Music, Money & Media
Veeps (Live Nation) Lays off Staff at BrooklynVegan, Alternative Press, Revolver & Goldmine
[3 minute read]
The preservation of music media will largely depend on the quality of the content being produced, as well as the character of the individuals behind it. With an audience so discerning and critical, disingenuousness will be felt and swiftly pointed out.
A consistent, good product coupled with inventive, but honest, strategies for content monetization will be critical if we expect any real form of music media to exist in our future. As journalism’s slow death continues to drag out, we can either watch or come up with solutions that benefit publications and readers alike.
This may include:
Traditional advertising of companies who align with the ethos of the publication and its audience
Collaborative shows/events with artists
Exclusive merchandising in the form of physical media, clothing, etc. that goes beyond a simple color variant
Written and video recorded interviews with artists and important figures in the music industry
A correspondence and relationship with venues & festival promoters to establish brand visibility/presence at shows
If specific or all content ever need be behind a paywall, consider ways in which paying readers can benefit in more ways than just access (Ticket/merch giveaways or some form of rewards system)
These aren’t new ideas, they’re just not being executed well by publications.
The age of print media may be behind us, but digital media should be thriving at a time where an unprecedented amount of people have smartphones to read and watch from.
Establish credibility, build trust, and deliver to your readers. An impassioned audience demands sincerity and connoisseurship from the people informing them and providing them their opinions about current music releases.
Regarding photojournalism: It’s in free fall. Music publications have been an entirely underwhelming source of quality, inspiring photography. It’s largely a boys club where the same handful of photographers pump out hardly acceptable, uninteresting work. Most of the best music photographers of today are women—hire some.
These are issues that need dealing with from the top down. Incompetence and greed have hamstrung the affected magazines’ ability to operate to their potential. In the wake of these actions, I’m unsure what, if anything, will be left of these zines. The relationship between artists and media is as complicated as it is crucial. With mutual respect amongst them, fans reap the benefits of what they create. But if you continue to have the wrong person in the driver’s seat, we crash and burn.
To put a bow on it: No, I don’t think the guys who dressed up as pizza and corn on the cob and wrote a bunch of shitty pop rock should be calling the shots.
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