Is This The New Smash Hits?

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=122193692

Popworld Pulp, launching in a couple of weeks as a new music WEEKLY (v bold).

Looking at its MySpace it doesn't seem to be offering anything hugely compelling though.

Does anyone here still buy print music media, out of interest?

Comments

Ask Dr DJ Martian

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

What SHOULD a weekly music magazine be covering?

Re: Ask Dr DJ Martian

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I really can't think of anything which isn't already covered by the internet or existing print media.

I do like the idea of a monthly or bimonthly London Review of Music idea which gets periodically floated around ILM.

Re: Ask Dr DJ Martian

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

But with LRB you can actually READ the words and get a taster. Unless there is a covermount then you cannot HEAR a print magazine.

dancing about architecture again

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Which is my main beef with printed music media. You can't hear it! A pop news blog like popjustice can link to the myspace or whatever and you can listen to it while you're reading, or listen to it later but at least you know what they're on about.

Re: dancing about architecture again

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

This is the biggest shift in the ground rules of music discourse for ages, really. Because I am 1x old man I think I still prefer a distance between reading about music and hearing it: but that distance is pretty much gone.

Re: dancing about architecture again

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I find it difficult to get enthusiastic about something I haven't yet heard these days. Also I don't listen to pop radio stations so my exposure is solely through hits!tv or the interweb.

Re: dancing about architecture again

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Basically I am hugely excited to read one-sentence recommendations of music I haven't heard, from sources I trust. But I don't like reading analyses or commentary on any music (or art/film/books) until I've done it myself...

Re: dancing about architecture again

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

I like there being distance between a review and the actual music, too, cus there's something incredibly exciting about buying stuff blind (or, in fact, deaf) and I'm not bothered by doing a bit of legwork (ie: putting something into google) myself.

Re: dancing about architecture again

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I was about to say, that's kind of a general WRITING ABOUT MUSIC problem! Which is to be fair why a lot of music print media is dissatisfying - but a LRB style publication would make it more about the quality of the writing, kind of "here is some good and smart writing about something you have probably already heard which might make you think of it differently, or contextualise it more" or "here is some good and smart writing about something you probably haven't heard which you might like to track down".

Re: dancing about architecture again

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's a nice idea - sadly I imagine the execution would be trickier: making it inclusive-pop instead of obscure microgenre stuff that the reader can't really engage with (hi dere Plan B) but still INTERESTING.

Re: dancing about architecture again

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

The broad-church thing seems frustratingly destined to fail all the time - it's what I hoped Plan B would be, and what it was intended as (Kelis was going to be the first cover star! and only wasn't because of her schedule!), but as soon as it discovered its niche it started catering very specifically to it.

Re: dancing about architecture again

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I think also it's easy from within a niche to fool yrself that it IS terribly important and significant and really believe in this stuff - I always used to get a lot of belief and passion out of Careless Talk, but it seemed so misdirected!

Re: dancing about architecture again

[zenith.livejournal.com]

Is there any difference between Plan B's niche and Careless Talk's? The Plan B website forum may not be representative, but if it is then it suggests that the things I like about Plan B (electrostuff with girls in, writing that does't try to pretend the author isn't a character in the piece) are at best tolerated by many of the readers, who are really there for the Hack And A Hacksaw interviews...

Re: dancing about architecture again

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It is/used to be/was intended to be different but when it comes down to it probably isn't. The Plan B forum is populated by roughly five people, all weirdos, all out of step with even the indiest Plan B staff (who tend to be pretty open-minded re pop and so on!)

Re: dancing about architecture again

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Hang on, by 'the reader', do you mean 'this reader'? I know a lot of people who engage with the stuff in Plan B (though admittedly most of them have written for it at one time or another)

Re: Ask Dr DJ Martian

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

- New releases, obv
- Comedy Showbiz news (eg "Lily vs Amy, FITE?")

Erm

Re: Ask Dr DJ Martian

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Music, mostly, which is the error which 90% of magazines make by instead blithering on about "lifestyle" and having a review section that makes More magazine's looks extensive. I don't care what the Sugababes are wearing, I want to know when they're going to release something halfway decent etc. I like reading reviews and going out and buying an album I've never heard any of and then getting very excited when it's brilliant (or wondering if I can even bring myself to eBay it, on the basis this would entail admitting I'd paid money for it in the first place, in the case of the IdiotPilot crapfest) and basically, that is absolutely all I want it to do. Have a few interviews, by all means but mostly I want it to talk to me about music.

Re: Ask Dr DJ Martian

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

needs to be like Record Mirror when i used to read that. a couple of pages devoted to the top 100 singles and albums that week with all the stats (but not the extent of Music Week and not industry-focussed). other than that just the usual bunch of reviews, gossip...some neat features, interviews, discussions, nothing that out of the ordinary or difficult surely.