In 1986, in the wake of MTV’s The Cutting Edge crashing the Austin music scene, then-Austin Chronicle columnist Michael Corcoran penned an infamous screed declaring “Austin Music Sucks!”. If ever there was cue for hometown hate mail at The Austin Chronicle, this was it. As The Austin Chronicle celebrates its thirtieth anniversary and the publication of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, we want to take the opportunity to look back at how both the Austin music scene and the role of music criticism have evolved over the decades. Scouring a colorful history of anecdotes, journalism, fandom, and flaming, we’ll use Austin and The Austin Chronicle as a microcosm to look at how local music scenes get born, blossom, break big, and burn. Slicing through the passion and the perils of covering the hometown scene, this panel will explore the changing landscape of music journalism from an historical perspective and the inevitable love/hate relationship that evolves between local publications and the music they cover. How do journalists deal with the potential conflicts of interest in criticizing scenes with which they are so intimately involved? Is it better for a band to start with local traction, or aim nationally? Do local music scenes, and the publications that cover them, breed creativity or unproductive competition? And what is future for cultural community publications like alt weeklies in the shifting media landscape?

Presenters