Biography – Anthony Fantano
Due to the rapid expansion of social media, the landscape of entertainment journalism has vastly changed, giving rise to a new style of journalist, one who is able to manage multiple forms of media in a global context and interact within the public sphere. Anthony Fantano, who runs influential music blog The Needle Drop, is one such media professional. This document will aim to investigate and analyse some of the key features of Fantano’s success, including the way that he has been influenced by media convergence and globalisation, and his contributions towards the public sphere and the fourth estate. Anthony Fantano has successfully used a variety of communication mediums to reach a large audience, an idea which directly links to the transnationality of his appeal. A large portion of his success also lies in his interaction with his audience, and his contributions to the public sphere. The fourth estate, however, was found to be inapplicable in his case.
As the self-proclaimed ‘internet’s busiest music nerd’, Fantano initially began reviewing music in 2007 via public radio, moving to text reviews and, in 2009, video reviews uploaded to YouTube (Veronin, 2014). By late 2011, The Needle Drop had over 1500 subscribers, and Fantano was partnered with YouTube (Madden, 2014) (Jonze, 2011). It was in 2011 also that Fantano appeared on the SXSW panel on ‘The Rise of the Music Vlogger’ (Jonze, 2011). Currently, the YoutTube channel has almost 650 000 subscribers, and a website hosts additional podcast reviews (Fantano, 2016) (Fantano, 2015). As well as reviews, there are also ‘lists and thinkpiece-style videos’ (Madden, 2014). Stylistically, the reviews often involve short skits, and a defining feature of the videos is Fantano’s casual manner and rapport with the audience. The Needle Drop is still solely operated by Fantano, and based out of Connecticut.
A key aspect of Fantano’s success is his use of media convergence to reach as many different audiences as possible. Media convergence refers to the blurring of boundaries between different types of media (Turow, 2011, p. 190). Essentially, the idea of media convergence is that one brand or product can exist in multiple different forms, moving fluidly from what may originally be a print medium, as music reviews were in the past, into a video or audio format. The result or aim is to reach a larger audience (Turow, 2011, p. 190). An examination of Fantano’s utilisation of multiple mediums reveal the way in which media convergence, in his case the merging of music reviews into video and podcast form, has shaped his career for the better. Michael Madden, a contributor for the Consequence of Sound music blog, wrote in a 2014 article that there is a ‘stereotype that music reviewing is impersonal and boring’ (Madden, 2014). Fantano, however, due to his use of video to create a personal and conversational atmosphere, is able, in his own words, to ‘connect with the viewer on a personal level’ (Madden, 2014). What this shows is that, because of media convergence, Fantano is able to draw in more audiences, connect with people who may not necessarily read a music review. Similarly, the podcast and allows audiences a choice between different kinds of mediums, creating a mass appeal which is essential to a successful career in media. In this way, it can be seen that expansion between media have both allowed the rapport which defines Fantano’s success and the widening of an audience base. Likewise, globalisation has made an impact on the content and ways in which Fantano presents.
Globalisation can be defined as ‘a shift or transformation in the scale of human organization that links distant communities and expands the reach of power relations across the world’s regions and continents’ (as cited in (Flew, 2007, p. 67)). In other words, globalisation, in a mass communications context, is expanding media outlets in order to transcend geographical boundaries and reach a wider audience base. The impact of globalisation on Fantano is evident in not just the fact that he utilises internationally popular social network mediums, but in the content that he reviews. The fact that The Needle Drop began as a local radio show, but later moved to YouTube and began creating content solely for the internet reveals the positive impact of globalisation on Fantano’s career; it was only after the move to YouTube, an internationally available website, that he was able to reach the larger audience that enabled The Needle Drop to become a full-time enterprise (Madden, 2014). Similarly, the concept of globalisation is promoted by the fact that Fantano reviews albums from non-english speaking countries such as Japan, Columbia and Sweden, most notably placing both a Swedish and a Japanese album in the top 5 of his ‘top 50 albums of 2013’ list (Fantano, 2013). Actions such as this ensure that The Needle Drop becomes relevant in countries where English reviews are otherwise defunct, and show a surpassing of geographical borders. Evidently, Fantano has used aspects of globalisation in order to help reach a much wider audience, something which is integral to his success in the entertainment journalism field. Another way in which Fantano excels is in his communication within the public sphere.
The public sphere is the ‘realm of our social life in [which] something approaching public opinion can be formed’ (as cited in (Ubayasiri, 2006)). Basically, the public sphere is the metaphorical space in which the public draws the conclusions that form the basis for popular beliefs within a society. The internet has, in essence, created a global public sphere (Ubayasiri, 2006) and to this Anthony Fantano has contributed by interacting with, and responding to, his audience, and thus influencing the public opinion. As The Needle Drop has over 648 000 subscribers on YouTube, 128 000 followers on Twitter, 123 000 likes on Facebook and large followings on both Tumblr and Reddit (Fantano, 2016) (Fantano, 2016) (Fantano, 2016), it is clear that Fantano is able to sway opinion in that his ideas can reach a large audience. Fantano himself said in a 2014 interview that his videos can provoke extreme reactions in his viewers (Madden, 2014); this shows that, even if perhaps the scale is limited, Fantano has been successful in contributing to the public sphere in that he is able to cause discussion amongst others, and this discussion is an integral part of what will eventually become the publically held opinion of a certain band. In this way, it can be seen that Anthony Fantano has contributed to the workings of the public sphere.
