HIPSTER RUNOFF

Pitchfork Media is a popular blog magazine website that has 'gained a lot of organic buzz' over the last 10-30 years. It seems like ppl go there to find out about a new buzzband, or determine how much they should like a buzzband based on their 'reviews' system. N e ways, it seems like this new blogspot has 'blown up' and started to get some mainstream press for the traditional 'they were once a lofi operation, but they have rlly grown, and they even have a successful music festival' type of story. Not sure if they hire real journalists to write this type of stuff or if they just pay an intern with free promo CDs and free Kashi products in the company break room.

Anyways, seem like Pitchfork started because the dude who made it didn't have a Xerox copy machine to copy and paste a 'zine', so he had 2 use a 'boring old' webpage.

In 1995, Ryan Schreiber was a 19-year-old Minneapolis record-store clerk who wanted to publish a rock-music fanzine but lacked access to a photocopier. Instead, he started a website, called it Pitchfork and began posting his thoughts on bands like Sonic Youth, Fugazi and the Pixies — groups whose songs rarely (if ever) appeared on the radio or MTV. It was the first golden age of "indie" artists, back when the word was shorthand for music released on independent record labels, signifying the artistic freedom and cachet that came from operating on the fringes.

Wonder what the world woulda been like if Ryan Schreibs had a scanner/printer/faxer [via HP]. Wonder what the world would be like without Pitchfork.

The article also says that the article that 'put Pitchfork on the map' was a review of KID A by the Radioheads:

By 2000, Schreiber had moved the site to Chicago, acquired some freelance writers and codified the Pitchfork review into a signature formula — a long, rambling personal opinion of an album, accompanied by a rating on a scale from 0.0 to 10.0. But the site's readership was still, to use his word, "negligible." That changed in October of that year, when Pitchfork posted a fawning, grandiloquent 10.0 review of Radiohead's experimental rock album Kid A. Critic Brent DiCrescenzo's paean included lines like "butterscotch lamps along the walls of the tight city square bled upward into the cobalt sky" and became an Internet sensation — for all the wrong reasons. "The writing was so purple, so outrageous. People passed it around because it was funny," Schreiber says. Pitchfork's readership jumped exponentially, to about 5,000 hits a day.

Then an odd thing happened: people made fun of the prose, but they kept reading Pitchfork. Schreiber and his writers knew what they were talking about; Kid A., which later debuted at No. 1 on Billboard, really was a 10.0 album.

seems like back than a 10.0 = 'a guarantee for a #1 spot on the Billboard charts.' Wish new p4k would give JBieb a 10.0 to keep their brand consistent.

Gotta check out that "A KIDZ" album, see what it is all about. Wonder if Radiohead is a band created for/by/on the internet.

Sorta feel like I just looked behind the curtain of the Wizard of Oz finding out that Pitchfork isn't some robot. Kinda feel inspired. Like me and my bros can start an organic indie music site, and eventually rise to prominence and 'control the fucking scene' while 'rolling around in piles of cash.' Might cancel my plans to start a chillwave buzzband and opt to build a blogspot.

Anyways, here is a generic paragraph about 'indie bands that have gone mainstream':

Pitchfork's reviews of artists previously considered unknown or underground — like xylophone-prone Icelandic band Sigur Rós and harmonizing rockers Modest Mouse — began to act as stepping-stones to mainstream coverage. In 2000, Modest Mouse moved from independent label Up Records to Sony-owned Epic; by 2005, they had performed on Saturday Night Live, been nominated for two Grammys and guest-starred on Fox's teen drama The O.C. Their songs are now used in car commercials.

R u inspired by the story of Pitchfork?
Do u wish Pitchfork was 'never born' or is it 'an important part of the indie scene'?
Without Pitchfork, does 'indie' go mainstream?
Does Pitchfork have a 'dark, secret past' or is it just like any other website?
Is 'indie' in good hands with p4k, or are they 'ruining' auth indie vibes?
Is Pitchfork 'the most successful buzzband' in the history of the world?
R u gonna start a website blog with some of ur friends, offering a unique perspective on music & culture?

Pitchfork Media

Company, Blog

Pitchfork is a popular indie blogzine that does reviews and gets mad hits.

Lists: blogs and magazines

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Ryan Schreiber

Alternative Entrepreneur, Alternative Celebrity, DJ

Ryan Schreiber is the creator of Pitchfork Media. He is one of TIME MAGAZINE's most important people in the world ever.

Lists: indie hunks, Pitchfork writers, bloggers

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Some bitter, old music critic from a newspaper blog called "The Chicago Sun Times" named Jim DeRogatis went to Pitchfork Music Festival, and seemed to have an agenda against the festival + the 'boring ass' indie bands that played there. Think his newspaper gig 'folded' and now he is trying to get hits for some new blog. He is apparently a 'respected pre-internet music critic' or something like that, but I'm not sure if he is still 'relevant' since people can just stream music instead of reading about how music sounds. It seems like he was eager to call the festival a 'shitfest', referring to it as "YAWNFORK" cuz it was s0000 b000ring.

