Fan Fare
Entertainment behind the scenes
Bloggers: music industry tastemakers?
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.”
