The Power of Pitchfork

In a traditional sense, Pitchfork Media would never become a dominant force in the music world. The music Web site headlines “indie” bands that don’t have a record label. Pitchfork often employs a pretentious, self-important writing style. Pitchfork writers sometimes emphasize personal wittiness over genuine criticism. Even the Onion parodied Pitchfork’s music elitism, mocking the Web site’s rating scale.

So how did Pitchfork acquire the power to fill concert venues and generate massive CD sales for independent bands? Even Wired wrote about the “Pitchfork Effect.” Pitchfork can shake the music world, as it has the power make or break an artist with its music reviews.

(Photo of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah courtesy of the band’s Web site)

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah owes its entire success to Pitchfork. Before Pitchfork, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was a small New York band fighting for a record contract. Soon after Pitchfork’s first review of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, David Bowie attended one of their concerts. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sold out of self-produced albums immediately. The band’s success took off, while the remainder of the Internet finally noticed.

In addition to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Pitchfork launched musical acts like Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. Pitchfork respectively gave albums by these artists a 9.7 and 9.2, respectively. Before the reviews, a music critic would be an anomaly to have heard of these artists.

How did this happen? Despite criticisms of the Web site’s writing and overall demeanor, Pitchfork represents the future of niche news. Pitchfork’s boldness gives it credibility and authority. A reader knows exactly how Pitchfork feels about a musician.

Additionally, Pitchfork reviews five albums every weekday. The workers at Pitchfork listen to an abundance of music. Reviewers build a solid knowledge of music just through experience. And, above all, Pitchfork’s writing is often hilarious. Publications like Blender or Spin aspire to be as quirky and fun as Pitchfork, but they seem watered-down in comparison.

I doubt Pitchfork originally thought it would ever have the ability to highlight or kill careers. Regardless of its intentions, Pitchfork is the new heavyweight music critic around.

Good luck, Rolling Stone.