Anyways, he said a bunch of crap about how the bands 'sucked live', but were 'hyped hard' by p4k, and p4k let every1 down. Seems like some sort of 'old media' vs 'new media' battle. Perhaps he is mad jealous of the 'sick hits' that Pitchfork gets.

Here is the part where he said the Panda Bear set sucked:

Sadly, things slowed down again during the penultimate set as dusk and a slight breeze finally replaced the day’s oppressive heat while Animal Collective’s Panda Bear, a.k.a. Noah Lennox, played a way-too-long set of drony trance grooves punctuated by atonal yelps, yodels, and the occasional wounded whale noise. If this sort of thing had been delivered by a third-tier Grateful Dead offshoot band on one of the smaller stages at Bonnaroo, the Pitchfork crowd would have scoffed in derision. But since it was Pitchfork-endorsed, most stood politely and soaked it in, though there was a steady stream of refugees fleeing for the other stages, the food lines, or the Porta-Potties.

Without the aid of mind-altering substances, Panda Bear’s performance was an indulgent, unlistenable mess. With them, it may well have prompted the sort of bad trip that would lead someone to believe that they could fly off the steeple of First Baptist Congregational Church across Ashland Avenue from Union Park.

Damn. Unlistenable mess. Wish he'd just write chill words that 'the masses' can get behind, instead of trying to kill harsh vibes. Wonder if Panda Bear will turn into the new M.I.A. [via mudslinging/'prophetic' pieces that claim 'the album isn't that good yall--it's all just internet hype']

Then he went on to say that LCD Soundsystem was 'pretty good', but then used some sort of tricky journalistic tool where he did a flippyroo to say that Pitchfork Music Festival 'sucked':

Still, as great as the band was [LCD Soundsystem], the mediocrity of much of what preceded it on the first two days prompted one to wonder if Pitchfork ultimately means as much in 2010 as it did earlier in the decade.

Damn. Seems like he's really harshing on Pitchfork's vibes. Maybe since he is losing hits, he is going to start one of those new blogs where you are just 'anti-pitchfork' and sorta ride that wave to get a couple of hits.

Sometimes it seems like Pitchfork is an unchill bro, but then old media bros try to ruin Pitchfork's vibes/voice, and ur like 'damn, maybe p4k is kinda chill 2 have around after all.' Getting defensive.

Is Pitchfork 'losing power' or is it 'more powerful than ever'?
Are hits + ad dollars the only things that matter in the fight for the blogosphere?
Do 80%-90% of buzzbands 'suck live'? Is this a real 'revelation', or is that just something that people need 2 accept in the internet indie era?
Has Pitchfork's 'voice' been 'compromised by their Music Festival'? Is this 'a bad thing' or a 'who cares' thing?
Should Jim DeRogatis have his ass 'banned' from Pitchfork Music Festival next year if he is just gonna pull this 'anti-p4k' bullshit [via biting the hand that feeds]?
Should all music critics have a limit on the length of their careers, or do u wanna 'grow old and bitter' with a music critic bro as 'the kids' get into 'lame, empty, hollow shitty music'?

Panda Bear

Buzzband, Alternative Celebrity

Panda Bear is a member of Animal Collective. He wrote the hit album "Person Pitch" but failed to deliver in 2k10 with TOMBOY.

Lists: Members of Animal Collective, indie hunks, cool dads

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Pitchfork Media

Company, Blog

Pitchfork is a popular indie blogzine that does reviews and gets mad hits.

Lists: blogs and magazines

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MP3 blogs are hotbeds for illegal, leaked MP3s fueled by the hypemachine/googleSEO era. Basically, music blogs are kinda like 'barely legal' porn, trying 2 appeal to people who are eager to 'be some of the first' 2 feast their eyes on young pussy/twinks/new buzzbands mp3s. Blogger psychology states "If I post barely legal MP3s, I will get mad hits, and people will like my blog because I have great taste and represent a great source of popular buzzbands."

Panda Bear's TOMBOY is the most anticipated album of 2k10, in what has been a year known as a 'shitfest of shitty, irrelevant mp3s.' It seems like the 'drive to expose the leak' has creted one of the most in-demand leaks since Animal Collective's MerripostweatherPevilleons.

Many blogs and eMusicZines have been 'forced' to cover the new Panda Bear, as if it is a celeb gossip 'scoop', racing to 'break' news about the new album. It truly may be the first time that the MP3 blogosphere has broken away from 'stroking the cocks' of artists to secure exclusive debuts, and instead 'post content as if it is BREAKING NEWS.' The blogosphere is in a 'questionable position' where they must operate in some sort of 'ethical relationship' with artists to secure 'debuts' and 'exclusive content', but this Panda Bear coverage is sure to usher in a new era in coverage of high level artists.

Pitchfork was 'backed into' posting the streams after tons of low level, barely legal mp3 blogs 'got the scoop' and posted 'streams' to limit their liability of posting the actual MP3 for download. They made it clear that the streams were 'barely legal':

NOTE: These are low-quality vinyl rips, not authorized by the artist.

