March 29, 20232 yr I mean he has a point. I purchased 19 by Adele off the back of Chasing Pavements and a very positive 4/5 star review and I’ve loved Adele ever since. It’s not like we’re paying for it like we were 10+ years. There’s still a place for them though I’m sure.
March 29, 20232 yr He is well aware critics are gonna kill his fake attempt ar folklore pitchfork will give it a 0 probably or maybe even will pass on reviewing it
March 29, 20232 yr I mean to be fair most people just use critics as a means to reciprocate things they already think, and act like petulant children* when they don't. Ed Sheeran is an easy target because it lets you turn into full schoolyard bully with no consequences. I doubt anyone is still waiting for the reviews to come in to deduce their own verdict. Music criticism still has a purpose as a means to spark discussion, but it's hardly the much-needed consumer guide it once was. *I don't keep track of these things but probably a lot of these people actually are children.
March 29, 20232 yr @1640804299134345216 Imagine being this bitter :lol: I mean, I'm far from being the guy's number one supporter but I can't see how he comes across as bitter in this interview.
March 29, 20232 yr The streaming era isn't any different to other eras. Critics have always had some impact but artists csn be successful without being liked by critics. To me, he is basically saying that job of a critic isn't needed because of the availability of the music, which is quite arrogant if you ask me. I wouldn't say someone's job is useless just because it doesn't profit me.
March 29, 20232 yr The streaming era isn't any different to other eras. Critics have always had some impact but artists csn be successful without being liked by critics. I think generally speaking, a critic is more likely to put someone onto an artist than off. So artists without any 'credibility' will still sell as they always will. The point is to be that person who sifts through everything so you don't have to, and so you'll have artists that owe their careers to that sort of word-of-mouth. There's plenty of stuff I've discovered due to it being covered on Pitchfork (Cymbals Eat Guitars were such a great band!), but conversely even back when all I did in my teens was listen to Muse, it never bothered me that they were hated there. I do think though it's a huge difference in the streaming age though because more often than not, people used to buy records that they only knew one or two songs (if that). Now people can much more readily listen to something before deciding to throw down any money (if they even do that). Chucking down $20 to see if the new hyped thing is really all that, is quite a commitment. Chucking on that Spellling album on Spotify for an hour because Anthony Fantano said it was great, is far less of one. All that being said though, it's not just Ed Sheeran. This is all reminding me that ~10 years ago there used to be this critic in the Sydney Morning Herald or something like that who earned a reputation as the guy who would write scathing 1 star reviews of music that clearly wasn't for him. Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Skrillex etc, paraded as a hero for taking these crappy pop artists down a peg but honestly the whole thing just seemed like a childish waste of space. Whether the new Sheeran record blows or not, I'd rather read/watch a review from someone who treats him as an artist, rather than just a punching bag to rattle off the last 2 years of zingers. Hitting easy targets is boring.
March 29, 20232 yr The streaming era isn't any different to other eras. Critics have always had some impact but artists csn be successful without being liked by critics. To me, he is basically saying that job of a critic isn't needed because of the availability of the music, which is quite arrogant if you ask me. I wouldn't say someone's job is useless just because it doesn't profit me. I don't think he's quite saying that, and I do get his point. I think what he means is, in the pre-streaming days a lot of people would wait for a critic's review before deciding whether to buy an album, but these days you don't need to wait because you can just stream it. It's a simple point he's making, people are just twisting his words!
March 29, 20232 yr Chucking on that Spellling album on Spotify for an hour because Anthony Fantano said it was great, is far less of one. #canrelate (although he's wrong about the best song, it's clearly Little Deer)
March 29, 20232 yr #canrelate (although he's wrong about the best song, it's clearly Little Deer) :lol: I couldn't even remember. "Little Deer" was why I listened to it in the first place and I still love it but I'm definitely on team "Boys At School"
March 29, 20232 yr Critics can still be useful if you’re not completely sold on an artist yet and you’re time poor. I don’t actually have the time to listen to an album in full if the singles haven’t grabbed me. Hence me never having listened to an Ed album. Yes, I can do it for free but I’d probably like to use the time it would take more wisely.
March 30, 20232 yr Critics reviews never influenced my decision on buying an album but I understand the point been made. As much as I don't really like streaming I like that you can listen to an album before parting with money to buy it, streaming has stopped me from buying some albums as I didnt enjoy the non singles so as a result physical albums I buy nowadays are now albums I enjoy and haven't bought a dud album for a long time.
March 30, 20232 yr This is growing less good for me now so ain't too bothered it's not looking too big for him. Hopefully he's got something better up his sleeve.
March 30, 20232 yr Really unsure how he managed to be so successful for song with such bad songwriting. His first album however amazing and it very quickly got worse with every successor
March 31, 20232 yr Really unsure how he managed to be so successful for song with such bad songwriting. His first album however amazing and it very quickly got worse with every successor Because his songs are "relatable" as he's such an "everyman".
March 31, 20232 yr I thought x was easily his best era, and then he went seriously dreadful for ÷ (which naturally ended up being his biggest)
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