Where have all the amateur and enthusiast reviewers gone? People used to blog because they loved it and wanted to share the love. Are they all trying to monetise their TikTok's or something? Yesterday I was doing some research and used the "External Reviews" links on IMDb - so many horror movie blogs, most of them still online even if they're not being updated regularly. Does the same not happen for music?
I guess if there's no hope of ever being paid as a music critic then what's the point? When I was coming up, not only could you be a music critic, you could choose what kind of music you chose to cover: rock and alt at RIU; hip-hop and indie at Real Groove; dance and electronica at Remix; etc.
Hey. In answer to this. The reviewers ARE there. But we now hide in the shadows of the internet, desperate for any mainstream attention. Websites like the one I regularly write for. https://www.ambientlightblog.com/ cover as many gigs as possible but we a volunteers, with day jobs. But when we can we have photos, reviews, interviews. I just did the whole of Great sounds Great by myself - that's 30 artists at 7 venues.
We do it for love but our work is still respected by the industry. At times we have problems with access. I guess that promoter of the Lauran Hill gig wouldn't like our review.
My last point is to you, Chris. Can you please acknowledge our work, that of 13th floor and music.net. we are legitimate and want to reach bigger audiences. If we do, then maybe the majors might feel compelled, too.
Absolutely Tim. I’ve got this planned for future posts and mentioned it in some of the podcast chats I’ve been doing (not sure if my words made the cut). Am in no way trying to diminish the hard work you and everyone else is doing, just trying to shine a light on an industry-wide problem. Keep up the mahi, please!
Great. And it would really be good to be mentioned in high profile shows like Mediawatch. We have readers but no wheels near the no.s groove guidecand RIU had when I was writing for them. Marty at 13th floor enjoyed some success via link to his Nine To Noon. But it waxes and wanes. And btw Ambient had a Post Malone Review.
Here I am making $10 a week so far writing a music blog that occasionally dives deep - if not often long-form - into Kiwi acts, as here (I even mention Goodshirt in passing).
In a week or two I'll write about the best albums of 2023, there are few local ones in there.
I'm writing about music in a cosmopolitan and historical context, not the parochial one; I don't think Kiwi acts are intrinsically more or less interesting tho I do know more about the landscape they work in , but Kiwi acts I've covered this year (my only year so far) include P.H.F, Frog Power, Cuticles, Aldous Harding, k.killa and Stalyone, Pavlov's Puss, Look Blue Go Purple, with Intersekt and i.e.crazy reviews due.
I'm sure there are other people doing this, but the platform-based economy doesn't pull them together as the old blog-based and media-based one did. Maybe what we need is an app that aggregates them all?
You know what really hurts? That the small guys ARE out there, working hours on end unpaid, spending their own hard earned money to host the websites they provide coverage too, only for someone like you to come along and refuse to acknowledge they exist.
Yes, mainstream media has been dead for years when it comes to music coverage - hence why those actually passionate about it have gotten up and created spaces for these reviews and general music coverage to exist.
The issue is getting these websites in front of readers eyes. But it's much easier to just write a story about how they don't exist instead of actually doing some research, maybe talking to some people in the industry and perhaps boosting up these sites who are trying to share this content with people instead, eh?
Kia ora Doug, thanks for your feedback. I agree with you that there are many excellent local websites doing incredible work in this space.
I also agree with you that this piece was entirely negative - it was designed to be.
But it's not aimed at you and nowhere do I say sites like yours "don't exist". As the headline implies, this was entirely directed at mainstream media, the big local news websites and papers that I've spent 20 years working at and have, lately, largely discarded music coverage.
My ire lies with them: they haven't discarded all of their sports journalists, or political reporters, or news staff, but the culture, entertainment and music reporters have disappeared, fast.
I agree there's a desperate need to focus on the good things that are happening - before you wrote in I had started a list compiling all of the great stuff I'd seen so expect to see those pop up in future posts.
There's lots to discuss here; I hope you continue to contribute :)
Gotta agree with you there, Doug. We need those that do break through to lift us too. Isn't that what you talked about in the mediawatch IV today. The experienced and older journalists lifting up the younger. And we also need people to critique us, curate us, feedback when we are good or bad. How else can we improve.
Hey. In answer to this. The reviewers ARE there. But we now hide in the shadows of the internet, desperate for any mainstream attention. Websites like the one I regularly write for. https://www.ambientlightblog.com/ cover as many gigs as possible but we a volunteers, with day jobs. But when we can we have photos, reviews, interviews. I just did the whole of Great sounds Great by myself - that's 30 artists at 7 venues.
We do it for love but our work is still respected by the industry. At times we have problems with access. I guess that promoter of the Lauran Hill gig wouldn't like our review.
My last point is to you, Chris. Can you please acknowledge our work, that of 13th floor and music.net. we are legitimate and want to reach bigger audiences. If we do, then maybe the majors might feel compelled, too.
Where have all the amateur and enthusiast reviewers gone? People used to blog because they loved it and wanted to share the love. Are they all trying to monetise their TikTok's or something? Yesterday I was doing some research and used the "External Reviews" links on IMDb - so many horror movie blogs, most of them still online even if they're not being updated regularly. Does the same not happen for music?
I guess if there's no hope of ever being paid as a music critic then what's the point? When I was coming up, not only could you be a music critic, you could choose what kind of music you chose to cover: rock and alt at RIU; hip-hop and indie at Real Groove; dance and electronica at Remix; etc.
There's still some free stuff floating around, isn't there? Although with the switch from physical media to streaming maybe not.