I would expect this type of coverage from a 'crappy MP3 blog' on the hypemachine, or even popular weblog HIPSTER RUNOFF, or even lofi legend blog Guerillas Vs. Bear, but Pitchfork's decision to 'post unauthorized tracks' might put Panda Bear's live set at the Pitchfork Music Festival in jeopardy. It seems like music blogosphere is turning into 'The Wild, Wild West' as the end of 2k10 nears, and we are in search of a true album of the year 2 save the annual brand of 2k10.

Is Panda Bear's leak the most in-demand leak in the history of the blogosphere?
Should music blogs 'get more illegal'?
Should all music be free?
Have yall found the new Panda Bear on mediafire / rapidshare ?
Will TOMBOY 'live up 2 the hype'?
Is there such thing as 'blogger ethics'?
Are blogs supposed to maintain positive relationships with bands/artists/label representatives?
Should we wait til Panda Bear formally releases his album 4 purchase, or is it chill to listen 2 some sweet unauthorized vinyl rips?

Panda Bear

Buzzband, Alternative Celebrity

Panda Bear is a member of Animal Collective. He wrote the hit album "Person Pitch" but failed to deliver in 2k10 with TOMBOY.

Lists: Members of Animal Collective, indie hunks, cool dads

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Pitchfork Media

Company, Blog

Pitchfork is a popular indie blogzine that does reviews and gets mad hits.

Lists: blogs and magazines

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Force Field PR

Company

Lists:

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The Arcade Fire is one of the most successful indie rock bands of all time, and their upcoming album is 'highly anticipated' since many critics believe that it will restore indie rock order in the post-Animal Collective, post-chillwave world.

Arcade Fire has been playing a bunch of shows in super alt Canadian venues, and Pitchfork magazine reviewed the event. It seems like they 'hyped up' the experience, making it seem like the Arcade Fire might have leapfrogged LCD Soundsystem to become the 'frontrunner' for album of the year:

Over the years, "Wake Up" has lent itself to many functional uses, from U2's stadium intro theme to sports-telecast bumper music. Last night, it served a different purpose: to summon the return of big-tent indie rock's ringleaders. Look out all you chillwavers-- as Butler sings on "Intervention", the kings are taking back their throne.

Seems like they are trying to 'sweep the chillwave era under the rug', as if it never happened. Worried that they used the term 'chillwaver' condescendingly, like it means I am an inauthentic entry-level alt if I am in2 it. Feel like chillwave might be an ice cube that accidentally falls on the kitchen floor, then u just sorta kick it underneath the refrigerator. Worried that Pitchfork is 'turning on the chillwave era' and they want to get back to the indie rock roots.

Is Arcade Fire 'back'?

Worried that they might just be chilling in the cool dad rock zeitgeist.

Like their Merge labelmates Spoon, the Arcade Fire have tapped into a mode of songcraft that possesses a certain classic-rock-radio familiarity but is marked by a very modern sense of unease.

Worried. feel like things are changing...
am I supposed to be into 'indie rock' again?
Should I just wait for Panda Bear's "Tomboy" to make a decision on the type of music I want to brand myself with in 2k10?
Did the Arcade Fire 'peak' in 2k5?
Will we ever recapture the magic of the indie era?
Is Pitchfork about to 'turn' on chillwavers as relevant alt musicians because their shows 'leave a lot 2 be desired'?
Is Arcade Fire gonna squash the chillwave era?
Is Arcade Fire the frontrunner for the album of the year?
Will the Arcade Fire's next album get a 10.0?
Will we listen to the new Arcade Fire and understand what it means to listen to 'real music' again, or have we evolved past anthem-y guitar bro rock?
Is the Arcade Fire just a Canadian version of the Kings of Leon, or are they the most important band of the 10s [via the post-00s]?

In an effort to diversify his brand after being named one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People [link], the founder and CEO of Pitchfork Media, Ryan Schreiber has 'launched' his DJ career. It seems like his plan is probably to 'use his platform' to steal the jobs/bookings of pre-existing DJs. He will promise 'mad coverage' to every venue and festival that books him utilizing the Pitchfork Media platform.

Do u think this means he stopped writing his Pitchfork blog? Will Pitchfork soon hire a staff of contributing writers?

Wonder if his DJ name "RAVVES" is a reference to the fallen buzzband Wavves. Not sure if Wavves will ever come back, but feel like now that Pitchforkbro 'decided that Ravves is the future', Wavves is gonna have a super hard time bouncing back.

