You might have heard of ‘Bradford Cox’, the lead singers of the Atlas Sound Band and The Deerhunter (band), one of the most successful indie bands of 2k10. You also might have heard of Ryan “Pitchfork” Schreiber–CEO and Editor of pitchforksmedia.com, recently named by Time Magazine to be the Most Important Alternative Man Alive due to his significant impact on indie culture which will be eventually be adopted by mnstrmrs. I recently saw these two humans entertaining a room full of people while jamming on the piano, cultivating some sort of ’singalong’ chilling at some sort of ‘piano bar.’

They are singing the song ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun.’

I was initially shocked, because one of these bros is a media mogul, and the other one is an independent artist who is dependent upon media blogsites to cover his music to ‘get the word out’ about his musical endeavors + products. It seems like these two entities should not be ‘bro-like’ since they have competing interests. According to my perception of reality, there is a formal relationship which media and performers must always maintain and honor in order to keep the scene ‘pure.’

Not even sure if ‘music journalism’ even exists on the internet, or if it is just a bunch of men ‘recommending shit’ to consumers. Blogs might be a better long-term business model within the attention economy, leading tons of blogbros to ‘get egos’ since they think they are ‘gatekeepers of the scene.’ But I think a pure musical artist probably has a more fulfilling life, since he/she gets to experience the instantaneous feedback of a ‘live crowd’ as opposed to checking webstats and reading anonymous web comments.

It seems ‘unfair’ that an indie band can have an ‘inside track’ [via friendship] to today’s most relevant tastemakers and content providers. Sorta wish some1 could get me some sort of finite numbers on how ‘influential’ blogsites are in terms of generating sales + buzz marketing. Sometimes bands and publications can create ‘beautiful synergy’ if a the band creates a product that is ‘good enough’ to be ‘praised’ and universally accepted…but sorta scared that person2person relationships might be influencing the way music is accepted/panned.

Wonder if you can even ‘break thru’ on to relevant tastemaking sites if you’re not ‘in bed’ with them. This is kinda how it felt when I wasn’t accepted to an Ivy League School since I didn’t have any bloodline linking me to the school and I didn’t have minority blood in me, so I had to settle for design school. It is as if you can ‘become authentic bros’ with a website that recommends ‘kewl shit’, then they will eternally recommend ur art, even if you aren’t relevant any more.

This seems like a huge scandal.
Like finding out the CEO of Rolling Stone is bros with Lady Gaga.
Or that the CEO of hypemachines is in a band that is ‘trying 2 make it’ in the indie scene.
This would be like the CEO of HRO being bros with the CEO of Am Appy.
This would be like finding out that youtube sensation ‘FRED’ was the nephew of the youtube CTO.
Like finding out Ben Gibbard is ‘in bed’ with Zooey Deschanel.
Like finding out that Ashton Kutcher has a bro-ship with the CEO of twitter.

For all we know, Paul McCartney ‘chilled hard’ with the Pitchfork staff to ‘get this rating.’

Or that the band Interpol sent over an Edible Arrangement.

Wonder if this band only got a 0.2 because they weren’t bro enough with blog sites to get I.R.L. cred which could carry over to web-perception cred.

Feeling uncomfortable, like this huge scandal is ‘unraveling my entire life/sense of right+wrong’ in our universe. Wonder if many of the Greatest Indie Bands of all time sent ‘gift baskets’ to magazines and blogsites, attempting to get as much coverage, buzz, and praise as possible. Just wondering ‘who is in bed with who’, sort of like how Barry Obama is attempting to ‘get in bed’ with every1 possible. Wishing that Pitchfork could make ‘indie idol’, a new reality show attempting to find out who the next bloggable indie buzzband is. Not sure who I can trust any more.

The piano singalongparty seemed like a ‘fun time’ for every1 involved. Feeling sad that I am just ‘an internet website’, and I can’t interact with the bands. I have heard that blogging/journalism is sort of a ‘coping mechanism’ for failed creative types. Seems like if my blog gets big, I can perhaps one day ‘canoodle’ with tons of alt celebs within my industry.

