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January 13, 2009 9:21 AM

Ben Ratliff, jazz and pop critic at the NY Times since 1996, has been taking questions from readers online for the past few days, and the questions are really fantastic (not to mention the answers). One favorite so far:

Q. Now that Barack Obama has said there will be jazz in the White House -- does that mean we're at the end of stupid and the beginning of smart? -- James Brinsfield
A. I think that we tend to look at our president and think, this is us. If that this-is-us perception includes President-elect Obama's interest in John Coltrane, say, it might be a meaningful thing. If he installed a "secretary of culture" who knew a lot about jazz and Afro-Latin music, there might actually be concrete results.

I don't know yet what Mr. Obama is going to do for jazz. I thought it was clever that after his acceptance speech he used one of the same Brooks & Dunn country songs ("Only in America") that George W. Bush had used on the campaign trail in 2004. Maybe that's the jazz process: using an old song to new ends.

Another great Q & A is here:

The Plight of the Unsigned Artist
Q. As a longtime reader and subscriber, it strikes me that the Times is clinging and catering to the dead business model of the "record business", reviewing only label releases, reviewing performances by "signed" musicians. There is little doubt that "physical product" isn't selling, and the trend is toward free downloads/alternative distribution/extensive touring. Why isn't the Times working on the leading edge, exploring unsigned musicians who are choosing to pursue viable careers outside of the "biz" and exploring and reporting on the emerging new ways of finding ways to make money while pursuing a viable artistic career?

Check out Ben's answer!