Is RAVVES the new Justice / Steve Aoki / Tiesto / Paul Oakenfold?
Will RAVVES be the 'most booked' DJ of 2k10?
Is RAVVES more authentic than the iPad DJ because of his knowledge of indie history?
First Gorilla Vs Bear launches a record label [link], now P4k is DJing...
which website blog is next to 'diversify' their products + services?
Will Hypemachine be acquired by iTunes?
Will HIPSTER RUNOFFS release his 'highly anticipated debut EP'?
Will Rolling Stone Magazine start selling life insurance?
Will twitter add a photo tagging system?
Will facebook add a video chat roulette service?
Will Pitchfork start a record label?
Will HIPSTER RUNOFF start a euthanasia clinic?
Will HIPSTER RUNOFF start a tween counseling & wolfpack suicide hotline?
Will blog start a meme?
Will 'the chillwave genre' start a new post-genre?
Will _________________ start a _______________?

Ryan Schreiber

Alternative Entrepreneur, Alternative Celebrity, DJ

Ryan Schreiber is the creator of Pitchfork Media. He is one of TIME MAGAZINE's most important people in the world ever.

Lists: indie hunks, Pitchfork writers, bloggers

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Pitchfork Media

Company, Blog

Pitchfork is a popular indie blogzine that does reviews and gets mad hits.

Lists: blogs and magazines

Read more>>>>

Pitchfork Media is a popular music website which as evolved into the most influential music media outlet in the modern world. The site is famous for reviewing albums. Recently, it wrote some article about Irony and the State of the Music Scene. The article kinda mentioned stuff about LCD Soundsystem and James Murphy, and talked about some other stuff, probably dropping metaphors, similies, and other journalistic tools.

Eventually, the article 'got to the good stuff' and started talking about HIPSTER RUNOFF, a popular weblog:

This idea of knowingness, though-- our relationship with it can get complicated. Right now, one of the internet's most successful bastions of knowingness is a blog called Hipster Runoff, a performance that's almost nothing but knowing: It shrugs, it takes an arch, pseudo-scientific tone, it puts every other word in scare quotes. Here you go, it seems to say: Here is your weird market of hipness and cool. The end. You can take it as withering satire, if you want to, because its skewers are dead on target. Of course, if its pseudonymous author really thought the market of cool were that pointless and vacuous, why spend so much time thinking about it-- why know it well enough to be savvy? It's not so much a satire as a whole performance of knowingness. And even if I don't often have the stomach for it, I can't pretend the performance isn't an immaculate one: it's knowingness raised to the level of poetry, free of the burden of "intent" or sincerity or any point beyond what the reader reflects out of it. It goes beyond "the author is dead" and turns the author into some kind of zombie.

Not even sure what the message of the article is about, just feeling 'incredibly culturally relevant' after reading the HRO blog name in Pitchfork. Feel like a bro in the 1970s who got blurbed about in Rolling Stone Magazine. So many buzzbands try their best to be analyzed / reviewed / blurbed / memed by Pitchfork, but I am just a blog, dropping memes, and I 'made it.'

Can n e 1 read this article and tell me what it is abt? Got super confused, like it might be too 'high level' for me, like writing that belongs in a book or magazine--not on the internet.

The article continues, then mentions HRO again in a closing paragraph:

Hipster Runoff uses the internet to make the old knowingness into performance art.

Kept scanning the page everywhere searching 4 a 'rating.' From what I understand, Pitchfork is famous for giving ratings, so feeling disappointed that I didn't get a 10.0. Not even a 1.0.

Do u know what this article is about? Something about irony and knowingness?
Is 'knowingness' a real word? Spell checker kinda freaking out on it, saying it doesn't exist.

Is HIPSTER RUNOFF 'performance art'?
Is HIPSTER RUNOFF 'an mp3 blog'?
Is HIPSTER RUNOFF 'another blog that is a slave to indie artists / the blogosphere'?
Do u 'get' HRO?
Has HRO 'gone down the shitter' recently?
Is HRO 'better than ever?
Is the Alt Report better than HIPSTER RUNOFF?
Is the Alt Report Robot better / more influential than Carles?
Is HRO 'in bed' with Pitchfork Media?
Is Pitchfork/HRO 'killing' the music blogosphere?
What is the best music/mp3 blog on the internet right now?
What is the worst music/mp3 blog on the internet right now?

Pitchfork media has close to 1.5 million followers on the popular lifestreaming service, twitter. In a progressive marketing tactic, M.I.A.'s marketing firm must have paid Pitchfork to let her tweet from their account. I am not sure if this is 'innovative marketing' or if it is something that will 'backfire' for both the Pitchfork brand and the M.I.A. brand. M.I.A. has been known to say controversial things, usually about how she hates the United States government, or she will post graphic images.

It's an exciting day here at Pitchfork. We've turned our Twitter over to Maya Arulpragasam herself!

That's right, all day, M.I.A. will be Tweeting from Pitchfork's account. So head over to http://twitter.com/pitchforkmedia to follow the madness. Who knows what she'll post-- we sure don't! Every one of M.I.A.'s Tweets will be marked with the hashtag #miap4k, so you can more easily keep up.

It seems like they are trying to make the hashtag #miap4k 'go viral' / become a trending topic.

