The BBC have confirmed that it is to scrap the album reviews section on its website.
The opening weeks of 2013 have presented some troubling developments for anyone interested in music criticism. Widely respected free-sheet The Stool Pigeon announced that it was to shut up shop, while Artrocker decided to explore digital solutions by closing their print arm.
Now the BBC have announced that the album reviews section on its website will be pulled this Spring. Allowed to develop into a highly regarded vehicle under the tutelage of that man Mike Diver, the list of contributors included many experienced scribes – including Clash Deputy Editor Matt Bennett.
In a statement to Music Week, Mike Diver outlined his sadness at the move. "Unfortunately, budget cuts within BBC Audio and Music mean that there can be no reviews service from the end of this month. These budgets are, naturally, reviewed regularly; and this time the decision was made to cut the reviews service entirely. All writers, save myself, were freelancers. Losing the BBC album reviews is, after the closure of The Stool Pigeon, another disappointing chapter in an ongoing saga of dwindling opportunities for music critics. The landscape is changing, not for the better."
Sparking a flurry of reports and news mentions, Mike Diver later expanded on his views via Twitter – tune in HERE.
The BBC website's Album Reviews section will be dis-continued from April 1st.