Music reports dominate the German feature pages
Music is the undisputed leader in the range of topics covered in the arts and culture pages of German daily and weekly newspapers. Music-related articles now account for over a quarter of cultural reporting.
According to the German Music Information Center (MIZ), an institution of the German Music Council, the reason for this is not least the greater attention paid to popular music, whose share of reporting is now on a par with that of serious music. Despite the high esteem in which musical topics are held, however, the number of permanently employed music editors has fallen. Above all, the competition from free offerings on the Internet poses particular challenges for the makers of print media.
In a new focus on "Music reporting in print and online media", the MIZ takes a look at the current situation of music journalism in Germany and provides basic information on structures and developments in this field. The editorial offices of around 170 daily and weekly newspapers that regularly report on music-related topics are examined. According to the MIZ, there are currently around 100 full-time editors working in the editorial offices who focus on music in their reporting.
In addition to the daily and weekly newspapers, there are around 170 regularly published music journals with a wide range of content: from large consumer magazines and magazines focusing on individual musical genres to instrument-specific titles and academic or professional group-oriented publications, for example in the field of musicology or music therapy. They are supplemented by a constantly growing number of online offerings and music blogs.
