-Headed Cruisers. New York, NY: Peter Lang. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8204-7490-8.

7. ^ Gendron, Bernard (2002). Between Montmartre and the Mudd Club: Popular Music and the Avant-Garde. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. pp. 14, 164-65, 341. ISBN 978-0-226-28737-9.

8. ^ Bray, Christopher (2014). 1965: The Year Modern Britain Was Born. London: Simon & Schuster. pp. 262-63. ISBN 978-1-84983-387-5.

9. ^ Slonimsky, Nicolas (2000). Lexicon of Musical Invective. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-32009-1. (citing many examples of insults in both directions)

10. ^ Nekola, Anna (2013-09-13). "'More than just a music': conservative Christian anti-rock discourse and the U.S. culture wars". Popular Music. 32 (3): 407-426. doi:10.1017/s0261143013000299. ISSN 0261-1430. S2CID 145144224.

11. Noebel, D. A. (1969). ^ The Beatles: A study in drugs, sex and revolution. Christian Crusade Publications.

12. Garlock, F. (1971). ^ The big beat: A rock blast. Bob Jones University Press.

13. ""I hear you knocking...": from R&B to rock and roll", Just My Soul Responding, Routledge, pp. 31-67, 2012-10-12, doi:10.4324/9780203214459-7, ISBN 978-0-203-21445-9

14. Edlund, Martin. "Not All They Were Blogged Up To Be" Archived 2011-02-20 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Sun. June 6, 2006.

15. Ewing, Tom. ^ "The Decade in Pop" Archived 2010-03-01 at the Wayback Machine. Pitchfork articles. August 27, 2009.

16. Rosen, Jody. "The Perils of Poptimism" Archived 2010-03-25 at the Wayback Machine. Slate magazine. May 9, 2006.

17. ^ Powers, Ann. "Bratty by nature" Archived 2009-12-14 at the Wayback Machine. Los Angeles Times. July 27, 2008.

18. ^ Reid, Alastair (March 22, 2013). "How To: Get Into Music Journalism". Journalism.co.uk. Mousetrap Media Ltd.

19. ^ Richards, Chris (April 16, 2015). "Do you want poptimism? Or do you want the truth?". The Washington Post.

20. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (9 March 2016). "The Curious Case of The 1975, the Most Hated and Loved Band in the World". .

21. ^ Coscarelli, Joe (2020-09-30). "The Only Music Critic Who Matters (if You're Under 25)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. The influential evangelist in question is the YouTuber named Anthony Fantano, 34, who has been speaking album and song reviews directly into a camera for more than a decade on The Needle Drop, his channel with 2.26 million subscribers, making him probably the most popular music critic left standing.

22. ^ Brooks, Daphne A. (2008). "The Write to Rock: Racial Mythologies, Feminist Theory and the Pleasures of Rock Music Criticism". Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture. 12: 54-62. doi:10.1353/wam.0.0002. S2CID 191429506.

23. Frith, Simon, "Pop Music" in S. Frith, W. Stray and J. Street, ^ The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock (Cambridge University Press, 2001), p. 226.

24. ^ Christgau, Robert (2003). "A History of Rock Criticism". In Szántó, András; Levy, Daniel S.; Tyndall, Andrew (eds.). National Arts Journalism Program: Reporting the Arts II: News Coverage of Arts and Culture in America. New York: NAJP at Columbia University. p. 142. Quoted in Brooks, Daphne A. (2008). "The Write to Rock: Racial Mythologies, Feminist Theory and the Pleasures of Rock Music Criticism". Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture. 12: 56. doi:10.1353/wam.0.0002. S2CID 191429506. (ellipses and internal quotes omitted)

25. ^ McDonnell, Evelyn; Powers, Ann, eds. (1999). Rock She Wrote: Women Write about Rock, Pop, and Rap. New York: Cooper Square Press. p. 6. Quoted in Brooks, Daphne A. (2008). "The Write to Rock: Racial Mythologies, Feminist Theory and the Pleasures of Rock Music Criticism". Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture. 12: 58. doi:10.1353/wam.0.0002. S2CID 191429506. (ellipses and internal quotes omitted)

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Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on what is now regarded as classical music.

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For those unaware, One Direction are a teenage British boy band who are just the right combination of good looks and shitty pop music to seduce the hearts of young girls worldwide, and just young enough for Kony to kidnap. They released an album called Up All Night (which has dominated charts worldwide) and got away with it because of their young, clean image. It was considered "cute" and "playfully naughty". Yet if Dr Dre put out an album with the exact same title it would be considered "extremely vulgar" and "too heavy on references to hardcore everlasting sex". One Direction are in their late teens. Just sayin'.

I must admit that I was not in a grand mood before One Direction. Firstly, in some form of sick joke, I was asked to review this band, and then I was told I couldn't get a +1. I was alone. At One Direction. And I paid $10 for parking. And then I was seated between two groups of horrifyingly loud 14-year-old girls. It was awesome depressing and a low point in my career. But then things got better, and I was transformed into a good mood because these girls were hot! I was interested in seeing why such a colossal chaos was made of this boy band.

One Direction, with less collective hairs beneath their underwear than hairs on my face, came out to the sound of a screaming pre-pubescent frenzy. I knew I was in for a musical orgasm after Niall (is that even a real name) started strumming his cool air guitar in time with the drum beat. As both instruments do in fact make a form of noise, I will refrain from further criticism.

Not long after, they performed their most puzzling hit, What Makes You Beautiful, a gem which contains the bizarre lyric: "You don't know you're beautiful/Oh oh/That's what makes you beautiful". I can't understand how this lyric has gone under the radar. It roughly translates to "You have no sense of self-worth/Oh oh/That's why I like you". One Direction are obviously sickeningly attracted to girls with low self-esteem. Other lyrics from that song include the repetitive chanting of "Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana" - quite reminiscent of the schoolyard tease chant of "Nana Nana Na".

By far the highlight of the evening was a break in the performance where the band read the tweets from audience members which featured various questions. My favourite tweet was "Who can jump the highest?" The members of the band then all attempted to find out who was the most talented jumper. They each took turns, one by one, jumping on stage and then high fiving each other. It was a moment that will go down in rock history; a moment where I can say, "I was there".

I hate my fucking shitty job.

BY NICK TARAS

Photo credit: Charles Newbury

LOVED: When Louis jumped really high.

HATED: The expensive price of chips.

DRANK: Didn't serve alcohol but I had chips. They were good but not cheap!

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For those unaware, One Direction are a teenage British boy band who are just the right combination of good looks and shitty pop music to seduce the hearts of young girls worldwide, and just young enough for Kony to kidnap.

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Love Is A Dog by Tinpan Orange - VITAMIN RECORDS

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Critically acclaimed Melbourne indie-folk darlings Tinpan Orange are one of Australia's most loved brother-sister outfits. With the ethereal and mesmerising Emily Lubitz at the helm, joined by her brother, guitarist Jesse Lubitz and violin virtuoso Alex Burkoy, Tinpan Orange's 60's inspired folk has a melancholy, candid and somewhat playful edge.