Feels like deep inside of me, I wish I could have been at this event, enjoying it, embracing the moment. Not caring that it was going to be an alternative news meme. I would actually be chilling with my bros–the people who truly understood me, my lifestyle, and my interests. A group of core bros who were just as ‘in the moment’ as I was, without thinking about any other underlying ‘interests’ that required a promotion platform. Wish I could have existed within this moment–not as the CEO of a site that makes mad advertising dollars, or as a respected creative musician–but as a human. A human connecting with other humans.

Feel like I might never be bros with an indie music superstar, since I don’t ‘respect music/art’ enough, and my blogsite might be ‘too poisonous’ for an indie celeb who is in touch with ‘the arts/humanity’ to ever want 2 like me as a blog.

Maybe I am reading into this scandal all wrong. Maybe they are just building a new concert model, built around ‘piano bars’, where people can huddle around the musician, and singalong.

Srsly feel like Piano Bars might be the alt new place to see a ’show.’

Photo/meme hijack via DailySwarm

Piano bars look like a ‘fun time’ according to this painting, like you can really connect with the performer and other concertgoers on a micro-basis.

Maybe if I add more micro-connections, my life will have more macro-meaning.

Sometimes I wish digital cameras didn’t exist, so that moments could just be moments, instead of moments that u re-live onDemand. h8 youtube + hi speed internet.

Should I invest in a piano bar instead of opening a ’sweet ass nite club’?
Do u think that indiegates happen everyday?
Will INDIEGATE add 0.5-2.3 points to the Atlas Sound album review?
Who can u trust in the bloggisphare?
Have u ever had an Edible Arrangement or other creative gift basket, and how did it make you feel about the person who gave it to u?
Please define the guidelines for a blogger-to-meme relationship.
Should a ‘content provider’ really get to know a meme on a personal basis?

Since I have never heard the Beatles’ music, this is a huge relief. Now I have the opportunity to ‘accept them in2 my life’ since I know how 2 judge them appropriately.

Can’t believe ‘Yellow Submarine’ was a mediocre bust, sort of like a lackluster Of Montreal album or something.

I feel better about 2k9, like I know where the ‘best’ albums of the year stand [via in a historical context].

I finally know that ‘Let it Be’

is slightly worse that AnCo

but slightly better than

‘Everything in itz rite place.’ – the Radioheads singing a song about the world making sense

Just searching 4 perfection.
Not all albums were created equally
it is our duty as ‘die hard music fans’
who are the most ‘culturally connected’ ppl in the world
to find out which albums are better than others
and create a forum for like-minded people to rally around them
enjoying them for what they are
but mainly preserving them so that they don’t get ‘too mainstream.’

My concept of musical history makes more sense now.
My concept of the world makes more sense now.
I feel like I am now able to have an educated conversation with my parents about the Beatles.

Tonight, I will finally experience the Beatles when I start to play ‘Beatles Rock Band.’ Hearing them for the first time will be amazing, but I hope that I am not ‘let down’ since there are such high expectations [via perfect 10 p4k ratings].

My mind is free
I am a music critic
I honestly believe that my ‘taste in music’ is a direct reflection of the ‘best music’ in the world.
This is a post about welcoming the Beatles to my iTunes library 4 official judgment.

Feel like the Pitchforkmobile must be ‘the most authentic RV in the world.’ Probably listening to a very progressive/ambient playlist, trying to get a signal to tweet [via iPhone], and talking about ‘who r u pumped 2 see live.’ Possibly thinking about ‘who they feel like hyping’/'putting on their shit list.’

Feeling left out. Feel like I deserve to be in there, chilling, being myself. Going on a journey. Bonding. Connecting. Discussing. Understanding. Agreeing. Disagreeing. Broing.

