Planet Sound
{{short description|Former Teletext music page}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox magazine
| title = Planet Sound
| image_file = Planet Sound banner.png
| image_caption = Planet Sound banner, May 2007
| editor = Stephen Eastwood (1997–2001)
John Earls (2001–2009)
| editor_title = Editor
| category = Music
| frequency = Daily
| format = Teletext
Online
| founded = 1997
| finaldate = 14 December 2009
| company = Teletext Ltd.
| language = English
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20081008234758/http://www.teletext.co.uk/planetsound/ teletext.co.uk/planetsound] (archived)
}}
Planet Sound was a British music magazine founded in 1997 by Teletext Ltd. It featured on that company's teletext service (accessible via ITV and Channel 4) and official website. Planet Sound attracted a dedicated community of music fans, facilitated by its letters page, "The Void", and also received endorsements from chart musicians. The magazine was recognised by critics as an authoritative source of music journalism, and its content was reprinted by mainstream news and entertainment outlets including the BBC, NME and Uncut.
Planet Sound was shuttered when Teletext ceased broadcasting in December 2009. The Guardian lamented the closure of "a true one-off... a warm haven of musical discussion and recommendation". Its longest-tenured editor, John Earls – who became synonymous with the magazine – has continued to write music criticism for a variety of publications.
History
Planet Sound has been noted as the successor to Blue Suede Views, a music magazine hosted by Teletext precursor ORACLE in the 1980s and early 1990s.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/man-about-the-house-cdnctfjjwls|title=Man About the House|last=Paphides|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Paphides|date=17 April 2004|website=The Times|access-date=26 July 2023|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://archive.today/20211118103036/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/man-about-the-house-cdnctfjjwls|archive-date=18 November 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2009/dec/15/teletext-planet-sound|title=Why I'll Miss Teletext's Planet Sound|last=Renshaw|first=David|date=15 December 2009|website=The Guardian|access-date=26 July 2023}} The teenage writings of future Planet Sound editor John Earls – including reviews of ABC and Westworld albums – were published by Blue Suede Views.{{cite web|url=http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6170|title=Interview: Planet Sound's John Earls|website=Culturedeluxe|author=Coster, Dean|date=24 July 2009|accessdate=26 July 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804085625/http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=6170|archive-date=4 August 2009}}
Planet Sound was named after the Pixies song, "Planet of Sound".{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/the-end-of-a-real-pageturner-1770620.html|title=The end of a real page-turner|last=Ormerod|first=Peter|date=12 August 2009|website=The Independent|access-date=26 July 2023}} It began in 1997 under editor Stephen Eastwood,{{cite web|url=https://www.shortlist.com/news/ceefax-teletext-launchpad-void-bamboozle-retro-tv-bbc-itv|title=17 brilliant things we miss about Teletext|last=Fawbert|first=Dave|date=30 October 2018|website=ShortList|access-date=26 July 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203113331/https://www.shortlist.com/news/ceefax-teletext-launchpad-void-bamboozle-retro-tv-bbc-itv|archive-date=3 December 2020}} with a companion web page also launched that year.{{cite web|title=Planet Sound: Archive|url=http://www.teletext.co.uk/total/psound/psarc.htm|publisher=Teletext Ltd.|access-date=27 July 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990429203808/http://www.teletext.co.uk/total/psound/psarc.htm|archive-date=29 April 1999}} Earls served as editor from 2001, becoming synonymous with the magazine.{{cite news|title=MCSC: In Case of Fire|newspaper=Strabane Chronicle|date=13 September 2007}} Colin Irwin was also a contributor.{{cite web|url=https://www.spiked-online.com/2012/04/20/so-long-ceefax-i-shall-miss-you/|title=So long Ceefax, I shall miss you|last=Bowden|first=David|date=20 April 2012|website=Spiked|access-date=11 March 2024}} Planet Sound featured an assortment of music news, opinions, and reviews of new releases, and purported to give "sane coverage" to indie rock.{{cite web|url=https://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/5693-dis-teletext-mutual-back-slapping|title=DiS @ Teletext mutual back-slapping|date=18 December 2002|website=Drowned in Sound|access-date=27 July 2023}} It hosted a letters page titled "The Void"; those who wrote in were affectionately termed "Voiders". Planet Sound also offered appraisals of demo recordings sent in by budding musicians, and provided The Twilight Sad with their first review.{{cite web|url=https://culturedvultures.com/interview-twilight-sad-still-lot-say/|title=An Interview with The Twilight Sad: 'We Still Have a Lot to Say'|last=Donnellan|first=Jimmy|date=23 January 2015|website=Cultured Vultures|access-date=27 July 2023}} Other bands to receive early media coverage from the magazine included Maxïmo Park and Hope of the States. Planet Sound published news stories daily,{{cite web|url=https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2013/08/21/oasis-be-here-now-revisited-16-years-on/|title=Oasis – 'Be Here Now' revisited 16 years on|last=Scott|first=Ben P|date=21 August 2013|website=God Is in the TV|access-date=27 July 2023|url-status=unfit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822004100/https://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/2013/08/21/oasis-be-here-now-revisited-16-years-on/|archive-date=22 August 2013}} with reviews being updated weekly.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/sep/23/ceefax-teletext-memories-your-stories-and-experiences|title=Teletext memories: your stories and experiences|last=Stevens|first=Tom|date=23 September 2014|website=The Guardian|access-date=27 July 2023}} Rankings of each year's best albums and singles were published annually.
