Online fandom, stan culture, and music criticism

It used to be that if someone was unhappy with a music review, they might write a Letter to the Editor, or mention a review in an interview. Now, with the democratization of the internet, everyone's a critic – not just of music, but of criticism itself. The past few years have seen an influx of stan attacks on the working critic, from coordinated hate campaigns on social media to full-scale doxxing, and for most working writers, the hostile climate can be overwhelming. On this episode of the Critical Minded podcast, Reanna and Oliver chat about the untouchable "third rails" of pop music criticism, the necessity of social media self-promotion, and the emerging power dynamics between writer, reader, and publisher – featuring interviews with Pitchfork editorial director Mano Sundaresan, acclaimed music journalist Suzy Exposito, and TCB PR director of publicity-slash-artist, Clarke Sondermann.