I feel like M.I.A.'s goal is to try to crossover into mainstream markets with her new album. I am not sure if targeting the same internet indie fans will 'do her any good.' I think she just needs to write Paper Planes 2.0, and hope that the tweens will purchase it.

Do u think this is 'progressive marketing'?
Do u think other blogs and music magazines will 'be pissed' that they weren't used for marketing purposes, and sort of 'hold it against her' when they evaluate / cover her album?
Since M.I.A. and Pitchfork are now co-branded, can we expect her to receive a 10.0?
R u going to unfollow @pitchforkmedia?
Is Pitchfork Media 'in bed' with M.I.A.?
Will M.I.A. tweet a picture of a person having sex with a dead body?
Does marketing ruin everything authentic?
What can we trust in if we can't trust in Pitchfork ratings?

M.I.A.

Buzzband, Alternative Celebrity

M.I.A. is known for thinking that the American government is out 2 get her.

Lists: rappers, indie songstresses, annoying ppl, 2k10 buzzbands

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Pitchfork Media

Company, Blog

Pitchfork is a popular indie blogzine that does reviews and gets mad hits.

Lists: blogs and magazines

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NEET Recordings

Company

NEET Recordings is a record label started by M.I.A.

Lists: indie labels owned by major labels

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Pitchfork Media is a website that rates and forecasts buzzbands according to their product. Recently, LCD Soundsystem came out with a new song "Drunk Girls" that was met as a 'mild letdown' according to indie fans who were expecting this album to save 2k10. Pitchfork gave the band 'Best New Music' status, meaning that they think it is an authentic mp3 / they are looking to preserve their long term relationship with the artist.

It seems like the review focuses on 'giving James Murphy props' for his song writing abilities, encouraging u 2 have fun with the song instead of trying 2 analyze it 2 hard:

"Drunk Girls", then, is a very good single, regardless of how it works in the context of the next LP. Like its first-single predecessors from the band's previous records ("Daft Punk Is Playing My House", "North American Scum"), it doesn't give much away, and focuses above all on having a good time. "Drunk Girls" revels in something Murphy does exceptionally well, which is to embrace hedonism while simultaneously maintaining a certain distance, leaving room for perspective inside the musical debauchery.

Many fans said the song sounded like Weezer or Cake. Something that is 'trying hard' to cross over and be used in some MTV reality show when girls are 'getting tanked' at the Jersey Shore / MTV Spring Break 2k12.

Pitchfork has remained 'curiously silent' regarding their opinion on the new MGMT album. We can only assume that they are 'saving up gun powder' so that they can 'pan' the album in an 'epic' way. Like something hovering around a 5.0, but possibly might dip as low as 2.0 if they really want to 'send a message.' MGMT might be the 'scapegoat' of the mainstream indie era due to the 'disgrace' that is the Congratulations album.

Is the new LCD Soundsystem authentic, or a let down?
What will Pitchfork give the new LCD Soundsystem album? 7.9-8.4?
What will Pitchfork give the new MGMT album? 1.9-3.5? 3.5-5.5? 5.6-10?
Is MGMT's career 'over' if Pitchfork pans them?
Is there any reason to believe that MGMT will ever create a relevant album again?
Has 2k10 been 'the worst year of music' since the 1990s?

LCD Soundsystem

Buzzband

LCD Soundsystem is a post-disco electro band.

Lists: received above a 9 from Pitchfork, alternative tenure, critical darlings, Brooklyn-based buzzbands

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Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's latest song "Round and Round" has been on the internet for ~3 days, and has become the most critically acclaimed / contextually compelling song of the year already. Ariel Pink used to be a 'lofi God', but now that he has signed to a major alt label, he will receive the PR+marketing reach that is necessary to be 'taken seriously.'

The Pitchfork track review was written by Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber, who probably had to 'take care of business on his own' and make sure none of the other writers 'panned' the song:

Ariel Pink has been ahead of the game too long. Over the last decade, he's been crafting the kind of dreamy, AM-radio-nostalgic pop that's recently become pervasive in indie music, sparking a reappraisal of his music. It's hard to know how much Ariel's output is responsible for a new crop of musicians running their own tracks through crusty VHS tapes to capture that hazy analog ambiance, but it's hard to deny that Pink's public access-style demo jams sounded like a lot of what now gets called chillwave as far back as 2002.

After endorsements from Gorilla Vs Bear, Pitchfork Media, and the Hipster Runoffs, it seems like Ariel Pink's next album might be in a prime position to become 'the most authentic' product of the year. Even though 2k10 is 'fully loaded' with releases by mainstream indie bands/former blog darlings, Ariel Pink might represent a preservation of authenticity.

Is Ariel Pink's song "Round and Round" the mp3 of the year?
Is Ariel Pink the new AnCo?
Will the blogosphere ever forgive MGMT for their 'monumental flop'?
Is Ariel Pink on the 'fast track' 2 being an 'indie God'?

Ariel Pink

Alternative Celebrity, Buzzband

Ariel Pink is a 'lofi genius/wizard/mastermind' who has transitioned his brand to 'relevant indie buzzband status' in 2k10.