HIPSTER RUNOFF PRESENTS: UNTOLD PERSONAL STORIES

When I was a younger bro, growing up, one of my bros and I made a website called www.geocities.com/PitchforkinYall. It started out as a place to post pictures of bands + my favourite song lyrics, but eventually evolved into one of the leading music criticism and news ‘webzines’ on the internet. Unfortunately, before the website rebranded itself and started making $10 million per year, I was kicked off the editorial team for being ‘too controversial’ and ‘too artsy.’ I feel somewhat responsible for the site’s success and initial direction, but have seen no compensation since they changed the password on our community hotmail account.

I’m not angry that I was kicked off team p4k, and I’m not bitter that they tried to hire me as ‘an unpaid news intern’ in mid-2008–I’m sad that I didn’t get to share special moments with my bros. I didn’t get to feel the excitement when we got our 1millionth hit, or when we got press passes to our first music festival, or when we planned our first music festival, or when we scammed our first advertiser into believing that our site was ‘actually worth’ what they paid, or even when we just got our first Am Appy ad. I don’t really care about things like money/material things, I just want to know that I am living each moment to the fullest and have food + shelter + macbook + 3G wireless network capable phone. Wish I could have been there on the journey towards the top.

Feeling sad. The bros I never had. Feeling sad. Wish I could be in that RV.

All I ever wanted 2 do
was start a website with my bros
turn it into a viable business
and build a meaningful brand

then spend the rest of our lives’
managing our brand
protecting it, strengthening it
but ultimately
protecting 1 another
and strengthening our bonds 2gether

U need 2 learn 2 appreciate ‘the journey’, no matter what life throws ur way.

worried

I think the Pitchfork bro’s anonymous blogger name is ‘Ryan Schreiber.’ From what I understand about Pitchfork, there is actually a staff of writers who write under the name Ryan_Schreiber. So I think it’s kinda unfair that he gets to be this ‘important person’ when it’s actually a lot of ghost bloggers writing 4 him. Don’t think that’s what journalism is all about, yall.

None the less, his formula has worked. Can’t believe P4k was started in 1995. I wasn’t even born then. Shit. Does this mean I need 2 keep posting on my MP3 blog for 10+ years and I will be guaranteed 2 be ‘as big and relevant’ as pitchfork.blogspot.com?

Kinda jealous of him. Need to feel more ‘relevant.’

i think it’s kinda weird how u can ‘rate’ him. Think it might be some sort of metaphorical panopticon pyramid scheme when it comes to Pitchfork Ratings. Like 4 all of these years, he assigns buzzbands numbers, but now we get 2 assign him a number. Makes u realize that u can’t rate everything cuz every1 is different.

Also kinda weird how this anonymous blogger got to become so relevant, and now basically controls ‘reality’ according 2 independent-ish musicians and altbros. I guess that’s how it has always worked, except now the Pitchfork Blog Site has replaced ’stupid magazines that u can’t click on cuz they are printed on paper.’

Kinda wish I had started 4chan so that I could become very influential on the internet. Feel like I am trapped in the long tail, yall. Need 2 do more to ’set myself apart’ and ‘build a community of followers’ who ‘identify with my brand.’

confused. I think if u look at the top people, u realize that the only people who are important are meme-driven politicians, people who have shows on TV that Baby Boomers+GenXers watch, and people who have ‘relevant internet websites.’ Need 2 build an ‘internet community’ that ’supports me’ kinda like ‘tween girls who read Twilight’ or something.

Sad that Time’s Person of the Year isn’t going to be ‘me’/'YOU’ again. Sad that they had to focus on ‘real famous people who do important stuff’ again and they couldn’t highlight the state of our modern society and our reliance on the internet 2 express ourselves.

Who do yall nominate 4 HRO’s Person of the Year?
Who should win Person of the Year for 2k9?
Do yall think people who ’support Obama’ for these ‘awards’ are ass holes?
Starting 2 realize that Ryan_Schreiber might be the most relevant alternative celebrity of all time.

‘Just trying 2 sell magazines so that we don’t go out of business.’
-Magazine Editors Creating Gimmicks and selecting Hot Sluts 2 b on their Mag Covers

Do yall agree with the vlog review, or are they ‘teens having 2 much fun with a Macbook’?
What’s the difference between a ‘tween’ and a ‘teen’?
Whose opinion is more authentic: a fan, a tween, a teen, a music writer, a music blogger, a vlogger, a magazine critic, or God’s?

