It seems Southcomm bought up a bunch of alt-weeklies from the Voice media Group, then determined years later that they weren't going to become richer the way they were running them, and so they are now selling them off slowly (they still have Nashville Scene but let go of the editor and others; they sold Washington City Paper and Kansas City Pitch)
― curmudgeon, Friday, 29 December 2017 16:42 (six years ago) link
voice media group never owned washington city paper. it was started by the people who launched the baltimore cp.
this is depressing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SouthComm_Communications
― maura, Friday, 29 December 2017 17:16 (six years ago) link
True. That's right Washington City Paper got sold long ago to Chicago Reader, and later to Creative Loafing and then to Southcomm. Tronc.inc (that bought and later shut down Baltimore City Paper; along with what it did elsewhere) and Southcomm have not been helpful to the alt-weeklies
― curmudgeon, Friday, 29 December 2017 17:30 (six years ago) link
nope! neither has wrapports (owners of the reader). media executives are the worst.
― maura, Friday, 29 December 2017 17:49 (six years ago) link
i’m giving up
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 12 November 2018 17:30 (five years ago) link
WHAT
― I like queer. You like queer, senator? (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 12 November 2018 17:35 (five years ago) link
at every turn this year i felt either implicitly disrespected by the publications i wrote for and/or the writing and editing process itself was so horrible and full of second-guessing that i could never enjoy the work that came out of it. i couldn’t even get a band i like into a year-end list which is just the latest way in which i feel my taste and my approach as a critic and my work aren’t “correct”
just gotta figure out something else to do
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 12 November 2018 17:36 (five years ago) link
More to say after lunch but short answer: hell no
― I like queer. You like queer, senator? (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 12 November 2018 17:39 (five years ago) link
i don’t feel valued as a freelancer and has been proven countless times over the past four years, no one would ever hire me. so why put myself through it xp
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 12 November 2018 17:39 (five years ago) link
which band? :(
― imago, Monday, 12 November 2018 17:39 (five years ago) link
i'd rather not say
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 12 November 2018 17:40 (five years ago) link
i know it's extremely dramatic to announce this in a thread on ilx but writing it to myself wasn't enough
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 12 November 2018 17:41 (five years ago) link
we need good people fighting critical orthodoxy from within so this is a shame
― imago, Monday, 12 November 2018 17:47 (five years ago) link
also a shame for you obviously
― imago, Monday, 12 November 2018 18:03 (five years ago) link
this is extremely sad, but I understand it so badly. it's a completely different reality, but I did the same in Portugal.it's not much, but you have all my support.
― Nourry, Monday, 12 November 2018 18:10 (five years ago) link
I'm also sad about this, but tbh quitting pursuits that are decreasing in personal enjoyment levels and/or compensation/sustainability is a super underrated move even if it feels shitty at the time so I can't help but support this decision
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Monday, 12 November 2018 18:31 (five years ago) link
thanks y'all <3
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 12 November 2018 18:37 (five years ago) link
THAT SAID if you were to start some kind of monthly emo newsletter or something just to have a project, I'd throw a couple $$ at that
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Monday, 12 November 2018 18:41 (five years ago) link
Brad, I won't ask for details here, but I and quite a few of us would miss your precision, grace, and humor should you renounce criticism. Even pre-internet criticism was never a numbers game. Whether it's about Van Morrison or sundry remarks here, your POV means a great deal.
― I like queer. You like queer, senator? (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 12 November 2018 18:47 (five years ago) link
thanks alfred <3
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 12 November 2018 18:52 (five years ago) link
my taste and my approach as a critic and my work aren’t “correct”
ironically, about this, you are
rong
― j., Monday, 12 November 2018 18:53 (five years ago) link
writer as worst interpreter of his own work shockah
― I like queer. You like queer, senator? (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 12 November 2018 18:54 (five years ago) link
that's not how i feel about my own work but it is how music media makes me think i should feel about my own work, if that helps
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Monday, 12 November 2018 18:58 (five years ago) link
Brad's taste and approach aren't the most appealing to editors, which doesn't make them wrong, just out of sync with the lame state of music writing rn
― 5th Ward Weeaboo (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, 12 November 2018 18:58 (five years ago) link
THAT SAID if you were to start some kind of monthly emo newsletter or something just to have a project, I'd throw a couple $$ at that― wayne trotsky (Simon H.)
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.)
same.
― Nourry, Monday, 12 November 2018 19:29 (five years ago) link
it’s a terrible time and brad deserves better. and so do brad’s potential readers
― maura, Monday, 12 November 2018 19:51 (five years ago) link
but there are horrible young men getting covered by tmz who happen to release music in between photo ops and court dates, and they appeal to “millennial males” so...
