Musical Press: Punk 1970s to Present Day

Examine the development of the music press from the 1970’s to the present day compare and contrast the changes which have come into play with the developments of online magazine format.

The music press and journalists are often seen as an important link between artists/bands and consumers. Reviewers and journalists have played an historical role in many upcoming bands lives and are recognized by the music industry as having a key part in the promotion of bands and artists. However, the music press has also been known to play a part in the promotion of popular music with wider political, social and cultural concerns. An example of this is Punk music.

Many argue that the birth of punk music came when the then “newly formed Sex Pistols” played their first gig at St Martins College in London. They were reported to have been “attempting to break through in a music scene that had long gone stale from the fallout from the 1960s, the death of glam rock and the tail-end of the pub rock scene”

But others say it first began in Detroit in the mid to late '60s. This saw the appearance of the Stooges and the MC5. They were raw, crude and often political, a far cry from their predecessors in Rock and Roll such as Elvis Presley. Many saw this as a break through in a music scene that had long gone stale. The youth of the day were restless and bored of the music they were provided with and this exciting new music genre changed the music press and indeed the world.

Music journalism before this change was often played very safe. A far cry from the fanzines of the punk era, whose DIY ethics were embraced by so many people that the practice of creating fanzines still goes on today although most are created and published online.

The V...

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...m: A Rock's Backpages Reader. USA: Bloomsbury

Vivian, J (2009). The media of mass communication. London: Allyn & Bacon.

Sabin, R (1999). Punk Rock: So What?: The Cultural Legacy of Punk. London: Routledge

Cannadine, D (2004). History and the Media. London: Palgrave

Horner, B (1999). Key Term in Popular Music and Culture. USA: Wiley-Blackwell

Works Cited

Shuker, R (1994). Understanding Popular Music. London: Routledge.

Hoskyns, B (2003). The Sound and the Fury: 40 Years of Classic Rock Journalism: A Rock's Backpages Reader. USA: Bloomsbury

Vivian, J (2009). The media of mass communication. London: Allyn & Bacon.

Sabin, R (1999). Punk Rock: So What?: The Cultural Legacy of Punk. London: Routledge

Cannadine, D (2004). History and the Media. London: Palgrave

Horner, B (1999). Key Term in Popular Music and Culture. USA: Wiley-Blackwell