From Alex Reynolds Sent Wed, Jun 3rd 1998, 14:53
From Alex Reynolds Sent Wed, Jun 3rd 1998, 14:53
I'm not competent to speak of 'zines. I refer interested parties to the=
Emigre 46, which discusses the design and philosophy of the 'zine. But I=
can explain what I know of mass media, particularly in the area of the=
glossy trades and newspapers.
"A very simple formula"
The medium moves advertising; articles are convenient filler.=20
The editorial staff of any newspaper, from the Bloom Picayune to the New=
York Times, properly motivated, should be able to spit off their ad:article=
area ratio. Most papers would be glad to hit 40% or so. NYT would go crazy=
for that kind of revenue. Articles are there to appeal to market share,=
say, a particular political orientation.
The image of journalism, for example, the image of a Woodward-and-Bernstein=
team of overworked, underslept young men after the big scoop, is a myth=
designed to move product.
The value of "integrity" to a publication which prints ads with its other=
material, a publication usually owned by a multinational corporation, is=
not very dissimilar to the value of "legitimacy" of government functions,=
such as a legal system, unto a government. In fact, as power continually=
transfers out of the hands of governments to the corporations, words such=
as "integrity" and "legitimacy" become, for all intents and purposes,=
indistinguishable. This is meat for another discussion, however.
The music rag "Rolling Stone", for example, is a good example of "integrity"=
sold as product. Never mind that the music news contained within could be=
considered mostly hipster, "Let's go join Greenpeace; it'll be fun!"=
bullshit, and never mind that, in any given month you will find a good half=
of the magazine to be glossy, slick advertisements for brand-name products=
with a high profit margin: perfumes, colognes, shoes, alcohol, music(!), et=
c.
The mag's claim, and a large reason that it is purchased by 20- and=
30-somethings with fat wallets, is that its roots as a rebellious '60s'=
publication give it the respect that, say, mags like "Spin" or "NME"=
haven't quite earned. "RS paid its dues." This image is considered=
(reflected) in the design structure and marketing of the mag. I am certain=
that when their design crew makes even the slightest change, the editorial=
staff make sure that change is in line with the "heritage and=
respectability of the product line". I am even more certain that the=
advertising firms are aware of the market which RS reaches, and design=
*their* ads with this in mind.
I'd bet that, ten years down the line, you'll see the successful 'zines of=
today reminding you, either in the content of its writing or design, that=
they "kept it real", as a means to get you to buy the thing.
"Is true music journalism disappearing?"
If you are a 'zine, and you accept any advertising revenue, you have then=
decided to redirect your work towards a particular market group and you=
have made a significant transition. As an editor, your goals are now=
channeled towards the two Golden Rules of Publishing:
=09
-- hitting and developing your market share
-- avoiding loss of revenue (not offending your advertisers)
In that sense, if "true music journalism" involves getting the story without=
interference from other agendas, other than *getting the info to the fans,=
and now*, then it is in the process of disappearing (if it is not already=
gone), as small-market mags get sucked up by larger publication houses. The=
role of the music mag is then to move the advertiser's product: Budweiser,=
Gilette, Astralwerks, whatever.
Criticism dies, if only because -- in the end -- critical thought *never=
mattered*. It loses its effect in the effort to sell something other than=
pure info and pure opinion, within the context of an objective evaluation.
"No one benefits when the music press loses its journalistic values, its=
zest to be creative, to be daring, to be unique, individual, and, above=
all, original."
I would argue that 99% of the music press, an invention of the media=
conglomerates, never had these values to begin with! They are "publicists",=
selling an image -- and you won't get far with them, discussing such=
mind-blowing concepts as "honesty", "critical thought" and "integrity".=20
When you plunk down six bucks for the rag, you know what you're getting. Or=
at least you should.
What exactly did you expect of "music journalists", anyway? What can they=
report that you wouldn't get from listening to the music in the first place=
?
I look at it this way: Beethoven doesn't need an agent. Shakespeare and=
Schiller need no agents. Vonnegut and Dick need no publicists. They all=
have no need for a media house doing MTV-style reports ("Kurt fathers=
Madonna's next baby, more after this, brought to you by the good people at=
Sony, etc.").=20
The real stuff, the important, creative stuff, lives on -- indifferent to=
good or shitty press.=20
And in the end, that's all that matters. At least to me.
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Alex Reynolds Distributed Support Specialist
Department of Biology School of Arts & Sciences Computing
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
email:xxxxxxxx@xxx.xxxxx.xxx phone:215.573.2818
PGP Fingerprint: E0E3 BB20 C1BC 3C0D 56A1 1FD5 5B9C 9E91 A7F0 F9B5
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"The future is in crowds." -- Don DeLillo