― maura, Monday, 12 November 2018 19:52 (five years ago) link
Brad if you hide your light under a bushel I will drive to where you are and shake you so hard Your writing brings me great joy & your interests & passions & life experience make yours a unique voice. I hate that the industry is bringing you low <3
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 17 November 2018 05:51 (five years ago) link
Brad, I get where you are coming from. You do indeed have idiosyncratic tastes, which I sometimes don't relate to, and I can imagine how that plays out at a professional level, where it's always about hyping the next big thing, or jumping on one bandwagon or another. But even when I don't get a particular band that you are championing, I always admire your passion and eloquence, and I believe the world needs more space for talented writers with unique perspectives.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Saturday, 17 November 2018 06:31 (five years ago) link
that's a real shame to hear, I've always enjoyed your writing and taste Brad, so best of luck with whatever you do next
― ufo, Saturday, 17 November 2018 06:39 (five years ago) link
Brad i literally did a dramatic reading of some parts of your Love Deluxe review to my friend and they were like "holy shit"
but yeah, i totally get it if the way things are in the industry have beaten you down, and i hope you find a bit more peace in what you end up deciding to do. i just wanted to chime in and say your writing voice (and your taste profile) is probably one of the biggest inspirations for me both as a listener and a writer, and i know a few other young writers who'd say the same. thanks for being a great critic.
― austinb, Saturday, 17 November 2018 06:51 (five years ago) link
I can’t say I don’t completely relate. Idiosyncratic taste is the only thing worth anything, taste forward writing is the only honest kind
― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Saturday, 17 November 2018 08:32 (five years ago) link
Brad, let's start an email newsletter or something about awesome rock bands. fill an unfilled niche, enjoy writing again. maybe someone who has had some success with the newsletter format (which seems to be a thing?) can provide some guidance?
― alpine static, Saturday, 17 November 2018 11:06 (five years ago) link
Bandcamp is looking for a writer/editor to take the spot of Marcus Moore who is leaving to finish a book on Kendrick Lamar. Bandcamp wants someone who knows hiphop and jazz and more.
LA Times is hiring a music editor
https://www.journalismjobs.com/1649049-music-editor-los-angeles-times
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 17 November 2018 13:55 (five years ago) link
thanks y'all, it is especially heartening to read these things from some of my favorite posters here <3
i tried doing a newsletter a few years ago but couldn't really keep up with it, but that was more a vehicle for mixes and maybe if i took that side work out of the equation i could just focus on the writing. it def wouldn't be about new emo or rock music bc... idk, it gets harder and harder for me to write anything substantial about music i haven't lived with for a while. thinking about it still
― princess of hell (BradNelson), Saturday, 17 November 2018 14:11 (five years ago) link
very sad to hear this brad :( :(
― mark s, Saturday, 17 November 2018 14:19 (five years ago) link
"Quitting pursuits that are decreasing in personal enjoyment levels and/or compensation/sustainability is a super underrated move even if it feels shitty at the time so I can't help but support this decision."
Having sacked music journalism for similar reasons, I'd say this is wise. Good luck with whatever you do next.
― djh, Monday, 19 November 2018 18:14 (five years ago) link
Only just saw this, sorry for that (full week last week). Wish I had more concrete advice to offer but ultimately I'd say you'd want to find your best balance in what is ever more increasingly a shifting-sands landscape. And I've long since concluded that there is absolutely no one sure way to do that.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 19 November 2018 18:56 (five years ago) link
Brad, nooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I know, man. I KNOW. I have had very real frustrations in the last 2-3 years and felt myself close to walking away, too. But you're too smart and knowledgeable and insightful to leave this profession. So stay.
― Groove(box) Denied (Raymond Cummings), Monday, 19 November 2018 23:56 (five years ago) link
(Your review of the last Green Day album was deeply on point. Did I mention that?)
― Groove(box) Denied (Raymond Cummings), Tuesday, 20 November 2018 00:02 (five years ago) link
https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8530075/spin-stereogum-vibe-layoffs
Lay-offs at Spin, Stereogum, and Vibe. Includes an ilxor or maybe several.
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 17 September 2019 14:05 (four years ago) link
Several friends posted updates on social media yesterday. Ugh.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 17 September 2019 15:01 (four years ago) link
Bezos shut down on 1 day notice the Express, a free Washington Post published paper that employed some arts writers
https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/09/13/the-washington-post-killed-express-in-such-a-shabby-way/
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 17 September 2019 15:38 (four years ago) link
Owner of the OC Weekly suddenly shut down that Orange County , California publication
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 30 November 2019 23:00 (four years ago) link
Jeff Weiss tweet excerpt: LA Weekly, OC Weekly, East Bay Express, and San Diego City Beat destroyed by greedy mayonnaise brained ghouls in the last 2 years alone. That’s basically four of the five biggest markets in California. Can’t stress how deep the impact is.
― curmudgeon, Saturday, 30 November 2019 23:04 (four years ago) link
Greg Kot took a buyout at the Chicago Tribune, which is currently capitulating to new corporate overlord Alden Global Capital. He was always great to me, and a boon to the beleaguered major city paper beat.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 6 February 2020 02:40 (four years ago) link
https://www.robertfeder.com/2020/02/05/music-critic-greg-kot-leaving-chicago-tribune/
Kot taking a buyout and retiring as Chicago Tribume music critic at age 62.
Still gonna do radio show
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 6 February 2020 04:13 (four years ago) link
I liked his book Ripped.
― clemenza, Friday, 7 February 2020 03:10 (four years ago) link
I wonder if Chicago Tribune will hire a replacement
― curmudgeon, Friday, 7 February 2020 18:17 (four years ago) link
My guess is they will appoint a nominal replacement, but everything I hear I hear out of there is dire. DeRogatis's wife worked in the arts section, and she just took a buyout, too. Budgets (and assignments) have been decimated.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 7 February 2020 18:30 (four years ago) link