MUSIC PRESS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

This article will analyze in depth the evolution of the popular music press, from the first magazine released (Billboard) to what we know today as digital media. Matters such as which one is more relevant nowadays and how they are related to each other will represent major points of this research. Press has greatly evolved throughout the years and its influence on the consumers is essential when it comes to define a musical era. Professional writer’s reviews about music content represented the main source of discovering new music in the past, but now with the existence of the Internet they have slightly been replaced with bloggers, vloggers and YouTubers. The history of the popular music press is a pivot in defining the modern media which is why this article will give a summary of what happened at the beginning of music magazines and how they influenced the consumers’ preferences. We will analyze the role of emblematic publications such as New Musical Express and Melody Maker in the music industry and in promoting new genres of that time