Based on Anglo-American sources: Polish music journalism of the 1980s and the canons in popular music

• Published in: Cogent arts & humanities Vol. 9; no. 1
• Main Author: Jeziński, Marek
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Cogent 31.12.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Journalism; Magazyn Muzyczny; music canons; music journalism; music press of the 1980s; Polish People's Republic; Popular music
• ISSN: 2331-1983; 2331-1983
• DOI: 10.1080/23311983.2022.2099045

In the paper, I discuss the use of Western sources by music journalists in Poland in the 1980s and its cultural consequences with regard to the journalists' milieu, the media patterns, and the readers/listeners. The phenomenon is analyzed by exploring the music journal "Magazyn Muzyczny" ("Music Magazine") in the 1983-1988 period as a case study. In the 1980s decade, it was the most important and influential Polish monthly devoted entirely to popular music. Feature articles, essays, artist profiles, news stories, and trivia were based directly on American and British music press. This essay explores translations as a practice typical for Polish music journalism in the context of a non-democratic regime. Importantly, the content published in the English-speaking press was the main source providing information on international music trends, new scenes, new albums and singles to Polish fans. This means they performed information and entertainment functions but also-or rather in the first place-they were involved in opinion-forming, culture-making, and group integration. The practice had significant cultural consequences. The music journalism of the 1980s was almost entirely dominated by the English-speaking music press, which bore certain results for the Polish audience. The American and English popular music scenes were presented in radio broadcasts and the journals as the most important and most valuable, with minimal interest in the performers coming from non-English speaking countries unless they had already gained fame in UK or USA. The latter affected the formation of music taste among the Polish audience and the establishment of music canons.