Every once in awhile it’s important to point out something that might be obvious. Actually, maybe it’s not but I figured I’d do it anyway.
Ryan Schreiber and the folks at Pitchfork are the Rolling Stone of the Internet generation. They are a defining cultural force and, as flawed as some elements of the site are, the fact is that they have created something very very special and, in some ways, represent all that’s good about the Internet and about modern music.
Think about it.
Pitchfork has created a community and an awareness for music that few had heard before. They laid the groundwork for a vibrant community of music blogs and serve as an organizing principle and constraint against which other sites and voices can push or pull. Every weekday they bring attention and notice to dozens of different artists that might never have a voice before and, because they’re tough and discerning and serious about music, their reputation and their credibility is basically intact many years after the site was originally started.
It’s really something that’s rather incredible and special.
In the era of the major record labels, and even with the few mini-majors focused on independent music, options for an independent band to build a fanbase and a community were very limited. What’s worse, the pressures on those bands were all pushing them towards the middle. The old wolves of the music industry still had power in that era. When distribution channels were limited and moguls controlled what you heard and the whole thing was so depressing. That was a bad time. I don’t care if they were making money. A bunch of douchey A&R guys running around clubs and music festivals, too scared to sign anyone, too scared to do anything but their asses kissed by desperate artists.
But in this day and age, things are very different. And Pitchfork has a lot to do with it. Now, the examples are bands like Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, The Knife, Grizzly Bear. Yes, those bands are still all signed to record labels. Record labels with in-house publicity departments and more push than the independent artist.
But nevertheless, the aspiration these days is not about being more mediocre. The aspiration, at least for me, is not about trying to fit into someone else’s idea about what the music is supposed to sound like. At least someone I don’t care about whose ideas about music are banal and boring and old. Instead, the goal is to be different enough to be recognized. Different enough and honest enough and real enough to get noticed by a site like Pitchfork.
Of course, at this point, I’m kind of bummed that the new record hasn’t gotten reviewed by those guys. And I still feel like I’m on the outside looking in for the major bands out there that all seem to know each other and remix each other’s songs and play in each other’s bands and what not. I still don’t know Zooey Deschanel.
But for my mission to be to continue to try and do something different and innovate and be special and unique. For that to be the goal and have Pitchfork as an organizing principle against which I can help measure things. And know that, if anything, the reason that the record hasn’t gotten reviewed yet isn’t because it’s not mediocre enough, but because it’s not strikingly different enough. Well, if we’re going to have a paradigm, this seems like the much healthier one.
And it’s not just me.
Pitchfork has established independent music, good music, as the dominant force on the Internet. Maybe I live in an echo chamber but from where I sit I see Pitchfork establishing the dialogue and the touchtstone for the majority of music blogs and music websites. Look at the top bands on Hype Machine. They’re all independent. They’re all interesting. They’re all doing something strange or weird. Hype Machine aggregates blogs and music blogs grew up as satellites in orbit around Pitchfork.
And the result is that the conversation about music on the Web is interesting and open and inclusive. Not as inclusive as I would want (really just meaning I want to be other side of Pitchfork’s velvet rope) but inclusive enough nonetheless. There is an ecosystem and it’s built around good music and people that care about music.
From where I sit, music is doing more than fine. It’s doing great. Even if the music industry isn’t doing well and a bunch of old gray-haired dudes are reading Bob Lefsetz and tearing their hair out and trying to think of where the next Eagles are going to come from. Music does not depend on Irving Azoff or Jimmy Iovine or Clive Davis. There is a world upon which they have no influence.
I’ve started buying music and listening to music at places other than Pitchfork but the site is still the dominant influence on what I listen to and, through the community table at which P4K sits at the head, I’ve heard bands like Arcade Fire and Deerhunter and Bon Iver and everything else that I listen to these days.
Even if they’re snobs. Even if the long-form album review seems antiquated. Even if they should allow comments and don’t. Even if the scores are totally arbitrary. Even if there are so many reviews that even if I did get a review, without a Best New Music designation, I doubt much would happen instantly. Even with all that.
They’ve done a good thing. An important thing. Kudos.
Every once in awhile it’s important to point out something that might be obvious. Actually, maybe it’s not but I figured I’d do it anyway.
Ryan Schreiber and the folks at Pitchfork are the Rolling Stone of the Internet generation. They are a defining cultural force and, as flawed as some elements of the site are, the fact is that they have created something very very special and, in some ways, represent all that’s good about the Internet and about modern music.
Think about it.
Pitchfork has created a community and an awareness for music that few had heard before. They laid the groundwork for a vibrant community of music blogs and serve as an organizing principle and constraint against which other sites and voices can push or pull. Every weekday they bring attention and notice to dozens of different artists that might never have a voice before and, because they’re tough and discerning and serious about music, their reputation and their credibility is basically intact many years after the site was originally started.
It’s really something that’s rather incredible and special.
