#189: A Poptimistic Manifesto
A Poptimistic Manifesto
I’m Todd L. Burns, and welcome to Music Journalism Insider, a newsletter about music journalism. I highlight some of the best stuff I hear, read, and watch every week; publish news about the industry; and interview writers, scholars, and editors about their work. My goal is to share knowledge, celebrate great work, and expand the idea of what music journalism is—and where it happens. Questions, comments, concerns? You can reach me anytime at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. And if you're not already subscribed to the newsletter, you can do so at musicjournalisminsider.com.
Today in the newsletter: Interviews with university press director Craig Gill, '70s teen pop expert Lucretia Tye Jasmine, and freelance writer Grant Sharples. Plus! Reading recommendations, listening recommendations, and much more! But first…
Scariest Costume Ever
Source
Reading List
- Wanna Thompson charts the symbolism of water in Black music
- Sammy Maine chats with Lior Phillips about her book on South African pop
- Kristin Robinson breaks down how much producers get paid
- Nadine Smith explains how sampling has changed in the venture capital era
- Chris Dalla Riva explores how Sirius makes its channel decisions
- Sue Park asks Bandsplain’s Yasi Salek how she approaches her podcast
- Raymond Roker talked about the archives of URB Magazine
- Tyler Wilcox interviewed Will Hermes about his new Lou Reed book
- Patrick Lyons revisited brand collabs of the 2010s
- Rachel Brodsky looks at what happens when fans become a headache
Lede Of The Week
“Maybe you noticed it when Doja Cat lashed out at her fanbase this summer. Maybe you noticed it when Charli XCX called one of her fans a c*nt last year on Twitter.” - Rachel Brodsky
Q&A: Craig Gill
Craig Gill is the director of University Press of Mississippi. He’s been working in the academic world for more than three decades, with stints at Northwestern University Press, University of Chicago Press, and University Press of Kentucky. He’s been at Mississippi since 1997. In this excerpt from our interview, Craig walks through a typical day at work.
My day-to-day work includes a lot of signing contracts, approving purchase orders, long-term planning, and fundraising, which may not be the most interesting bits of the job for a music audience. On a weekly and monthly basis, a typical day in acquisitions might include reviewing a conference program for possible book ideas, attending academic conferences, reviewing scholarly journals, fielding queries from authors and agents, discussing projects with colleagues at monthly acquisitions meetings, seeking readers for peer review of manuscripts, working with authors on revisions, negotiating contracts, launching books in-house for my colleagues, transmitting manuscripts to editorial and production, reviewing marketing copy and covers, and working with authors at every stage of the publishing process.
In my opinion, an effective acquisitions editor is a well-connected dilettante, with interests in many areas and deep expertise in few, so you have to stay up to date. You must know enough about the subject matter to understand it and know enough people in the field to find the right experts to help you judge the value of the work.
Causes Worth Supporting
From Craig Gill:
Professionally, support your local university press. University presses are non-profits doing great work around the world, and they can use all the support they can get. Buy their books and, if you can, provide direct support. For University Press of Mississippi, if anyone is interested, I recommend our First Author’s Initiative as a way to help authors from nontraditional backgrounds in the academic world.
Personally, find your favorite local organization fighting the effects of climate change and support them however you can. Local organizations like the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana are doing on-the-ground work that deserves support.
Check out all of the causes highlighted by folks I’ve interviewed.
This Is Correct
Source
Podcasts!
- Her Music Academia interviewed YouTuber 12Tone
- Beyond the Boys Club and The Late Set launch this week
- The Listening Service explored the idea of ethereality in music
- Popcast ponders the question: “Do music reviews matter anymore?”
- Have You Heard This One? debuted last week
Q&A: Lucretia Tye Jasmine
Lucretia Tye Jasmine is a freelance writer, artist, and interviewer. Her first book is '70s Teen Pop, which is part of the new 33 1/3 series "Genre." In this excerpt from our interview, Lucretia describes the book.
’70s Teen Pop is a poptimistic manifesto with a sober undertone! During the 1970s, teen pop sometimes worked subversively, challenging the status quo it seemed to represent. Rooted in minstrelsy, jazz, and big band music, the teen pop idol emerged from their solo instrumentalist and singing stars. Rock 'n roll, boy bands, girl groups and the counterculture heralded '70s teen pop as cultivation of the teen idol through touring, airplay and media created a devoted fandom. Teen pop during the 1970s showcased a wild and romantic diversity: cartoon pop and made-for-TV bands! Bubblegum pop! Glam! Hip hop! Hard rock and pop rock and stadium rock! Punk! Disco! The music promoted feminism, immigration, sexual liberation, and civil rights.
With lyrical insistence on self-awareness, intimate connection, rebellion, and fun, ‘70s teen pop appealed to an emerging romantic eroticism and autonomy. The music—and its portability and potential for mixing via cassette tapes and vinyl—provided a way for fans to believe they had something all their own, an authenticity experimenting with sexuality and social conduct, all dressed up in glitter and satin, blue jeans and boom boxes, torn fishnets and safety pins. 1970s teen pop reinforced aspects of the counterculture it absorbed. The music, like culture itself, was a unique mixtape.