Planet Sound earned a passionate fanbase over the years. Its original content was reproduced in articles by outlets such as the BBC, NME, Uncut, Digital Spy, and Drowned in Sound, who praised the magazine.Multiple sources:
- {{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/berkshire/content/articles/2006/03/02/localband_tarnish_feature.shtml|title=Local Bands: Tarnish|date=24 September 2014|publisher=BBC|access-date=27 July 2023}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-strokes-231-1336046|title=Albert Hammond, Jr.: 'New Strokes album for 2009'|date=10 July 2008|website=NME|access-date=26 July 2023}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/news/tom-waits-and-tricky-to-record-album-47898/|title=Tom Waits and Tricky to Record Album|date=27 June 2008|website=Uncut|access-date=27 July 2023}}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/music/summer-festivals/a183885/cocker-quashes-pulp-reformation-rumours/|title=Cocker quashes Pulp reformation rumours|last=Fletcher|first=Alex|date=27 October 2009|publisher=Digital Spy|access-date=26 July 2023}}
- {{cite web|url=https://drownedinsound.com/news/11378-jeers-in-heaven--clapton-to-headline-glastonbury|title=Jeers in Heaven: Clapton to Headline Glastonbury|date=18 February 2005|website=Drowned in Sound|access-date=27 July 2023|quote=...according to a report on C4's (very good) teletext site, Planet Sound.}} Teletext neglected to update the online component of Planet Sound after May 1998, although it reappeared in May 2007.Moving to the preceding capture of the page (10 May 2007), accessible by clicking the left arrow on the Wayback Machine bar, indicates that Planet Sound had previously been absent from Teletext's online services:
- {{cite web|url=http://www.teletext.co.uk/Entertainment/a2z.aspx|title=Entertainment|publisher=Teletext Ltd.|access-date=26 July 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070516085820/http://www.teletext.co.uk/Entertainment/a2z.aspx|archive-date=16 May 2007}}
Closure and aftermath
It was announced in July 2009 that Planet Sound was to end in January 2010,{{cite web|title=Planet Sound is closing|url=http://www.teletext.co.uk/planetsound/news/3e36322f2532e109a177303490df268a/Planet%2BSound%2Bis%2Bclosing.aspx|publisher=Teletext Ltd.|access-date=26 July 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720142100/http://www.teletext.co.uk/planetsound/news/3e36322f2532e109a177303490df268a/Planet+Sound+is+closing.aspx|archive-date=20 July 2009}} although Teletext ultimately ceased broadcasting on 15 December 2009. Peter Ormerod of The Independent lamented Planet Sound{{'}}s impending closure, calling it "an authoritative, informed and sprightly read from its Pixies-referencing name onwards". The final edition featured musicians Paul Heaton and Nicky Wire paying tribute to Planet Sound and Teletext. Guardian journalist David Renshaw felt that Planet Sound{{'}}s "sense of community" stood in opposition to the "cutthroat commenting world" of the internet, asserting, "We are losing a true one-off. Future generations will surely find the very concept of Teletext baffling. Today's music news, after all, is distributed by a horde of anonymous bloggers whereas Planet Sound represented something altogether more cosy, a warm haven of musical discussion and recommendation."
Earls established a record label called WET Records, and has continued to write music criticism for a variety of magazines and newspapers.{{cite magazine|date=August–September 2015|title=Our Contributors: John Earls|magazine=Classic Pop|issue=18|page=6}} Dave Fawbert of ShortList included Planet Sound in his list of "17 brilliant things we miss about Teletext", writing, "For the avid music fan, forget NME and Melody Maker, Planet Sound on Channel 4 was the most trusted source around." Spiked columnist David Bowden stated, "Anyone trawling around the often overblown and pretentious musings of music websites such as Pitchfork may find themselves yearning for the critical wisdom of John Earls and Colin Irwin on Planet Sound, their evident knowledge and enthusiasm for the job never particularly hampered by 25-odd word limits." The Twilight Sad frontman James Graham said, "I used to read Planet Sound every day. A lot of people my age discovered a lot of their favourite bands on there... I really appreciate the support [Earls] gave us."
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081008234758/http://www.teletext.co.uk/planetsound/ Planet Sound homepage]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20091208111404/http://www.themusicfix.co.uk/content/feature/8064/push-the-button-an-interview-with-planet-sounds-john-earls.html Interview with Planet Sound{{'}}s John Earls]
Category:Defunct music magazines published in the United Kingdom
Category:Magazines established in 1997