The collapse of dedicatated, entertaining culture coverage (with the occasional shining light still coming through) is truely a massive loss.
I hope this fires up many more to subscribe to Chris' work, and that of others via things like Substack. Or anything really.
Thanks Bernard, your kind words mean a lot - especially right now :)
Try looking here: https://www.ambientlightblog.com/ this last weekend I covered 4 gigs in 4 nights!
Love this and yes, all the local music websites that go super hard deserve to be acknowledged for their excellent mahi :)
Hey. In answer to this. The reviewers ARE there. But we now hide in the shadows of the internet, desperate for any mainstream attention. Websites like the one I regularly write for. https://www.ambientlightblog.com/ cover as many gigs as possible but we a volunteers, with day jobs. But when we can we have photos, reviews, interviews. I just did the whole of Great sounds Great by myself - that's 30 artists at 7 venues.
We do it for love but our work is still respected by the industry. At times we have problems with access. I guess that promoter of the Lauran Hill gig wouldn't like our review.
My last point is to you, Chris. Can you please acknowledge our work, that of 13th floor and music.net. we are legitimate and want to reach bigger audiences. If we do, then maybe the majors might feel compelled, too.
Tim Gruar
Absolutely Tim. I’ve got this planned for future posts and mentioned it in some of the podcast chats I’ve been doing (not sure if my words made the cut). Am in no way trying to diminish the hard work you and everyone else is doing, just trying to shine a light on an industry-wide problem. Keep up the mahi, please!
Great. And it would really be good to be mentioned in high profile shows like Mediawatch. We have readers but no wheels near the no.s groove guidecand RIU had when I was writing for them. Marty at 13th floor enjoyed some success via link to his Nine To Noon. But it waxes and wanes. And btw Ambient had a Post Malone Review.
Here I am making $10 a week so far writing a music blog that occasionally dives deep - if not often long-form - into Kiwi acts, as here (I even mention Goodshirt in passing).
https://georgedhenderson.substack.com/p/a-beautiful-ghost
But are these reviews searchable on say, Google?
In a week or two I'll write about the best albums of 2023, there are few local ones in there.
I'm writing about music in a cosmopolitan and historical context, not the parochial one; I don't think Kiwi acts are intrinsically more or less interesting tho I do know more about the landscape they work in , but Kiwi acts I've covered this year (my only year so far) include P.H.F, Frog Power, Cuticles, Aldous Harding, k.killa and Stalyone, Pavlov's Puss, Look Blue Go Purple, with Intersekt and i.e.crazy reviews due.
https://georgedhenderson.substack.com/p/absolument-moderne
I'm sure there are other people doing this, but the platform-based economy doesn't pull them together as the old blog-based and media-based one did. Maybe what we need is an app that aggregates them all?
You know what really hurts? That the small guys ARE out there, working hours on end unpaid, spending their own hard earned money to host the websites they provide coverage too, only for someone like you to come along and refuse to acknowledge they exist.
Yes, mainstream media has been dead for years when it comes to music coverage - hence why those actually passionate about it have gotten up and created spaces for these reviews and general music coverage to exist.
The issue is getting these websites in front of readers eyes. But it's much easier to just write a story about how they don't exist instead of actually doing some research, maybe talking to some people in the industry and perhaps boosting up these sites who are trying to share this content with people instead, eh?
Kia ora Doug, thanks for your feedback. I agree with you that there are many excellent local websites doing incredible work in this space.
I also agree with you that this piece was entirely negative - it was designed to be.
But it's not aimed at you and nowhere do I say sites like yours "don't exist". As the headline implies, this was entirely directed at mainstream media, the big local news websites and papers that I've spent 20 years working at and have, lately, largely discarded music coverage.
My ire lies with them: they haven't discarded all of their sports journalists, or political reporters, or news staff, but the culture, entertainment and music reporters have disappeared, fast.
I agree there's a desperate need to focus on the good things that are happening - before you wrote in I had started a list compiling all of the great stuff I'd seen so expect to see those pop up in future posts.
There's lots to discuss here; I hope you continue to contribute :)
Chris
Gotta agree with you there, Doug. We need those that do break through to lift us too. Isn't that what you talked about in the mediawatch IV today. The experienced and older journalists lifting up the younger. And we also need people to critique us, curate us, feedback when we are good or bad. How else can we improve.
The Project covered Eden Festival: https://www.facebook.com/TheProjectNZ/posts/pfbid023vHofz4JLcxj3DMPSoDmfniy7xKhKsrwEy8xcSNCgVWvjNSP4SZRZ77fuHdHjvSdl?mibextid=zDhOQc
Unfortunately mainstream media critical media commentary has been completely usurped by those producing YouTube videos & Podcasts.
https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/15a513ce-cf21-490e-896c-b6058f3ea094_533x1025.png
If New Zealand Mainstream Media wants to take back some of that lost attention then they need to take better control over their online presence.
substack.com/@nzheretic/note/c-39386564
Hey. In answer to this. The reviewers ARE there. But we now hide in the shadows of the internet, desperate for any mainstream attention. Websites like the one I regularly write for. https://www.ambientlightblog.com/ cover as many gigs as possible but we a volunteers, with day jobs. But when we can we have photos, reviews, interviews. I just did the whole of Great sounds Great by myself - that's 30 artists at 7 venues.
We do it for love but our work is still respected by the industry. At times we have problems with access. I guess that promoter of the Lauran Hill gig wouldn't like our review.
My last point is to you, Chris. Can you please acknowledge our work, that of 13th floor and music.net. we are legitimate and want to reach bigger audiences. If we do, then maybe the majors might feel compelled, too.
Tim Gruar