Earlier this afternoon, Pitchfork head honcho Ryan Schreiber tweeted the following: “oh man @time is coming in 15 mins to do a four-page story on @pitchforkmedia, flippin out a little.” But there's no need for stress, Ryan! In the name of calm nerves, here's a quick list of what Time could possibly touch on in their upcoming Pitchfork feature. Check back whenever it comes out to see if we missed anything.
• Pitchfork is an extremely influential arbiter of indie-music tastes. A Pitchfork review can make or break a band (see: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Arcade Fire).
• Music magazines are dying, but online music writing is thriving.
• In recent years Pitchfork has expanded its brand with original video content on Pitchfork.tv, the annual Pitchfork Music Festival held in Chicago’s Union Park, and a partnership with ABC News.
• While the site is still based out of Chicago, Schreiber moved to Brooklyn a few years ago. This makes sense, because a lot of popular indie-rock bands are from Brooklyn.
• Young people are the future.
• The writing on Pitchfork is occasionally criticized as self-indulgent. The scope of the site’s influence is also criticized, specifically the manner in which their coverage can contribute to a faddish appreciation of bands (see: Black Kids). That reviews come with corresponding numerical values on a ten-point scale is criticized, but not as often as the first two things.
• The staff is predominantly male. The males are predominantly bearded and flannel-wearing.
• Pitchfork writer Ryan Dombal accidentally killed a stripper at the holiday party three years ago and the staff buried her underneath a pile of unopened Jens Lekman and the Tough Alliance promos.
What else?
