The first cluster of links concerns a topic that has consumed much of my blogging energies to date: intellectual property, as the protection of copyrights and the notion of fair compensation are firestorms of fact and opinion. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a logical starting point, a professional, elegant site that promotes legal music downloading practices and parental resources. However, the RIAA's site has the feel of a publicity front, whereas the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) provides a real environment of consumer empowerment in the "Intellectual Property" section of its website. The EFF's somewhat vague but well-meaning mission manifests itself nicely with links to ongoing legal battles over digital rights. Less pedantic is the blog "Recording Industry vs. the People" which despite its populist biases and distracting advertising layout, is packed with superb content written by a New York-based lawyer specializing in infringement cases. On the other hand, the site of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is dry but easy to navigate and approaches intellectual property rights as a multifaceted issue, counter to the "us vs. them" spirit of the RIAA and the EFF. Finally, FreeCulture.org suggests an interesting alternative to legal wrangling: a community of artists and consumers avoiding a financially-driven model for all types of culture, including music. The site is somewhat sparse in design and content but provides dozens of links to grassroots projects and organizational chapters.
It is important to note that the copyright debate was sparked in part by a revolution in the distribution of music, which includes the resurgence of radio and the development of many non-traditional avenues for broadcasting. The Media Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an excellent place to keep abreast of seismic shifts in the laws governing broadcasting, but it might be difficult for the average citizen to find useful information buried under a digital deluge of red tape. The online home of Friday Morning Quarterback, or FMQB (see image below left), is a better place for a casual web surfer to find music industry news paired with
intriguing information about radio technology. However, FMQB appears to rely heavily on corporate press releases to keep a steady flow of updates. More industry-oriented is Radio 411, which addresses the entire broadcast spectrum (news, music, sports, etc.) with an impressive diversity in content--sometimes too diverse, in fact, as the site attempts to mix useful applications like career-building resources with random news headlines from wire services. The creation of actual listening communities fares better at Live365 Internet Radio, where users can browse a wide variety of radio stations that stream audio over the web and become Internet broadcasters themselves, though the site's interface makes wading through the many amateurish broadcasts more difficult than it needs to be. Conversely, CMJ.com--the website of the College Music Journal--is an appealing site providing chart information and other resources for college radio stations, despite the presence of irritating animated advertisements.Print publications like CMJ are increasingly building an online presence to tap into the desires of a new generation of consumers that demand more diverse and immediate information. Rolling Stone's "Rock and Roll Daily" blog is a great example of one of the "old guard" putting together a very slick site that tends to address the past rather than the present vanguard of popular music. There is nothing inherently wrong about this type of nostalgia, but Spin Magazine's "Daily Noise" is a better sample of a "corporate" blog that at least brings the discussion on popular music into the current decade. Nevertheless, both blogs have a specific audience in mind and serve them well, if in a sanitized fashion. The highly commercial but quite useful Billboard Music News and Reviews site is perhaps the most up-to-date example of mainstream music journalism; its design is pleasant and accessible even for non-industry types. MTV's Buzzworthy is a little too synergistic for my liking, mostly focusing its coverage on artists most likely to appear on the parent network, but has a unique energy and a generous amount of multimedia that keeps visitors anchored to the site. Conversely, the refreshing NPR Music blissfully exists outside of the mainstream and covers oft-neglected genres, even if the site lacks adequate contextualization for non-aficionados.
Spearheading a new trend of influential music publications that never actually appear in print, Pitchfork Media has the gloss and the clout of a mainstream music news site with the esoterica and elitism of an alternative periodical. Though the site's layout is a little hard to follow, Pitchfork is nonetheless an essential trendsetting site. The "Andy Whitman on Music" blog, written by the Paste magazine journalist, is a more irreverent destination with main page "jump"
links that occur too frequently but are worth following. And for people who find Whitman too boring, there is My Old Kentucky Blog, which pushes the concept of the sarcastic-yet-incisive blogger to its farthest limits; however, its coarse brand of "infotainment" is motivated by a clear love for the music it covers. Coolfer, a level-headed music business blog, looks staid in comparison but supplies a rare commodity--staunchly independent commentary on the music industry. Last but not least is Stereogum (see image above right), a hybrid blog/cultural salon that, despite engaging in some triviality, combines unobtrusive and largely ad-free design with crowd-pleasing features like a built-in media player. Features like this elevate the site's status from simple time-waster to unique online destination--a commonality among the sites and blogs of "new" paperless music journalism that has the old periodicals and institutions scrambling to stay relevant.
1 comment:
I have to admit that beyond MTV and Rolling Stone, I wasn’t really aware of any other respected online sources to look to when it came to reading up on the news and developments in the music industry. Obviously, your post has changed this. I appreciate the thoughtful and concise summaries you offer about each of your featured links, as well as the fluid organization you employ when differentiating between the sites dedicated to copyright issues, mainstream music, and “underground” coverage. The mix of major publications (such as Rolling Stone) with lesser known critics and music-lovers adds to the overall well-roundedness of your linkroll choices.
I especially am pleased to discover Stereogum’s website. A brief glimpse of their “Most Commented” and “Cool Kids” section tells me that the music they cover varies widely between genres, an aspect that appeals to my hodgepodge taste in what I listen to. I agree that the streamlined layout and interactive features benefit the user-friendly factor of the content rich site. Additionally, the Andy Whitman blog under Paste Magazine seems to offer similarly interesting content, although it seems to not update as often as some of the other blogs you feature. As for the intellectual property sites, I think you did an especially good job of breaking down in a coherent fashion what can be an otherwise confusing mix of legal jargon and publicity fluff. FreeCulture.org is a particularly fascinating perspective on the happenings of the record industry today.
As someone who apparently takes an interest in many things related to the music industry, whether it be RIAA drama, state-of-the-radio reports, or coverage of the bands themselves, this post offers a diverse sampling of the many online sources available to those wishing to read more. Great job Eric!
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