Bad music no longer exists. Not in a physical sense…I mean it will always be out there, but with the replacement of radio and MTV for customizable platforms like Spotify and YouTube, the removal of music from one’s life is as simple as a swipe. Cue SMACK Media, a different kind of music magazine.
Since 2019, SMACK Media has built a reputation on daily coverage of important contemporary and legacy pop, alternative, rock and hip hop acts and the cultures they effect. As a new media startup, SMACK Media uses primarily digital mediums including web, social media, video, and podcasts to distribute our content. SMACK has since expanded into coverage of film, TV, and other important mediums with ambitions to launch podcasts, expand our video department, and take our philosophy to e-commerce, live promotion, and NFT-centric markets.
The current guard and old guard of music publications seem to be one in the same, full of exclusivity and pretentiousness which has soiled the cultural conversation on both pop and alternative music. Because of this, SMACK Media does not center their content on reviews, pay promoted or not. With several current generations using subscription-based streaming models which make sampling easier than ever and purchase decisions non-existent, album reviews serve little purpose in our current world. SMACK Media positions itself as a channel to great music, instead of an authority on taste or the decisions of consumers.
Further, SMACK Media has found issue with old media institutions who have merely supplanted their model to the digital landscape, a conversion that has produced a myriad of clickbait, datamining, paywalls, pop-ups, and a sub-optimal experience for visitors.
SMACK Media runs a traditional periodical publishing operation: a news department that runs daily with the intention of informing our audience, and an opinion column we call “Deep Cuts” that provides editorial insight into the cultures and industries we examine. SMACK Media intends to cover the aggressive live circuit which runs through our stadiums, arenas, theatres, bars, and clubs at nearly all times of the year. SMACK Media’s operation is based out of Toronto as is much of our subject matter, but we do not allow this to geographically limit us to a quota of local coverage as this is not how the music fan operates; they are not bound by country, genre, artist, or era.
We value accuracy over urgency, verification over contextualization, and objectivity over balance. The significance of the story itself, its physical externalities, and its long-term implications will always be the utmost priority of our content program, whether it be an important release or tour, industrial changes, or how the personal decisions of and relationships between artists effect their art. Unlike all major music news publications, our news is not tied to any corporate or political interest.
As of April 2021, SMACK Media has federally incorporated its business as a service that provides news and curation services. Our company prides itself on its social media strategy with a number of certified members in digital marketing. We still believe Sean Paul’s “Get Busy” is as good as “Only Shallow,” “Teen Age Riot,” or “Waiting Room,” on a Friday night? All together even.
Visit SMACK Media for content added daily, follow us on our social media channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and contact us if you have a tip.
