Planet Sound

Planet Sound was a British music magazine and music-information service created by Teletext Ltd in 1997. It appeared primarily on Teletext's service, which was available through ITV and Channel 4, and also had an associated web presence. Rather than functioning as a conventional print title, it used the limited but widely accessible Teletext format to publish music news, commentary, record reviews, interviews and recommendations for a national audience. The publication was named after the Pixies song “Planet of Sound” and was regarded as a successor to Blue Suede Views, a music feature carried by Teletext predecessor ORACLE during the 1980s and early 1990s. Its first editor was Stephen Eastwood. John Earls became editor in 2001 and became the writer most closely associated with the title. Contributors also included Colin Irwin. Under their stewardship, Planet Sound developed a distinctive editorial identity: informed and enthusiastic about popular music, especially independent and alternative rock, while avoiding what it described as excessively fashionable or pretentious coverage. Planet Sound published music news daily and refreshed its reviews on a weekly basis. It covered new releases, music-industry developments, opinions and emerging artists, and it periodically published annual rankings of the year's best albums and singles. The service also reviewed demonstration recordings submitted by aspiring musicians. In this capacity it gave early attention to acts including the Twilight Sad, Maxïmo Park and Hope of the States. The Twilight Sad later credited the publication with helping listeners discover the band and with providing important early support. A major part of the brand's appeal was its participatory community. Its letters page, “The Void,” encouraged readers to write in, and participants were affectionately known as “Voiders.” The feature helped create a sense of continuity between the publication, its editors and its audience, despite the technical constraints of Teletext. Musicians including Paul Heaton and Nicky Wire publicly paid tribute to the magazine in its final edition, while critics described it as an unusually trusted and welcoming source of music recommendations. Planet Sound's material was influential beyond its own distribution platform. Its reporting and criticism were reproduced or cited by outlets including the BBC, NME, Uncut, Digital Spy and Drowned in Sound. Critics praised the title as an authoritative and lively source of music journalism, and readers valued its editorial independence and accessible tone. The online component was not consistently maintained after May 1998, although an online version reappeared in May 2007. Teletext announced in July 2009 that Planet Sound would end in January 2010. The wider Teletext service ceased broadcasting on 15 December 2009, bringing the magazine to an earlier end. Its closure was mourned by readers and journalists who viewed it as a distinctive bridge between broadcast information services and online music culture. The brand is therefore best understood as a defunct editorial music brand rather than a record label or recording artist imprint. After the closure, John Earls continued writing music criticism for other publications and established WET Records, a separate record-label venture.

Planet Sound emerged from the British Teletext tradition of providing compact, frequently updated information through television screens. Its historical predecessor was Blue Suede Views, a music feature carried by ORACLE, the Teletext precursor, during the 1980s and early 1990s. John Earls, who later became Planet Sound's defining editor, had some of his teenage music writing published by Blue Suede Views, creating a personal link between the earlier service and the later magazine. Teletext Ltd launched Planet Sound in 1997. The title took its name from the Pixies song “Planet of Sound” and initially operated under editor Stephen Eastwood. A companion web page was introduced in the same year. The publication used Teletext's national reach to deliver music news, opinions and reviews in a concise format, while its editorial stance favored clear, knowledgeable coverage of independent and alternative music. It also maintained a reader-oriented tone that distinguished it from more conventional music magazines. John Earls became editor in 2001 and remained associated with the title until its end. Colin Irwin was among the contributors. Planet Sound published news stories daily and updated reviews weekly. Alongside coverage of established releases, it considered demo recordings submitted by emerging musicians and helped provide early exposure to artists such as the Twilight Sad, Maxïmo Park and Hope of the States. The service's annual rankings of albums and singles became a recurring editorial feature. The publication's letters page, The Void, was central to its identity. Readers who contributed were called Voiders, and the feature fostered an unusually strong sense of community for a service constrained by the one-way, text-based nature of Teletext. Planet Sound gained a committed audience and attracted positive notice from music writers and musicians. Its content was republished or used by media organizations including the BBC, NME, Uncut, Digital Spy and Drowned in Sound. Critics characterized it as both authoritative and approachable, while readers often treated it as a trusted source of recommendations. The online component was neglected after May 1998, but it returned in May 2007. By then, changing media habits and the decline of Teletext were placing pressure on the publication's distribution model. Teletext announced in July 2009 that Planet Sound would close in January 2010. The parent service ceased broadcasting on 15 December 2009, ending the magazine earlier than planned. The final edition included tributes from musicians Paul Heaton and Nicky Wire. The closure prompted substantial retrospective appreciation. Journalists described Planet Sound as a rare, welcoming space for music discussion and recommendation, contrasting its moderated community with the more anonymous and competitive character of online commentary. Afterward, Earls continued writing criticism for magazines and newspapers and established WET Records. Planet Sound's legacy rests on its editorial credibility, its support for developing artists and its successful creation of a music community through a medium that is now obsolete.

• 2009

  Teletext service closed

  [1]Planet Sounden.wikipedia.org

  Teletext ceased broadcasting on 15 December, ending Planet Sound's primary distribution platform.

• 2007

  Online component reappeared

  [1]Planet Sounden.wikipedia.org

  The Planet Sound web component returned after having gone without updates for several years.

• 2001

  John Earls became editor

  [1]Planet Sounden.wikipedia.org

  John Earls took over as editor and became the writer most strongly identified with the publication.

• 1997

  Planet Sound launched

  [1]Planet Sounden.wikipedia.org

  Teletext Ltd launched Planet Sound on its ITV and Channel 4 Teletext service and created an accompanying web page.

An accessible, independent-minded British music publication focused on informed criticism, emerging artists and a close reader community, distributed through the unusual mass-market medium of Teletext.

• Music magazine · 1997

  Planet Sound Teletext magazine

  The core Planet Sound service was a set of music pages distributed through Teletext on ITV and Channel 4. It combined daily news, opinions, release reviews and recommendations in a concise text-based format. Its broad availability made it an unusually accessible alternative to buying a specialist print magazine.

• Reader community

  The Void

  The Void was Planet Sound's letters page and one of its most recognizable features. Readers wrote to the magazine about music and related subjects, and contributors were known as Voiders. The feature helped build a loyal community around the publication and reinforced its conversational editorial voice.

• Online music publication · 1997

  Planet Sound online

  The online companion extended Planet Sound's music journalism beyond the Teletext service. It was launched alongside the magazine in 1997, was not maintained consistently after May 1998, and reappeared in May 2007. It ended with the closure of the wider Planet Sound operation.

• 2009

  Teletext chose to end Planet SoundStrategy

  Background

  Teletext announced that Planet Sound would close as the parent service approached the end of its broadcasting operations.

  Action taken

  The company scheduled the magazine's end for January 2010, but the closure of Teletext broadcasting on 15 December 2009 brought the publication to an earlier conclusion.

  Aftermath

  Critics and readers mourned the loss of the title, emphasizing its authority, warmth and distinctive reader community.

  Source

1. 1Planet Sounden.wikipedia.org