Critics are criticized for being offenders of a few specific types:

• Overintellectual nitpickers.
• Soft touches who are paid by studios and record labels.
• Chummy logrollers. In the social media age, you'll be surround...

Critics experience so much bad work that they get accustomed to it.
When they do see originality, or arguably interesting intentions, or technical proficiency, or something that is bad but not bad in the usual way, they will give these things undue credit.

The set of critics’ and audiences’ interests overlap but are not the same. 

The audience wants to know if they should spend their time and money on it. The critic gets in for free and has to listen or read or watch to whatever is next. Their questions are about craft and originality and ...

The wish list differs for different people.

In books, films, and TV, it comes down to a story to which we gratefully suspend our disbelief and allow ourselves to be carried away. In music, the distinction is between words that we find merit in and music that enhances the meaning ...