I guess Pitchfork is 15 years old or something today. This got me thinking about the history of Pitchfork and what it all means. For those of you that don’t know, Pitchfork (formerly Pitchfork Media) is an online website that has music news, music reviews, videos, MP3’s, photographs, and columns on music. They primarily focus on the indie spectrum of music but they are known to cover music of all shapes and sizes. Pitchfork has gained a reputation for being yuppie or pretentious and I can either agree or disagree with this statement depending on my day, mood, and whether they shit on one of my favorite band’s new album or something like that. What honestly stuns me is how Pitchfork has become so influential and relevant to music journalism and criticism.
It is fairly common when buying a new CD or vinyl that a sticker is placed there by the record label to sell the album or hype it up. Often while growing up buying music this sticker had postive reviews or quotes from Rolling Stone, Spin, NME, CMJ, etc. Nowadays it is hard to buy a new release with some positive buzz that doesn’t have the words ‘Best New Music’ - Pitchfork present on this sticker. It is a sign of the times that this internet site, which essentially started as a venue for unknown music writers to throw out their pretentious opinions that no one cared about, has overtaken the music press giants in terms of credibility. Pitchfork alone has generously advanced the careers of many young musicians or bands. Not because they were bought off by a record label or friends, but because the music was worth telling the world about. I am comforted in the fact that I never have to open up Pitchfork in my browser and see that the new Springsteen album got 4 stars or an 8.0 just for being Bruce Springsteen (cough, cough Rolling Stone). I like that I can depend on Pitchfork calling something shit, if it is assuredly a piece of shit. Now that is not to say that I do not disagree with Pitchfork sometimes. I often think that their reviews often bring feelings, bias, or other circumstances beside the music into their reviews. But overall I am generally pleased with their site. I go there daily to seek out new music. Often if something is deemed ‘Best New Music’ I will at least listen to it. If I like what I hear I will buy it. Their best of lists 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 00’s, have led me to hundreds of awesome albums. So kudos to Pitchfork for supporting the music and helping bands and their music find its way into the hands of people that otherwise might not discover it. A music site started by music nerds that speaks to music nerds and normal people, quite a concept.
*Disclaimer: I think Rolling Stone’s journalism and articles are fantastic. My issue is with their reviews and coverage of music in general. They know who and what pays the bills and have stuck with it to a fault.