In the era of the major record labels, and even with the few mini-majors focused on independent music, options for an independent band to build a fanbase and a community were very limited. What’s worse, the pressures on those bands were all pushing them towards the middle. The old wolves of the music industry still had power in that era. When distribution channels were limited and moguls controlled what you heard and the whole thing was so depressing. That was a bad time. I don’t care if they were making money. A bunch of douchey A&R guys running around clubs and music festivals, too scared to sign anyone, too scared to do anything but their asses kissed by desperate artists.
But in this day and age, things are very different. And Pitchfork has a lot to do with it. Now, the examples are bands like Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, The Knife, Grizzly Bear. Yes, those bands are still all signed to record labels. Record labels with in-house publicity departments and more push than the independent artist.
But nevertheless, the aspiration these days is not about being more mediocre. The aspiration, at least for me, is not about trying to fit into someone else’s idea about what the music is supposed to sound like. At least someone I don’t care about whose ideas about music are banal and boring and old. Instead, the goal is to be different enough to be recognized. Different enough and honest enough and real enough to get noticed by a site like Pitchfork.
Of course, at this point, I’m kind of bummed that the new record hasn’t gotten reviewed by those guys. And I still feel like I’m on the outside looking in for the major bands out there that all seem to know each other and remix each other’s songs and play in each other’s bands and what not. I still don’t know Zooey Deschanel.
But for my mission to be to continue to try and do something different and innovate and be special and unique. For that to be the goal and have Pitchfork as an organizing principle against which I can help measure things. And know that, if anything, the reason that the record hasn’t gotten reviewed yet isn’t because it’s not mediocre enough, but because it’s not strikingly different enough. Well, if we’re going to have a paradigm, this seems like the much healthier one.
And it’s not just me.
Pitchfork has established independent music, good music, as the dominant force on the Internet. Maybe I live in an echo chamber but from where I sit I see Pitchfork establishing the dialogue and the touchtstone for the majority of music blogs and music websites. Look at the top bands on Hype Machine. They’re all independent. They’re all interesting. They’re all doing something strange or weird. Hype Machine aggregates blogs and music blogs grew up as satellites in orbit around Pitchfork.
And the result is that the conversation about music on the Web is interesting and open and inclusive. Not as inclusive as I would want (really just meaning I want to be other side of Pitchfork’s velvet rope) but inclusive enough nonetheless. There is an ecosystem and it’s built around good music and people that care about music.
From where I sit, music is doing more than fine. It’s doing great. Even if the music industry isn’t doing well and a bunch of old gray-haired dudes are reading Bob Lefsetz and tearing their hair out and trying to think of where the next Eagles are going to come from. Music does not depend on Irving Azoff or Jimmy Iovine or Clive Davis. There is a world upon which they have no influence.
I’ve started buying music and listening to music at places other than Pitchfork but the site is still the dominant influence on what I listen to and, through the community table at which P4K sits at the head, I’ve heard bands like Arcade Fire and Deerhunter and Bon Iver and everything else that I listen to these days.
Even if they’re snobs. Even if the long-form album review seems antiquated. Even if they should allow comments and don’t. Even if the scores are totally arbitrary. Even if there are so many reviews that even if I did get a review, without a Best New Music designation, I doubt much would happen instantly. Even with all that.
They’ve done a good thing. An important thing. Kudos.
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October 16th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Ass-kisser.
Seriously, very nicely articulated. You highlight many important truths about the positive influence music blogs, and more particularly, pitchfork have made. Don't forget, too, the few bands whose very success can be tied to pf's support – Clap Your Hands…, the Knife, etc. Vampire Weekend, to a degree, but really i think Other Music trumpeted them first; no matter. What a beautiful thing to see the music back in the hands of the listeners and lovers. Indeed, the previous paradigm was a nightmare: i still remember the awful feeling of having the industry in the hands of these dorks who knew/know so little. It's shocking to me how challenging and experimental some of our leading bands are now – for f's sake – Animal Collective is a festival headliner? Grizzly Bear? Deerhoof? Some messed up stuff being championed by the masses – 15 years ago, this would have seemed absolutely impossible. Power to the people…
October 16th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Thanks, Chuck. It's a good time to be alive. And you're a good man. Much
love.
October 16th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Ass-kisser.
Seriously, very nicely articulated. You highlight many important truths about the positive influence music blogs, and more particularly, pitchfork have made. Don't forget, too, the few bands whose very success can be tied to pf's support – Clap Your Hands…, the Knife, etc. Vampire Weekend, to a degree, but really i think Other Music trumpeted them first; no matter. What a beautiful thing to see the music back in the hands of the listeners and lovers. Indeed, the previous paradigm was a nightmare: i still remember the awful feeling of having the industry in the hands of these dorks who knew/know so little. It's shocking to me how challenging and experimental some of our leading bands are now – for f's sake – Animal Collective is a festival headliner? Grizzly Bear? Deerhoof? Some messed up stuff being championed by the masses – 15 years ago, this would have seemed absolutely impossible. Power to the people…
October 16th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Thanks, Chuck. It's a good time to be alive. And you're a good man. Much
love.