„Can‘t trust a review because blogs/mags stopped making money, so journalists now get paid off by labels.“ This was a statement, UK artist James Blake recently posted on his Instagram. And I don’t even have to get too deep into why this is bullshit, Drowned In Sound already did it greatly. The gist being that Blake himself greatly profited from praising media coverage to kickstart his career. I can only support DiS editor Sean Adams in his conclusion:
At a time when The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The New York Times as well as NPR and Pitchfork are cutting back on reviews and music journalism is being defunded everywhere you look, it is the exact time that our profession needs to be defended by those whose careers have benefitted from it. We hope to see more artists and the industry speaking up for our craft as few have done so in response to Blake’s post this week which has now gone semi-viral.
The world Blake implies doesn’t exist, at least I have never wandered its plains. Never has a label or PR agency offered Negative White money for a review—or any sort of coverage. And even if it were to happen, it’s diametrically opposed to our journalistic values.
However, even if Blake fails to produce any sort of credible evidence for his claims, it’s easy to see how he might have arrived at his conclusion. The number of positive music reviews seems to increase constantly. Also, here on Negative White, you have to look hard for a negative music review.
There’s one simple reason: As someone writing and running an independent music blog on a voluntary basis, I don’t want to spend my limited time with something I don’t enjoy. I go even further and say: Why would I steal your attention for something I do not recommend?
Don’t get me wrong, writing a sassy tear-up is fun, and can be a fun read, too. But the time when reviews were buying advice is long gone; on streaming, we vote with streams and skips, not with our wallet. You don’t need me or any other music journalist to know what not to stream.
Now, there’s a great opportunity to wax philosophical here. About how good and bad only mean something in relation to each other. About objectivity and taste. About underground and mainstream music. But frankly, who gives a hoot? It’s a discussion interesting enough to get lost in, but one that spirals forever because there’s no single correct answer.
But I offer a provocative perspective: We don’t need traditional „music critics“ anymore, when there’s an endless flow of new music every day. We need curators with sharp taste, we need advocates for independent artists, and we need critical reporting on the music business.
This week on Negative White
🎧 One of Five: Ella Ronen – At Seventeen In the latest episode, we explore Zurich-based Ella Ronen’s cover of At Seventeen. Where the original gently aches, Ronen fiercely refuses every comfort and uncovers the true pain of exclusion.
Until next week,
