Idolator
Hey, did you hear about the survey that claimed eight out of 10 consumers "are turning away from professional music reviews and looking online for guidance when buying CDs or downloads"? That sounds kind of bad for people who aspire to make their living offering guidance to people who illegally download buy new music, right? Unless you wonder if those 80% of people who are "turning away" were actually paying attention to reviewers in the first place. (Has anyone done a "study" correlating Pazz & Jop positions to chart success, I wonder.) Oh no, what if this "story" consists merely of some dressed-up numbers that allow an e-commerce firm (Avail Intelligence) to wax rhapsodic about the digital future and allow a writer (Ian Williams) to fulfill a daily journalistic-output quota? Who will tell the children?
Recommendations made while browsing music stores such as iTunes or social networking applications such as I Like on Facebook proved popular for 40 per cent of respondents.
This was just pipped by the opinion of family, friends and other shoppers at 41 per cent of respondents.
Although the internet is proving a popular place for sharing music tastes, many are still divided on its effectiveness as a delivery platform.
Some 51 per cent of those surveyed said that they prefer to purchase CDs, compared with 25 per cent who opt for digital downloads.
No statistics on "turning away," no numbers regarding people thinking less of critics (if they're thought of at all). And the headline is "Music fans looking online for guidance," but who are some of the people giving those recommendations on "social networking applications such as I Like"? Why, the same friends and family who make up that less-wired—and therefore non-lede-worthy—41%. So basically, from these numbers, you learn that Jane Record Buyer is looking to the opinions of her friends, and not the 75-word blurbs in Blender, for opinions on music that's coming out. Wow, what will Avail think of next? I hope it's a cutting look at how people are more likely to communicate online with people they know than with strangers!
Comments
Do you hear that all of you music 'journalists' reading this post? The best thing you can do is start a blog like Maura.
I ain't got to lie to kick it. I am easily swayed by reviews. Now I am not saying a review can lead me to fall head over heels in love with a disc, but a glowing and/or favorable review does tend to point me in that disc's direction. So, yes I have scanned and/or purchased an album thanks to the thoughts and opinions of folks over at say Pitchfork, or this website right here. Hell, if it wasn't stylus magazine online, I wouldn't have spent most of 2007 fawning over both Omarion's and Fall Out Boy's latest discs.
@Tauwan: I agree. While I like to think I have enough good taste to make a decision on my own, I do rely on the ol' Fork or my favorite blogstrangers at Idolator to shine a light on discs I wouldn't have looked at otherwise.
That and all my real-world friends have terrible taste in music.
@SomeSound-MostlyFury: I agree as well but there isn't alot out there compared to the 'fork's reviews. I bought the 1st Art Brut just based on their 8.0 rating.
I thought maybe I'd try taking pitchfork recommendations over friends and independent hxcmp3.com seeking (does that even exist anymore?), but then I decided that I could never trust anyone who gave the album containing "Trapped in the Closet" a 7.4, or the institution which allowed that review to be published.
Now I peruse the XM, ask my friends, and check out bands I might read about on blogs, but not with a glowing recommendation always attached.
Its the way of the future. i got on facebook and was basically bombarded with friends but when I did the numbers i realized that if everyone of my friends on myspace and facebook was responsible for selling 4 CD's I would break even on cost. I'm not saying that will happen but this blog suggests its definitely possible.
I have friends whose taste I can trust. An incredible source of info here in Canada is the great free magazine [Exclaim.ca] and, additionally, much of my interest is generated from mentions and samples on music blogs. Pitchfork is okay but they can get a little too elitist. I like [CokeMachineGlow.com] and [MetaCritic.com] is alright too.
In terms of deciding what discs to look in to (read download) I usually pay far more attention to the rating and far less attention to the actual review, if I read it at all. Pitchfork seems more interested in proving that they know all about the band they're writing about and less interested in describing what exactly is good or bad about that particular release. Nevertheless, I feel if something on Pitchfork gets a 9, it's a pretty solid bet that it's at least worth listening to.
But as far as solid music reviews go, as strange as it may sound, The Onion's AV Club is probably the most consistent for me. Short and to the point reviews with a minimal amount of snark. Plus they get major points for giving Harvey Milk's new album an A.
Of course, everyone knows the best place to find out about music is through a mix tape from your sweetheart.
"I usually pay far more attention to the rating and far less attention to the actual review, if I read it at all."
Wouldn't this require already knowing what the music sounds like?
If I'm going to trust a review it's gotta be from someone who I've been reading for a bit and sort of know where they're coming from. Especially in this day of blog buzz bands that are the epitome of the flavor of the moment.
I concur with cheesebubble: MetaCritic.com is an excellent site and resource, that collates many different reviews and comes up with a reliable numerical rating for the album. Though they DO seem a little biased towards electronica and "experimental" stuff.
@Oldboy: well, i'd think that's because the people writing up reviews of those sorts of albums would be more enthusiastic about their subjects.
i just hate that this story is getting picked up as "the internet is replacing critics!! world 2.0mg!!" because actually looking at the data shows that ain't necessarily the case.
@Maura Johnston: There's also the fact that the friend who does the reccommending tends to know about what he or she is reccommending because they read reviews (written by critics) in the first place. Like, in my circle of friends, one of the things I do is flog albums that I think people will like. Out of like, 12 people I see constantly, I'm the one who reads metacritic every day. Basically, everything good comes from the internet.
@Oldboy: They've been including more metal recently.
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