“What is the future of music journalism?” – the Hipster Runoffs, 2k8

Here is the original page, describing the masterpiece “Bros” by Panda Bear.

Here is the Carlesfork 500 version


XX BONUS OLD PANDA BEAR MEME XX


///Just trying 2 re-interpret the world in a way that every1 can relate 2.

Does n e 1 know if this album is ever going 2 come out?

I downloaded the leak, but it wasn’t as good as Here Comes the Indian and/or Sung Tongs.

////////////////////
Today’s MEANINGFUL QUOTE OF THE DAY represents the spirit of ‘feeling proud’ of your alternative taste in art and media. U usually decide to like alternative music/film/art bc it makes u different. U have an emotional investment in the success of the artist, because U WERE THERE FROM THE BEGINNING. When the artist gets mainstream recognition, there is a bittersweet feeling inside of u. Ur proud, but u kinda feel betrayed. Some simple people decide 2 just ‘h8 the artist 4 selling out.’ Other simple people say to themselves ‘I’m glad that good art is reaching the masses.

How did u feel when ______ won an Oscar/Grammy/Gummy/Bloggy/American Music Award/MTV Music Video Award/MTV Movie Award/VH1 Divas Lifetime Achievement award?
Were u proud of ______?

‘I hope Feist wins a grammy’
-my iPod that doesn’t charge n e m0re

but srsly… wonder who will win the Biggest FGGT band of the year Grammy
a) the coldplays
b) Kanye West
c) the Nickelback men
d) David Cook
e) Simon Cowell
f) Linkin Parking
g) Dashboard Confessional
h) Choose.Your.Own.Response

Will we ever find out what ‘indie’ means?
Are blogs bad 4 music?
Are bloggers dummies?
Are traditional music journalists going to be executed in public?
Will Pitchfork purchase the Hype Machine?
Is the Hype Machine the only authentic ‘music service’ on the internet?
Did the Hype Machine create a terrible place for artists to lose money, and crappy bloggers to get more hits than they deserve per day?
Do artists deserve 2 make money?
Are bands just memes?
Is the guy who made Pitchfork more of an altBro, a cool dad, an AuthenticAlt (altPro), or a mainstreamer capitalizing off alts, or just ‘a guy who likes music a lot’?
Do people want a music service like ‘muxtapey’ or are they satisfied with myspace music?
Should the government deregulate the music industry kinda like the airline industry?
When will we get tired of remixes and take artists seriously if they ‘think remixes are bad for their product’?

I know all of yall read a lot of music blogs, so u like feeling important when people talk about u being on the cutting edge of culture.

/////THE FUTURE OF MUSIC JOURNALISM//////
Part 1

Part 2

Music blogs are okay, but at this point, they aren’t terribly important on their own. The Hype Machine is important. However, each individual crappy blog isn’t THAT important, unless they have been blogging for 2+ years, then you can make a case. I think the point of ‘ur personal mp3 blog’ is to create an authentic content stream without any sort of outside influence.

All bloggers get the same emails from the same marketing companies who are getting paid to let me know about krappy new indie bands. I think the difficult part about ‘creating a good blog’ is a blogger being able to ask himself ‘Do I REALLY care about this band/newsbit/mp3 or do I feel pressure to blog about it because I think it’s what people want to hear about?’

You can call this theory the ‘Popular Artists on HypeMachine’ theory. When entry level bloggers see that ‘a lot of people are downloading radiohead’, they think that their blog becomes a more valuable resource if they reBlog a popular song to increase their traffic. At the same time, entry level alts see that Radiohead is #1 and feel like ‘I am supposed to appreciate this band/music because a lot of other people are appreciating it.’ Is Radiohead GENUINELY buzzworthy, or is it just too many content sources caught in a cycle of ‘letting people know about news that they thought they were supposed to know about but didn’t know why.’

