
What does it mean to be a music critic today?
Welcome to the second season of the Critical Minded podcast, as we welcome the latest Critical Minded report, Beautiful Struggles: Pop Music Critics of Color and the Critical Landscape. Hosted by report co-author Oliver Wang (longtime music writer, former co-host of the Heat Rocks podcast) and report researcher Reanna Cruz (music writer, producer of the Switched On Pop podcast), this season explores the state of criticism at a moment of profound transitions, pitfalls, and possibilities. It has never been easier to publish ideas and opinions about music, yet it feels like criticism as a field has never been less sustainable. For the first of five episodes, through interviews with journalists, creators, and academics alike, we ask: what does it mean to be a music critic today? This episode, Oliver and Reanna talk to Sharon Mizota, rashid shabazz, John Morrison, and Crystal Alejandro, to reflect on how music criticism is being challenged by the changing worlds of publishing and multimedia industries. From the era of zines and alt-weeklies to the rise of influencers, podcasts, and video essays, we trace how criticism has evolved and what those changes mean for critics of color navigating the field today.