Lists: Producers, drug users, lofi, indie hunks, Californians

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In an effort to educate new indie music fans about old indie music, Pitchfork has given the Pavement reissue of the hit album "Quarantine the Past" a 10.0. Pavement is going on a worldwide reunion tour, so it seems important that they have a product to sell with it. It seems like the review is sorta a mix of a history lesson + creamfest.

This compilation exists mainly to get an entry-level Pavement product on the market to coincide with their reunion tour, but it has a value beyond crass commercial necessity. Unlike other cross-generational legacy bands like the Pixies, Sonic Youth, and Talking Heads, Pavement's songs fit together comfortably as a jukebox-friendly hit parade.

Wonder if newer buzzbands are 'effing pissed off' that this old band gets grandfathered in, even though they might not be able to make it in the modern internet music landscape. Wonder if 10.0 will 'boost sales' + introduce a new generation of fans 2 Pavement. Wonder if this is meant to 'drive sales' to Coachella / Pitchfork Music Festival.

Do u think albums that are reissued 10-20 years later will automatically be grandfathered into 10.0s?
Is Pavement as good as the Beatles?

Are indie bands sorta like wine: their albums taste better in 10-20 because you aren't overwhelmed by the context of their release and just get to be nostalgic + idealize the past?

Will the Gin Blossoms reissue receive a 10.0?

Is Broken Social Scene the next Pavement?

Many music fans consider ratings by the Pitchfork Magazine to be 'the Bible of Indie Music.' Recently, a blogger did an 'in depth' analysis of 'what these ratings really mean.' Many insiders have suspected that these numbers 'don't really mean anything', and ratings are the ultimate advertorials meant 2 help bands move units.

It seems like the goal of the post to find out what was 'average' according to the Pitchfork robot. The score 7.0 seems to be 'average.'

The bulk of the histogram centers around the 6.5-8.5 range with a score of 7.0 being the most common rating (51 times). Also, because pitchfork tends to not publish reviews on horrendously bad albums, it’s a no brainer to see the plot negatively skewed significantly. Similarly, exceptionally performing albums (i.e. 8.7 and above) are also relatively rare events.

I have never taken a 'statistics' class, so I cannot confirm that this statistical analysis is 'legit' or if it is just an entry level analysis.

Confirming our natural inclination that a majority of albums are rated around the “7″ mark, the box of the boxplot, representing the middle 50% of scores, occurs from 6.1 – 7.6. The final interesting part is that if an album scores below 3.9, it’s considered a statistical outlier

Not sure if this was an 'innovative study' or something obvious/something no1 should care about. It also goes into the concept of 'Best New Music', and how statistics prove that there is 'favoritism' when it comes to assigning the label to legacy artists:

If you are a hyped record or are an established act, you have a better shot of getting a Best New Music when you are on the cusp. Now this seems kind of obvious, but there were some egregious instances where this occurred. Of the 41 albums that scored an 8.1 and 8.2, five were chosen as BNM: Surfer Blood’s Astro Coast, Atlas Sound’s Logos Cass McCombs’s Catacombs, Bill Callahan’s Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle, and Wavves’s S/T

Is this a 'conspiracy'?

Do yall like investigative blog journalism?
Are there only lies, damn lies, and statistics?
Can some1 create an alternative fantasy league?
Will MGMT get the highest Pitchfork Rating of all time?
Did yall take algebra, statistics, calculus, or a remedial math class in High School?

Do yall drink beer? Do yall listen 2 buzz bands? The popular website Pitchfork Media has created a SXSW flyer meme that is meant to appeal to beer drinkers who are in2 buzz bands.  SXSW hosts over 300,000 parties 1-2 weeks, so it is important to create flyer that generates 'tons of internet buzz.'  Their flyer has come under intense scrutiny from buzz band fans, beer fans, and graphic designers from all over the world.

Wonder if the Neon Indian bro will be offended that they branded him as a brown skinned savage according to his little picture?

Worried that Pitchfork h8s Native American savages [via Cowboys and Injuns].

Is Memory Tapes really the 'Stella' of bands? Is Best Coast the 'Blue Moon' of buzz bands?

Washed Out = Coors Light?  Never tried it, but have heard it was a watered down frat boy beer.

Are these beer memes 'half assed' by a design intern, or did they 'waste money' by hiring a creative agency 2 do this? Do yall think that this flyer is better than the identity work done for the Videogum + Stereogum brands?

We can only assume that this flyer was made to 'go viral', but more importantly, appeal to the non-music fans who are in the Austin Area for SXSW. It seems like they will probably be technology bros who 'like premium beers.' They will see this flyer, then think that there will be premium beer for free if they attend.

The Windish Agency is one of the elite alternative booking companies for most relevant artists. We can only assume that this party collaboration with Pitchfork represents some sort of monopoly/collusion between two mega entities in the indiesphere.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Miller Lite is an official sponsor of SXSW. Do yall think they feel left out of this flyer, or are they 'pissed' that all of these other beers get 'mad representation'?