'70s Teen Pop is organized like a boom box, with each chapter named after a boom box’s function: “Rewind,” “Play,” “Fast Forward,” “Record,” “Pause,” and “Stop/Eject.” I include liner notes, a ten track song list, and my sketch of a cassette tape.
A Cause Worth Supporting
From Lucretia Tye Jasmine:
Becoming vegan is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life, as important to me as writing and making art. It’s kind to animals and to the planet.
Check out all of the causes highlighted by folks I’ve interviewed.
Real Scenes
- Eric Ducker on Latino Strokes fans
- Nate Patrin on the LA beat scene
- Doug Markowitz on bassline
- Suvani Suri pulls together the latest Norient City Sounds series, which focuses on Delhi, India
- Harriet Shepherd on Berlin nightlife
Trivia Time
Which musician’s life did critic and author Benjamin Myers novelize in Richard?
Pivoting To Video
- Todd in the Shadows has made a supercut of songs that stop on the word “stop”
- JimmyTheGiant went deep on the Crazy Frog scam
- naomi cannibal explored the recent trend of rude interviewers
- Complex has launched a show called That’s Deep
- Marc Masters talked about his new book on The Best Show
How Do You Do, Fellow TikTokers?
- @gee_derrick explains why K-pop focuses so heavily on CDs
- @pablothedon discusses industry plants
- @nelsongeorge315 speaks about his new career-spanning book at the Grammy Museum
- @mathiasmorte asks where you hear the downbeat in the marimba ringtone
- @thecountrymusicshow provides a history lesson about the Nashville Sound
Babes!
Source
Q&A: Grant Sharples
Grant Sharples is a freelance writer with bylines in Stereogum, Pitchfork, The Ringer, and more. He’s just started as the indie music columnist at Uproxx. In this excerpt from our interview, Grant explains what he’d like to see more of in music journalism.
I want to see people having more of a singular voice. I feel like a lot of music writing leans into this academic, homogenous tone, and it can get old after a while. I look at someone like Julian Towers and admire how he approaches his prose. He has fun! He has a voice! That is incredibly rare. Still, I don't think the onus is entirely on freelance writers. It takes a lot of courage to take risks and experiment when you're at the behest of an editor who may choose to just not work with you again. So you read the site and try to adopt their brand voice or whatever. But more singularity and more risk is always a good idea in my opinion.
What would you like to see less of in music journalism right now?
Pandering to stan armies. I won't name any individual names because that just feels rude, but music journalism should never read like it was written by a stan. It should be insightful and critical rather than mindlessly laudatory. Whenever publications pander to stans, it's just so corny. I get it: You need engagement to drive revenue, but there's gotta be other ways to go about it that's way more tasteful and doesn't turn the writer into a vessel for vacuous, obsequious praise. It's called music criticism for a reason!
A Cause Worth Supporting
From Grant Sharples:
For a cause people can donate to, I'm gonna include Islamic Relief's Palestine fund. This fund provides access to clean water, food aid, and healthcare to Palestinians under occupation from Israel. It's really disgusting what the Israeli government has been doing to the Palestinian people for years, and this fund helps those who have been displaced from their homes.
Check out all of the causes highlighted by folks I’ve interviewed.
Bits, Bobs
- Mandy Hofmockel assembled a calendar of paid internships and fellowships
- Walter Tunis won the media award from the Governor’s Awards in the Arts
- Tim Herrera has ideas on how to stop pitching ideas and start pitching stories
- A new R&B-focused zine called Taste has launched
- Niko Stratis has a new column about touring and food
Academic Stuff
- New issue: Fontes Artis Musicae
- Call for Papers: Pedagogy into Practice: Teaching Music Theory in the Twenty-First Century [Deadline December 1]
- Call for Articles: A special edition of Nineteenth-Century Music Review on Music, Domesticity, and British Identity [Abstracts due October 20]
- Call for Papers: Music, Musicology and Academic Responsibilities in the 21st Century [Deadline December 1]
- Call for Papers: Black Sacred Arts Conference [Deadline: December 15]
The Closing Credits
Thanks for reading! In case you’ve missed any special features, I’ve published a number of them in the newsletter, including articles about music journalism history, what music journalism will be like in 2221, and much more. You can check out all of that here.
I also do a recurring column in the newsletter called Notes On Process. The premise is simple: I share a Google Doc with a music journalist where we go into depth on one of their pieces. It hopefully provides an insight into how music writers do their work. You can check out all editions of Notes On Process here.
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Trivia Time Answer
Richard was based on the life and disappearance of Richey Edwards of Manic Street Preachers.
Some Final Notes
Thanks for reading! And thanks to James Lamont for their Trivia Time question. I make playlists every single week. Check them here! And full disclosure: my day job is at uDiscover Music, a branded content online magazine owned by Universal Music. This newsletter is not affiliated or sponsored in any way by Universal, and any links that relate to the work of my department will be clearly marked.
Feel free to reach out to me via email at music.journalism.insider@gmail.com. On X, it’s @JournalismMusic. Until next time...