While I think blogging about ‘what you think uninteresting people need to hear about’ is good for news source type blogs, I think the best blogs for ‘pure tastemaking’ are just ‘authentic content streams’ that people can cultivate their personality from [via MP3s]. There is a traffic ceiling for these types of blogs ‘but at least u get 2 b respected/perceived as authentic.’

Another issue is that ‘mp3 blogs’ turn into mp3 blogs because they derive their value from ‘posting mp3s.’ This doesn’t always make your blog more valuable. It usually just makes the hypemachine more valuable. If u really ‘care about music’, I think more bloggers should focus on creating ‘music blogs’ instead of ‘mp3 blogs.’ Does n e 1 else hate those crappy blogs that post a video/picture and only an mp3? I guess I’m just a [HIGHLY SKILLED] blurber, so maybe I should try 2 b a little bit more compassionate.

I also wonder what my blogging goals should be? How authentic can HRO be? Should I just try to drive traffic and report news even if ‘it’s not that interesting’/capitalizing on the demographic of ‘people who feel like they are supposed to know about stuff like Kanye being arrested.’

Yall! Blogs are gonna die after they invent _________.

I read on a tech blog that Hypemachine is gonna start aggregating MP3s from my local radio station, since they started playing indie music like “Paper Planes.”

*****************
Watch more panels with important people in the altMusic Industry (various cool Dads)
http://www.ifc.com/video/music/music-panels/1791637224
Topics include “Entrepreneurial Sites” (like the hypemachine & muxtapey), “The Music Video bein’ killed by websites/TV”, and answering the question “What is Indie Music?”

Will we ever find out what ‘indie’ means?
Are blogs bad 4 music?
Are bloggers dummies?
Are traditional music journalists going to be executed in public?
Will Pitchfork purchase the Hype Machine?
Is the Hype Machine the only authentic ‘music service’ on the internet?
Did the Hype Machine create a terrible place for artists to lose money, and crappy bloggers to get more hits than they deserve per day?
Do artists deserve 2 make money?
Are bands just memes?
Is the guy who made Pitchfork more of an altBro, a cool dad, an AuthenticAlt (altPro), or a mainstreamer capitalizing off alts, or just ‘a guy who likes music a lot’?
Do people want a music service like ‘muxtapey’ or are they satisfied with myspace music?
Should the government deregulate the music industry kinda like the airline industry?
When will we get tired of remixes and take artists seriously if they ‘think remixes are bad for their product’?

I know all of yall read a lot of music blogs, so u like feeling important when people talk about u being on the cutting edge of culture.

/////THE FUTURE OF MUSIC JOURNALISM//////
Part 1

Part 2

Music blogs are okay, but at this point, they aren’t terribly important on their own. The Hype Machine is important. However, each individual crappy blog isn’t THAT important, unless they have been blogging for 2+ years, then you can make a case. I think the point of ‘ur personal mp3 blog’ is to create an authentic content stream without any sort of outside influence.

All bloggers get the same emails from the same marketing companies who are getting paid to let me know about krappy new indie bands. I think the difficult part about ‘creating a good blog’ is a blogger being able to ask himself ‘Do I REALLY care about this band/newsbit/mp3 or do I feel pressure to blog about it because I think it’s what people want to hear about?’

You can call this theory the ‘Popular Artists on HypeMachine’ theory. When entry level bloggers see that ‘a lot of people are downloading radiohead’, they think that their blog becomes a more valuable resource if they reBlog a popular song to increase their traffic. At the same time, entry level alts see that Radiohead is #1 and feel like ‘I am supposed to appreciate this band/music because a lot of other people are appreciating it.’ Is Radiohead GENUINELY buzzworthy, or is it just too many content sources caught in a cycle of ‘letting people know about news that they thought they were supposed to know about but didn’t know why.’

While I think blogging about ‘what you think uninteresting people need to hear about’ is good for news source type blogs, I think the best blogs for ‘pure tastemaking’ are just ‘authentic content streams’ that people can cultivate their personality from [via MP3s]. There is a traffic ceiling for these types of blogs ‘but at least u get 2 b respected/perceived as authentic.’

