As the influence of traditional music critics at newspapers and magazines wanes, a new breed of critic, armed only with a computer and an Internet connection, is filling the void.

Though the Baby Boomer generation got their music recommendations from the likes of Rolling Stone Magazine and similar outlets, the next generation of music fan attending the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, is seeking out a new “tastemaker” — the blogger.

That’s due in part to staff cutbacks by U.S. newspapers and other publications, which has forced them to focus on big-name national acts and give local bands short shrift, said  Robert Duffy, founder of music blog called donewaiting.com.

“If you picked up the local paper you wouldn’t know what’s going on on the local music scene outside maybe the orchestra,” Duffy, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, said at a panel on blogging at the 10-day music, film and interactive networking event on Thursday. “They’re not thinking about local music.”

Though old-style music reviewers gained notoriety by “slamming” bands with negative reviews, modern-day bloggers — who often have day jobs — only have time to write about bands they actually like, said Glenn Peoples from Nashville, Tennessee, who runs a music industry blog Coolfer.com.

In some ways bloggers have replaced the “cranky record store clerk” as the source for musical hints, Peoples said.

However, Justin Gage, founder of blog Aquarium Drunkard in Los Angeles, said he still relies on long-term clerks at record stores like Amoeba Music for advice.

Gage and Duffy both agreed that bloggers can play a big role in convincing music publishers to sign record deals with bands. “That word-of-mouth thing - you can’t beat it,”  Gage said.

Janet Timmons, editor of Out the Other.com in Nashville, said her blog focuses almost exclusively on in-town acts, mostly rock bands. “We’re one of the last really enthusiastic mediums,” said Timmons, who has posted many blogs about the Nashville  band The Features.

- Photo credits: Reuters/Chris Baltimore (Top: Festival-goers line up in the Austin Convention Center; Middle: The band “Two Hours Traffic” from Prince Edward Island in Canada perform; Bottom: Festival-goers take in a performance at SXSW)