Liner notes: An exploration of local print music journalism in Perth's indie pop/rock music industry

Abstract

This article explores the role of free editorial coverage of local contemporary music in localized print media. The discussion here centres on activity which occurs in Perth, Western Australia, with a particular focus on the coverage of indie pop/rock music in three publications. The analysis presented here draws upon semi structured research interviews undertaken with editors of Drum Media Perth, X-Press Magazine and The West Australian. As this article argues, local print music media plays a key role in the promotion of local music activity as a cohesive ‘scene’ and industry to local audiences while also making a contribution to broader national music and media culture. In turn, this article also briefly comments upon recent debates about the climate of music journalism in Australia, as well as developments in this sector, such as the uptake of digital outlets.