Poptimist #4

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

NOW 100% MORE META: my column for Pitchfork this month, spinning out of a Poptimists post last week.

Comments

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

It's the simple fact that the immediate availability of music cuts off criticism from gatekeeping. Why read a long review when you can make up your own mind quickly?

I think it's more important than ever that a critic knows who their audience is: something we've touched on before, the sheer volume of everything which is readily available, means that to a dilettante audience for whom music is important but not a priority, critics are still as necessary as they were - not to gatekeep but to sift, to reduce the volume to a manageable level for non-music geeks. Of course all your points still apply!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Of course the gatekeep function is as important as ever but that needn't at all be allied to written criticism, which is the link I think's been severed - the critical act can be implied, and all the front-end user sees is a new MP3 or 2 and a very quick description: "French dance band, MSTRKRFT remix, tres cool" etc etc.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeah but the generalist audience I'm talking about don't go to mp3 blogs or use slsk, or at least not with the frequency anyone here does!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I think it's only a matter of time (not MP3 blogs as we understand them but sites with tracks and streaming media and clips) - they go to Amazon and look at the star ratings and listen to clips, for instance. last.fm is a bit less generalist but still pretty general. The kids on the bus rely on real-life social networks rather than P2Ps but they're not reliant on gatekeeping critics, usw.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Yeah I agree - had typed a sentence about "maybe this will change" but deleted it by mistake. I think most kidz - not just those on the bus but anyone student age and under, now - basically uses myspazz and youtube and so on by default, regardless of how much they care about music, these habits will obviously stick into adulthood.

[hoshuteki.livejournal.com]

I guess it's only older people like myself who read the Guardian's Friday review section and go, oh I should get that Amerie album then ;) It's really good, thx.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Ah thanks! It is always reassuring to find that people read, let alone act on, one's reviews...

('Crush' is so amazing)

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

I'm going to act on it too. Well, on the ILX thread more specifically.

"not to gatekeep but to sift"

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

!!!

you are simon reynolds and i claim my £5 million!