Change and Continuity in Newspaper Coverage of Popular Music since 1955: Evidence from the United States, France, Germany, and the Netherlands

Abstract

In this article, we describe general features of popular music coverage in elite newspapers in the United States, France, Germany, and the Netherlands from 1955 to 2005. Drawing on data from content analysis of over 4,000 newspaper articles sampled in four reference years (1955, 1975, 1995, and 2005), we document broad changes and continuities in the extent, focus, and form of popular music coverage in mainstream media outlets of each country.In any art world, media discourse plays an important institutional role in distributing recognition and prestige to certain types of people and productions (Becker). Through such discourse, music critics act as "gatekeepers of taste" (Shuker 92), operating as cultural intermediaries who shape opinions and perceptions about different types of music and musicians through the evaluations and interpretations they offer. As such, media discourse represents a valuable resource for musicians and the actors involved in producing their music. Indeed, musicians recognize the impact that such media attention can have in helping them sustain nascent musical careers (Brennan 222) and record company publicists often measure success in column inches of press coverage (Negus 124). Moreover, beyond the impact that media discourse can have on individual actors within the field of popular music, it can also provide a legitimating ideology that elevates the status of the entire field (Baumann).Yet, despite its widely recognized significance, Steve Jones (1) notes that popular music discourse has been the subject of little systematic study and scholarly publication. Although recent years have seen more attention to the popular music press (Atton; Jones; Lindberg et al.), much of this research focuses on American and British rock criticism in specialty magazines or fanzines (for exceptions, see Pires; Schmutz "Social and Symbolic"; van Venrooij and Schmutz). While such studies have

From aesthetes to reporters: The paradigm shift in arts journalism in Finland

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¿Hacia una mayor apertura cultural? Un análisis de la cobertura de artículos sobre música en la prensa de referencia de cinco países europeos (1960-2010)

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