The fourth estate is the term coined by English politician Edmund Burke in the early nineteenth century to refer to the press who reported on the court (Hampton, 2009, p. 3). Culturally, however, the fourth estate has come to mean the moral duty of the press to inform the public of abuses of power; notable examples include The Washington Post breaking the Watergate scandal, or the television show Four Corners exposing corruption under Queensland’s Bjelke-Petersen administration. As a music journalist, Fantano does not encounter situations which require informing the public of any deception within politics. The only ‘moral’ aspect of The Needle Drop is the fact that Fantano reviews small, independently produced albums as well as major-label releases (Madden, 2014) (Veronin, 2014). This variety shows that he has made a moral decision to promote an artist that is not well-known, that is not a name that is going to draw in the most amount of viewers. However, his actions come down to the idea of music reviewing as an agent for public discussion; a contribution towards the public sphere, rather than an example of the fourth estate. In this way, it can be seen that the fourth estate as a journalistic ideal is not applicable to Anthony Fantano, as the sole ‘moral’ decision that he must make is, in actual fact, a contribution to the public sphere.
As I am particularly interested in music journalism, Anthony Fantano poses an especially relevant case study in attributes that will appeal to the modern audience, who not only reads, but listens and watches as well. The way in which he has expanded over multiple media are of interest to me, as they show that, in this new media landscape, the best way to push ahead of competitors is to make full use of social media platforms. This, as it has been shown, leads to success in generating a wide audience. Correspondingly, his large social media presence also serves to show that it is not just content that is important, but also the idea of interaction with the audience. Evidently, in entertainment journalism it is important to maintain a personal, as well as professional, image, which Fantano has done with an extensive use of social media and, to a greater extent, establishing a ‘unique style’ of communication in his videos (Madden, 2014). Similarly, Fantano’s ability to handle globalisation via use of international content is also of use in a media career; as geographical boundaries are fast becoming irrelevant, it is imperative that content be sourced from multiple places in order to remain relevant in a global context. In all, an examination of Fantano’s key strengths reveal that, in the age of the internet, a media professional must move fluidly between mediums, draw source material from a global context and cultivate a widely accessible online image.
In all, Anthony Fantano has successfully utilised concepts such as media convergence and globalisation to his advantage, and this has allowed him to stay relevant in a highly technological world. He has made contributions to the public sphere, but does not contribute to the idea of journalism as the fourth estate due to the nature of his work as a music journalist. As a student of media and communications, a study of the elements which have made up his success are of great relevance and import.
Bibliography
Fantano, A., 2013. Top-50 Albums of 2013. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYEZK6_MlDw&list=PLP4CSgl7K7opujMe-fC7ieZh1TM_OEKz1&index=10
Fantano, A., 2015. The Needle Drop – Home. [Online]
Available at: http://www.theneedledrop.com/
Fantano, A., 2016. The Needle Drop – Facebook. [Online]
Available at: https://www.facebook.com/theneedledrop/
Fantano, A., 2016. The Needle Drop – Twitter. [Online]
Available at: https://twitter.com/theneedledrop?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Fantano, A., 2016. The Needle Drop – Youtube. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/user/theneedledrop
Flew, T., 2007. Chapter 3: Globalization and Global Media Corporations . In: Understanding global media . New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 66 – 97.
Hampton, M., 2009. The Fourth Estate in Journalism History. In: The Routledge Companion to News and Journalism. Hoboken: Routledge, pp. 3 – 12.
Jonze, T., 2011. SXSW 2011: The rise of the music vlogger. The Guardian, 19 March, pp. http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/mar/18/sxsw-2011-rise-of-music-vlogger.
Madden, M., 2014. Anthony Fantano Wants to Turn You On. Consequence of Sound.com, 10 October, pp. http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/10/anthony-fantano-wants-to-turn-you-on/.
Turow, J., 2011. A World of Blurred Media Boundaries. In: Media Today: An Introduction to Mass Communication. 4 ed. New York: Taylor & Francis, pp. 190 – 257.
Ubayasiri, K., 2006. Internet and the Public Sphere: A Glimpse of Youtube. [Online]
Available at: http://ejournalist.com.au/v6n2/ubayasiri622.pdf
Veronin, N., 2014. The Hardest Working Critic in Show Business Never Stops Hunting for New Music. Wired.com, 18 February, pp. http://www.wired.com/2014/02/anthony-fantano/.
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