Will these beer companies 'sue the fuck out of Pitchfork' for parodying/exploiting their brands?
Will any of these buzz bands replace their logos with one of these brand parodies?
Will a buzz band denounce their
What is the worst flyer in the history of the world?
Do yall support of denounce this flyer?
Is Pitchfork going to try 2 'take over' Texas during SXSW? Worried about this imagery.

SXSW

Alternative Event, Company

SXSW (South By Southwest) is a relevant music, technology and film conference/festival that takes place in Austin, TX.

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Pitchfork Media

Company, Blog

Pitchfork is a popular indie blogzine that does reviews and gets mad hits.

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Many music critics and internet music experts are left 'scratching their heads' as Joanna Newsom's new album Have One on Me, Yall! was given a 9.2 by popular criticism website Pitchfork Media.   We have not obtained a copy of the leak because it is 3 hours of music and takes up close to 200 MB on our server hard drive.  It seems difficult to believe that some one can churn out 180 minutes of quality music at a 9.2 rate, when the traditional 9.0+ album usually lasts less than 60 minutes.

Is this score 'the greatest accomplishment' in Pitchfork history, or do you agree with conspiracy theorists who call it an Equal Opportunity Review, meaning that a select group of women 'have it easier' on the Pitchfork scale.

Some fans are worried that she has 'slipped' since her 2006 album, since she gave up 0.2 points.

Was Feist's album 'overrated'?

Are men naturally better at music than women?
Is Joanna Newsom a talented woman?
Does Joanna Newsom remind you of some weird lady at a Renaissance Fair?

Do we want to 'escape' to the Renaissance era, back when times are simpler and we just watched a lady play a harp for 3 hours?

Is Renaissance Fair Core the future of ternative music?

Is Joanna Newsom's album relevant/worth consuming?

Joanna Newsom

Alternative Celebrity

Joanna Newsom is some indie songstress who plays the harp and writes weirdo songs that some ppl say are 'amazing.'

Lists: QTs, indie songstresses, 2k10 buzzbands

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Solange Knowles, known as Beyonce Knowles' little sister, has recently come under fire for her penetration into the mainstream indie blog rock world. Solange Knowles is in the unfortunate position of living in the shadow of her culturally transcendent older sister, and has to carve out a niche where she can acquire an alternative fan base.  This is similar to when an older sister is a popular cheerleader, then the younger sister has to be an alternative free spirit after she fails to be a carbon copy of her older sister. In the embedded video, Solange Knowles joins the Dirty Projectors on stage at what we can only assume is a high paying Fashion Week gig.

Many authentic Dirty Projectors fans are 'outraged', and claimed that Solange's inclusion on this song totally ruins the vibe and hopeful message of the song "Stillness is the Move." In the last 2 minutes of the video, the two female vocalists just 'bullshit/improv' high pitched wails over the some riffs, making it an overall negative listening experience.

In the past Solange Knowles has attempted to brand herself has 'being alt' after multiple on-stage collaborations with Of Montreal.

It is unclear whether the Dirty Projectors and Of Montreal think that they will reach new markets by enabling Solange to perform with them. At this point, most mainstream indie blogs have covered Solange's collaborations with these bands, encouraging readers to be accepting of her foray into the altosphere. Modern music fans are wary of Solange memes. According to wikipedia, Solange parted ways with her mainstream label, Interscope-Geffen-A&M, and will release her next album independently, which demonstrates the importance of blog coverage to her independent biz + press model.

Conspiracy theorists point to several tweets by Pitchfork CEO Ryan Schreiber which indicate that he may be under the Knowles/Jay-Z Family spell.

Do the Dirty Projectors blow with or without Solange Knowles?
Is Solange Knowles 'alt' or are u defensive abt her motives in the alt world?
Is Solange a legitimate, talented product, but shouldn't end up in ur content stream?

Can Solange Knowles hide from her mainstream past?

Pitchfork Media dot com, the world's largest music reviews site started a Tumblr version of their blog. Tumblr is a microblogging community which has a loyal, growing user base, filling a niche somewhere between livejournal and twitter. Websites often start tumblr version of their websites in order to reach content creators who are looking to share their high level content on a daily basis. This was probably a 'good idea' to reach out to the tumblr community, but the acquisition of their URL has started a 'huge' backlash by tumblr and pitchfork fans + users.

The URL pitchfork.tumblr.com had been squatted upon by the tumblogger Tumbledore. Unfortunately, he woke up one morning to see that his tumblr URL had been taken from him and given to pitchfork. At this point, we can only speculate that Pitchfork purchased the URL from tumblr. Other conspiracy theories say Tumblr and Pitchfork were looking to combine their user bases in order to get a lethal amount of mad internet pageviews.

