Does music journalism/criticism ever directly influence what you listen to or buy?
FinsburyParkCarrots
Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
Are there journos or critics, and music periodicals, whose articles or reviews you can trust to give you a pointer to music you like?
Would you buy or have you ever bought music on the endorsement of a reviewer, without listening to it first?
Has a music journo ever shown you ways to appreciate a piece of music you thought not to your tastes, on first or second hearing?
Has music journalism any point in "recommending" what's good and what isn't to music fans who have access to a vast number of nultimedia sources for sampling new music?
Just curious as to what people think.
Would you buy or have you ever bought music on the endorsement of a reviewer, without listening to it first?
Has a music journo ever shown you ways to appreciate a piece of music you thought not to your tastes, on first or second hearing?
Has music journalism any point in "recommending" what's good and what isn't to music fans who have access to a vast number of nultimedia sources for sampling new music?
Just curious as to what people think.
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
Other than that I would say that yes, journalists do affect what I make an attempt to listen to. They don't decide what to buy, but if I read on various sites good/decent reviews of an album, I will look into it. If something I've never heard of is getting trashed on a bunch of sites, I won't bother. Good reviews don't sell me albums, but they give me the motivation to use online radio and/or band websites to find out what a band/album sounds like and make my decision from there.
A good review of a band I don't like or a bad review of a band I do like will never change my mind about buying an album though. If Nickleback gets a 10.0 from anywhere, I will just laugh and continue hating them. If Pearl Jam gets a 1.2 out of 10 I will just laugh and continue loving them.
More so than journalists, user based sites(like MB's and Launchcast) lead me towards new music.
This forum for example, there are a dozen or so folks that I'll buy just about anything based on their recommendation. It took awhile to get to that point but that is I guess a small reward for hanging out here, good recommendations.
all the time. in fact 95% of the music I buy nowadays I haven't heard a single note. I find it exciting I guess.
I'd like to note that I would NEVER do this based on a review from someone I know nothing about.
again yes. I am not a music study, I couldn't tell you dick about time signatures, recording methods etc.. So when I think a record is overrated as hell, if someone explains some reasons on what makes it great (outside of the music itself) I can at least appreciate it though I just won't ever listen to it.
Sure, why not. I don't ever sample music so it helps to pinpoint a few sites where I can blindly purchase with a good understanding of what I am getting into.
As she slams the door in his drunken face
And now he stands outside
And all the neighbours start to gossip and drool
He cries oh, girl you must be mad,
What happened to the sweet love you and me had?
Against the door he leans and starts a scene,
And his tears fall and burn the garden green
If it wasn't for for the 2003 DaCapo anthology of Best Music Writting on Rock, Jazz, Blues and Country (compiled by Matt Groening, yeah, the same guy that created the Simpsons) most probably I'd never had known about The Weakerthans... and that'd be a shame, 'cause I think The Weakerthans are just one of the best bands around right now.
So, yeah, it has influenced what I listen... but is not like it always influences what I listen. Sometimes I write about music myself, I don't like to influence people's likings, I don't even like anyone to call me a critic, I just try to give certain orientation for the buyers to spend their hard earned money wisely, and not in some crap that -according to my point of view, there's no other way- that is just not worth the money that could probably have better use like giving food to your family, buying a toy to your pet or just having a good ol' drinking night.
-The crazy guy with the Ramones t-shirt.
Mexico C. 12/10/05.
"There is a rose that I want to live for
although, God knows, I may not have met her"
-J. Strummer
"And you'll never know just how dark this screen could be"
i remember reading reviews of binaural...........one said it is easy to see why Nothing as it Seems was the first single, cuz it is clearly the best song on the album.........
another said, it is strange that they picked Nothing as it Seems as the single, cuz it is clearly the WORST song on the album!!
clearly all personal opinion!
then i went to see pearl jam, and read the reviews in the papers the next day.....one said eddie's vocals were crystal clear in the mix.......the other said it was hard to hear eddie's vocals, the sound in the venue was terrible.........so one of those reviewers clearly had better seats than the other!!
to see if i still feel,
i focus all the pain,
the only thing that´s real...
... kinda a disappointment, because although I thought it was okay, I just didn't understand why it got all the five-star treatments.
I do by albums by artists I know based on revies though. But you have to get to know the reveiewer.
when it hits you, you feel to pain.
So brutalize me with music.”
~ Bob Marley
latest examples over the past months..
sufjan stevens n elliott smith
http://theshahril.blogspot.com
London 20/04/2006
I usually go out and buy an album the day it comes out. So I usually never hear more then one or two songs before I buy it. I like taking chances. Most of the time its the right decision anyways.