Why is that NY Times “30 Greatest Living American Songwriters” list so bad and why can’t they get better people to do these lists? Technically that’s two questions, sorry. - Bob**

Well obviously because it's the NYTIMES. Some analysis from a publication I follow below:

"In case you missed it, The New York Times released a list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters. Like all musical rankings, this set off a firestorm of complaints online. I actually think that’s a good thing. Anything to get people talking about the craft of songwriting is good with me. Here’s the list in case you missed it:

Nile Rodgers. Lucinda Williams. Stevie Wonder. Jay-Z. Paul Simon. Taylor Swift. Brian & Eddie Holland. Missy Elliot. Lionel Richie. Dolly Parton. Young Thug. Diane Warren. Joshua Osborne, Brandy Clark, and Shane McAnally. Fiona Apple. Babyface. Stephen Merritt. Romeo Santos. Carole King. Outkast. Mariah Carey. Willie Nelson. Kendrick Lamar. Valerie Simpson. Bob Dylan. Lana Del Ray. The-Dream. Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Bad Bunny. Bruce Springsteen. Smokey Robinson.

So, what’s the problem with lists like these? First, 30 songwriters is a short list and necessitates leaving someone off. Second, the methodology is opaque. The Times started by surveying hundreds of “critics, historians, industry executives, D.J.s, music supervisors, [and] choreographers,” but ultimately relied on their critics to winnow down the list. 

We don’t know exactly how they went about this winnowing. Why, for example, are country songwriters Joshua Osborne, Brandy Clark, and Shane McAnally grouped together? They sometimes write together but aren’t a team in the same way that, say, Burt Bacharach and Hal David were. Their inclusion as a three-headed Nashville beast is likely to represent the contemporary country scene.

Additionally, why is Outkast thrown in among a list mostly focused on solo artists and career songwriters? I know they are a duo, but were musical groups in serious consideration? If so, where are groups like Aerosmith and R.E.M.? It’s unclear."