Everyone’s a critic?

If you’re like me then you’ll often read a few lines of a review – whether it’s about music, film, TV, radio or whatever – before you feel the need to scream at the top of your voice at the sheer inanity of it all. Of course, my reviews aren’t necessarily above such responses, but by and large many examples of what passes for readable criticism are likely to give you indigestion, or at least increase your blood pressure above what is considered to be healthy.

Blogging is a form of criticism too, and by writing a blog anyone is able to publish their comments about anything. Which is perhaps what has prompted the stories declaring the end of cultural/entertainment-based journalism. Frank Zappa once decreed that “writing about music is like dancing about architecture”, so maybe it’s not surprising that people are turning to each other rather than “professional” journalists to decide whether to buy the latest [insert name of new flavour of the month] album. Even the Observer are weighing in on the debate, asking whether it’s “curtains for critics” while an accompanying blog opens the floor to readers.

So what do you think? Is it the end for music journalism? If you look at circulation figures the music press hasn’t been hit as hard as newspapers, but it’s the niche titles like Classic Rock which are doing best. I’m torn by this as I can see both sides of the argument – as someone who is paid to write about music I’m obviously not going to be happy about something which poses a threat to my livelihood. On the other hand, I feel it’s a positive use of the Internet that communities of users are sharing thoughts and comments which act as a buyer’s guide for others, because it shows the influence which the web can wield in communication.

As a journalist, I feel that people (like me) have the necessary expertise and writing skills to do the job – and not everyone is equipped with these skills, which is why I think it’s justified for me to get paid for writing about music. That may sound big-headed, but I genuinely believe that it’s true (if I didn’t, I wouldn’t feel right doing the job). Realistically, the prevalence of blogs means that it may become increasingly difficult to make money from music journalism. And that also means that it becomes ever more dangerous to launch a music magazine, whether online or in print – so it has a massive impact on the future success (or failure) of Cul-de-Sac. Do people still want music journalists giving them information? Are people still prepared to pay for this? Or is user-generated content/crowdsourcing the way forward? And what business models can apply to this kind of site? Lots of questions, so few firm answers…