From Tumbledore's rant against the Tumblr corporation:

Recently, one of my friends who is subscribed to my pitchfork tumblr was surprised to see a sudden change in the content I was posting. That’s because Tumblr stole my subdomain and gave (sold?) it to Pitchfork Media Inc. Keep in mind that the word “pitchfork” is not a proprietary name, it is a noun dating back to the year 1364, so they had no legal right to the word or the subdomain. It clearly wasn’t a case of impersonation as none of my posts had anything to do with music. If there was some kind of content quality threshold that failed to be met which led to my blog’s demise, then 98% of Tumblr should now be blank. Is it possible there’s a certain amount of time that can pass between posts before Tumblr deletes your blog? If so, they should probably make that information public just in case someone accidentally makes the mistake of going on vacation.

It seems like Tumblr has attempted to brand their staff as 'being one with the user', but this 'big brother' act has users worried about their content + subdomain urls being stolen from them. In the modern world, it seems like websites, social networking tools, and publishing platforms will stop at nothing to get mad hits. The Pitchfork + Tumblr union was a natural match, but the URL acquisition

It seems possible that all tumblr users waive the right to their domain when they sign up to use the service. Unfortunately, this type of action has usually been associate with social tools like Myspace and Blogger. In a world where large megasites are attempting to have a humanized brand, users can't help but feel pitchfork and tumblr fading away.

Are yall pissed at Tumblr / Pitchfork?
Is squatting on the domains of bands + websites + famous people a right that needs 2 be protected?
Is Tumblr 'too corporate' now?
Does Tumblr care about high level content creators more than micro-users?

The bro who owns @pitchfork on twitter cannot be reached to comment.

Dear Tumblr community,

This afternoon, a user at tumbledore.tumblr.com claimed that Tumblr had stolen this subdomain (pitchfork.tumblr.com) from him and given it to us. The URL had been perceived as inactive by us and by Tumblr, since the last post that had been made was on November 18, 2009, and said, “This filter is obsolete.” The post before that was from March 21. There had been a total of five posts ever made to the account.

Pitchfork emailed Tumblr the other day to ask how we would go about securing those URLs to use them for our publication. This approach was made to begin actively using them to publish content, as well as to gain control of our copyright/trademark interests in order to avoid potential issues through the misuse of the Pitchfork name, logo, and content. Within 10 minutes, a tumblr representative responded: “Hi, Megan. Those URLs are now free. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with. Thanks for using Tumblr!”

It could not have been clearer to either us or Tumblr that the account had been abandoned. If there had been an active blog at this URL, Pitchfork would definitely have contacted the user before ever going to Tumblr. We also would have assumed that Tumblr would not comply with our request if there was an active account at that subdomain.

It is not our wish to kick people out of active accounts. For example, the user @pitchfork on Twitter had an active account before we signed up. That’s fair, and in that case we don’t feel any more entitled to a ‘pitchfork’ URL than anyone else. We’ll be happy to surrender the URL and find a home elsewhere if the original register of the account wishes.

Sincerely,
Ryan Schreiber
Founder/President
Pitchfork.com

We can only assume that Pitchfork is doing its best to placate the Tumblr user community, shifting the blame on to Tumblr. This was a good move by Pitchfork strategic consultants, making sure that their tumblr brand wasn't ruined within their first 10 posts.

As per our policy, we emailed this account’s address to inquire about the dormant account. After you failed to respond for 72 hours, we released the domain.
No content was deleted and no accounts were suspended.
So we are clear, Tumblr will release dormant domains to trademark holders pursuant to the law, just as all other web services, but never without advanced notice.

Do yall ever wish we could just share one huge URL together and share content/stories together?

Tumbledore claims that he was notified of the domain switch after the fact, and implies that Tumblr + Pitchfork are 'lying' to 'save their asses' from public scrutiny.

In an effort to humanize their blog voice, the Pitchfork music site used an exclamation point when writing a blog headline. The headline is supposed to channel the generalized excitement of authentic Joanna Newsom fans.  Perhaps a sense of 'relief' that an MP3 by a critically acclaimed artist has 'finally' been released.  The Alt Report is uncertain whether this headline is supposed to inspire high clickability by bros, or if Joanna Newsom has a core fan base of girls who utilize exclamation points.

As her latest album enters the promotion cycle, there is a high chance that she will be branded by the alternative media as a desirable alternative mate whose music and personal brand should be idealized.    The Alt Report cannot confirm the level of her altness, nor can the Alt Report confirm that her music warrants an exclamation point headline.

Is Joanna Newsom an alternative bro 'sex icon'?
Do headlines with exclamation points make you feel like you are reading a 'human who understands you' as opposed to a news source?
Has any one listened to her music?
Is her music 'legitimately good' or just 'interesting sounding'?
By using an exclamation mark, did Pitchfork Media trivialize/sexualize the work of a female artist?

Joanna Newsom

Alternative Celebrity

Joanna Newsom is some indie songstress who plays the harp and writes weirdo songs that some ppl say are 'amazing.'

Lists: QTs, indie songstresses, 2k10 buzzbands

Read more>>>>

Pitchfork Editor-in-Chief Scott Plagenhoef goes on 'mad defensive' message board spree.