Another issue is that ‘mp3 blogs’ turn into mp3 blogs because they derive their value from ‘posting mp3s.’ This doesn’t always make your blog more valuable. It usually just makes the hypemachine more valuable. If u really ‘care about music’, I think more bloggers should focus on creating ‘music blogs’ instead of ‘mp3 blogs.’ Does n e 1 else hate those crappy blogs that post a video/picture and only an mp3? I guess I’m just a [HIGHLY SKILLED] blurber, so maybe I should try 2 b a little bit more compassionate.

I also wonder what my blogging goals should be? How authentic can HRO be? Should I just try to drive traffic and report news even if ‘it’s not that interesting’/capitalizing on the demographic of ‘people who feel like they are supposed to know about stuff like Kanye being arrested.’

Yall! Blogs are gonna die after they invent _________.

I read on a tech blog that Hypemachine is gonna start aggregating MP3s from my local radio station, since they started playing indie music like “Paper Planes.”

*****************
Watch more panels with important people in the altMusic Industry (various cool Dads)
http://www.ifc.com/video/music/music-panels/1791637224
Topics include “Entrepreneurial Sites” (like the hypemachine & muxtapey), “The Music Video bein’ killed by websites/TV”, and answering the question “What is Indie Music?”

Gaspy & the Justices on myspace
http://www.myspace.com/etjusticepourtous

!!!!!!********!!!!!!!!*******!!!!!*********
!!!!!!********!!!!!!!!*******!!!!!*********
!!!!!!********!!!!!!!!*******!!!!!*********

But SRSLY yall, I learned a lot from the Busy P interview on P4K. There was a lot of name dropping, banger-referencing, and tales from a meaningful+fun youth. Here are some of my fave parts:

********WTF IS BLOG HOUSE?*******
Pitchfork: Do you think the term “nu rave” describes the music that acts like Justice, Digitalism, or Boys Noize produce well?

Busy Pedro: I think nu rave is already over. One term I really like to describe this kind of music is “hooligan disco.” A guy from French label Institubes came up with that name, and I think it fits perfectly.

****OMG I WANT HIS ALT-CELEB LIFE S0 BAD*****
Pitchfork: You’re a DJ, producer, and manager in addition to running a successful record label. Do you always know what to do first when you get in the office in the morning?

Pedro Winter: One the one hand, I have a pretty normal office day. I get to work at 10 in the morning and leave at eight or nine. I first check emails and communicate with our artists by iChat. Then I go for meetings at Because Music, which is a licensing partner for Justice.
On the other hand, my job at the moment is a bit similar to that of a taxi driver because I don’t know what will happen– there are always surprises. The other day Rick Rubin calls to say that he likes our music. Then I had to explain to Madonna why Justice doesn’t want to support her on tour. It’s crazy.

****NVR 4GET ‘WE R UR FRIENDS’ ******
Pitchfork: Did Justice’s success surprise you?

Peddy Winter: Of course! We sold 250,000 albums worldwide, almost 100,000 in France alone. There’s no other electronic dance act selling like that at the moment. It’s crazy. It’s incredible. We sold more copies of the Justice album in France than of the last Daft Punk album. This is just crazy. And I just met them at a raclette dinner that [Ed Banger's graphic designer] So-Me invited me to. I was the oldest one at the dinner, and they later told me that they were a bit impressed that I was there. At the end of the evening they asked me if they could play me a track, which was “We Are Your Friends”. I took the track, told them to come to my office the next day, and signed a contract with them. That night I had a party at the Le Pulp club in Paris. I played the track, and the club went crazy. I knew I had something special. For me this record is a generational anthem, and I think it will be something that the kids of today will still like to remember when they are 30 years old.

Note: This song will be played at my funeral.

***When did u discover myspace?***
“I discovered MySpace in 2005, maybe a little bit before it blew up. “
-Pedro Winter

NOTE: I DID NOT MAKE THAT UP. Is being on myspace before it blew up kind of like ‘knowing about the Arcade Fire when they had under 10K myspace pageviews’?