The is is the final day for the Set List on variety.com and I plan to re-start it elsewhere, though where that will be is unclear.
It has been an interesting ride, attempting to create original content and offer news and opinion that otherwise would not make it into the pages of Variety or the website. Some days it felt like a full-time job on its own and other times I was wondering if I would ever have anything interesting to write about again.
I am leaving Variety as a full-timer without bitterness or anger at management, just a frustration with American magazine and newspaper publishing. Music has become such a secondary concern that it has been relegated to the fringes in publications run by editors who do not possess the passion or knowledge of those who came before them. Sources for trustworthy information about music seem to dying constantly.
We're seeing an American press attempting to react to the Internet whereby all we see are personality stories about stars who appeal to teens. Look at Yahoo's entertainment news on almost any given day: the movie section is filled with reviews and interviews; the music sections are dominated by legal incidents, ringtone deals and superstar tours and release dates. The Daily Swarm does aggregation with passion and a sense of the bigger picture; elsewhere "music news" seems limited to items that attracts hits. That's discouraging to anyone who wants to write about music without using the words "Miley Cyrus nude."
I cringe every time read some snarky commentary trashing someone's plea to salvage newspapers and the traditional news-gathering system. Each time a newspaper shuts down or eliminates sections and staffs, a community loses a filter. And in the arts that is crucial. The lesser-known, more artistically sound acts still needthe press and whenever a band like the Fleet Foxes breaks through due to positive press, it helps validate the system. How the New York Times gets away with weekly reviews of often obscure records is beyond me - but I'm glad it's there.
Of course there's Pitchfork, a tremendous resource for independent music with outstanding Q&As, a solid news service and dubious reviews. It has a focus, but bizarrely does nothing to promote a community among its readers, writers and artists, something that Big Media attempts to do because some consultant told them they should. Too many sites feel unfiltered, which makes it hard for anything to take hold and matter. People who became intense music fans between the deaths of Buddy Holly and Kurt Cobain are more comfortable with curatorial efforts than peer-to-peer advice. 
Late last night, I was looking at amazon.com's list of best-sellers. 

U2 - No Line on the Horizon
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks Live
Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack
Plant & Krauss - Raising Sand
Chris Isaak - Mr Lucky
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Dark was the Night compilation
JJ Cale - Role On
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Diana Krall - Quiet Nights

Springsteen, Jason Mraz, Adele. Lily Allen, M. Ward and Kings of Leon were also in the top 25. The original "Astral Weeks" was No. 44.
It looks like no one under the age of 30 shops there, but these are acts the press writes about. There's still an audience out there looking for music that is more than love songs about jewelry and adventures that go beyond a night at the club. Tom Waits, Sun Ra, Muddy Waters, Elvis Costello and NRBQ are illustrtaing this post because I have an undying poassion for their music.  If no one is left to chronicle it, though, it will disappear. Just ask people who work in jazz.