Since the 1950s, writing about popular music has become a staple of popular culture. "Rolling Stone", "Vibe", and "The Source" as well as music columns in major newspapers target consumers who take their music seriously. Rapidly proliferating fanzines, websites, and internet discussion groups enable virtually anyone to engage in popular music criticism. Until now, however, no one has tackled popular music criticism as a genre of journalism with a particular history and evolution. "Pop Music and the Press" looks at the major publications and journalists who have shaped this criticism,...

Sees pop music journalism as a form of cultural criticism.