As part of the BIGSOUND Conference in 2022, The Music Writer’s Lab has curated a panel discussion on critical discourse and the music industry.
Participants and registered BIGSOUND attendees will experience a discussion about music criticism and its relationship with Australian music journalism and the wider music industry on Thursday 8 September.
Chaired by Music Writer’s Lab facilitator Sosefina Fuamoli and featuring mentors Marcus Teague, Rhianna Patrick, as well as music journalist/publisher Lars Brandle, this panel will address the below synopsis:
The economy within which music journalism and by extension - music criticism - exists is changing. It has been changing exponentially in recent years with the advent of new digital media formats changing the way music fans consume material. In an age of clickbait, shorter attention spans; in an industry where new dynamics within the relationship of music critics and artists emerge - the core role of a music journalist has been called into question.
As conversations surrounding traditional vs new media become more prominent, are we seeing the death or reinvention of music criticism?
What purpose are the works of music journalists expected to serve today?
Three music and culture writers come together to discuss the current landscape of music journalism in Australia – where the industry is failing its writers, the spaces where new voices are being nurtured, and how a healthy environment for critical discourse can potentially be reintroduced to the Australian music industry.