As someone who wanted to write for a living, the music press was the only place that welcomed me with its lowly entry point: listening to albums and having some opinions. There was insidious sexism from male journalists and PRs, but the presence of other girls and young women doing the same work was proof that if I were good enough, someone would read my words and enjoy them. As popular music diversified from being rock and pop dominant, hip-hop, grime, rap and alternative pop rose to give voice to frustrations and pleasures while celebrating different cultures. Genre dissolved and anyone could listen to anything (practically for free). The result was that all music mattered and seemed to have its place in the world. The digital media boom provided commentary and I was a part of that. Coverage was irreverent, smart, funny and occasionally stupid and rude. Sometimes the blogs were excitable and captured the spirit of fandom better than music writing had before. As social media had only just begun to threaten music journalism's importance, we helped bridge the gap between artists and fans who now sought closeness to artists through their phone. Those Rookie writers and editors I read have now grown up to lead music coverage at global publications and papers.
You wouldn't gather any of this from music books, which favour rock'n'roll and the 20th century. This year, I've heard and read that "things used to be better" frequently, as cultural nostalgia reaches a critical high, our lives increasingly take place at home and online, the economic barrier to entry in the arts - or indeed living a fulfilling and comfortable life - keeps talent out, and in these conditions record labels are unsure of how to make a star. It's easy to view everything, including music, as "content" because there is simply so much of it, everywhere.
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