Music journalism has always been a huge part of the music industry, with many writers gaining a high level of recognition throughout their career. Music journalists such as Lester Bangs and Nick Kent were making their mark in the 1970s and in some ways set in motion and became heavily a part of the culture of rock journalism.
Within this Bangs and Kent gave their own opinions and beliefs through adding their personal tales “Nick Kent and Lester Bangs carefully cultivated public images of themselves, for instance at the start of his retrospective review of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks Bangs places the record in relation to his own personal experiences” (J. Shepard, 2003, pg 255) Through this style of writing the idea of some music journalists becoming a character through their work or giving their writing style a large personality, perhaps to encourage the premise that they were in an important position as music journalists, “Music reviews and interviews are often littered with obscure of canonical musical reference points, which serve simultaneously to establish the journalists authority.” (J. Shepard, 2003, pg 255)
Music Journalism has changed from its original style and purpose, moving into the realm of journalism that is currently recognisable today “Music and periodicals sprang up dedicated to music journalism which, initially made no distinction between political and artistic matters” (M. Callahan, 2005, pg 34) Slowly, music journalism began to slide into the role its fulfils today “music journalism especially underwent a transformation directly corresponding to the final conquest by the popular arts of preeminent position in cultural production.” (M, Callahan, 2005, pg 34)
It has been argued that the role of a music journalist has changed quite significantly today, with the need and audience changing, “As the landscape for consumer press has changed so has the job, no longer is music journalism the domain of the specialist magazine; nowadays virtually every publication covers music in some form or another.(A. Britten, 2004, pg 105) Therefore this suggest that the role of journalism has widened and perhaps become something that is accessible to almost everyone; with many different types of publication now having music sections and the idea of music journalism moving from the specialist to the more general. Similarly the changes from early forms of music press to the current role show some significant changes:
“Music journalists are no longer as free as their 1960s-1980s processors who were to tell the unexpurgated truth about something. Interviews became political footballs ; promotional albums kept under lock and key for fear of piracy. May feel the role of music journalism is being whittled away as more and more people download advance copies off the internet.” (A. Britten, 2005, pg 105)
The role of music journalism today may have changed prominently from the earlier description and opinion of music journalism, moving from specialist to widespread and from uncontrolled freedom of writing to a more regulated idea of sharing opinions and beliefs with a new generation of audience.
Bibliography:
A. Britten, Working in the music industry:how to find an exciting and varied career in the music world, How To Books Ltd, 2005, pg 105
M. Callahan, The trouble with music, AK press, 2005, pg 34
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