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Company Profile Pitchfork: Birth of an Indie Music Mega-brand

Justin Sinkovich, Philippe Ravanas, Jerry Brindisi

In 1995, 19-year-old Ryan Schreiber set about harnessing the power of the Internet Justin Sinkovich is an assistant professor in the Arts, to share his uncompromising taste for independent and underground . Entertainment and Media In the process, he transformed music criticism and created the most prominent brand Management Department at Columbia College spe- in online music : Pitchfork. cializing in media management and the music business. Previously he was New Media Manager at Touch and Go Records, US label manager of Southern Records, manager and Beginnings I’d been obsessed with music from a young age owner of File 13 Records, and and had always hoped that I would one day be founder of the Webby-winning discovery n Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel High Fidelity, able to turn that obsession into my life’s work. Web site Epitonic.com, which he the characters Dick and Barry are clerks in continues to own and manage today. He is also a well-known Ia London second-hand record store. They “Growing up outside Minneapolis, I was musician and producer. have an encyclopedic knowledge of music, but fortunate to have access to a hugely supportive Philippe Ravanas, a native of they rarely sell any records. They openly mock arts and music community through which I , is Chairman of the Arts, Entertainment and Media the mainstream taste of their customers, com- had discovered independent music, and eventu- Management Department at plain about their customers’ ignorance of under- ally . Those hand-stapled, photocopied Columbia College Chicago. He is a past VP of Corporate ground bands and dream of becoming music publications were filled with reviews and inter- Communications for Euro journalists. At the time of the novel’s publication, views with underground artists, and they were Disney in Paris. He has also worked for Christie’s Auction Ryan Schreiber led a very similar life, but he written, published and distributed by people House in London. He lectures decided to do something about his dream. At just like me, who also lacked money and experi- extensively for the Arts and Business Council of America the age of 19 he founded the online music pub- ence and preparation. and is a consultant for the lication in the basement of his parents’ United Nations and the World Pitchfork Trade Organization. home in Minneapolis. “At the time, the Web lacked any compelling Jerry Brindisi is an assistant music publications, and it felt clear to me that ­professor and coordinator of Addressing the 20111 graduating class of the there was an urgent need for a different perspec- the Music Business concentra- tion in the Arts, Entertainment Arts, Entertainment and Media Management tive on music. I thought: Someone needs to be and Media Management that voice online; why shouldn’t it be me? Well, Department at Columbia Department at Columbia College Chicago (the College Chicago. Previously he largest such program in the world, with several in reality there were plenty of reasons why it was was employed as a sales and marketing research analyst for Pitchfork executives on the faculty), Schreiber unlikely to be me, and if anyone has read some Sony Music Entertainment, remembered: “At 19 years old, I didn’t really of my reviews from those first few years, at least New York, in its Global Digital Business Group. He has also recognize that I was starting a company. After one of those reasons should be clear: Writing worked with the executive all, I didn’t have much money or experience or was not really my forte. But even though I had offices of Warner Music Group’s Asylum Records and has served preparation, and most of the world was still try- no expectation of building a career as a journal- as the studio manager for ing to figure out what ‘Internet’ even was. But ist, the do-it-yourself ethos of the Minneapolis Anders Music (AMi).

Volume 15, NUMBER 2 • winter 2013 73 music scene had made self-publishing seem real- the radar. But the floodgates opened. After the Acknowledgements istic and attainable. And forging my own crooked Pitchfork review, Funeral went out of print for path allowed me to seize the opportunity of the about a week because we got so many orders The authors wish to express their gratitude early Internet at the perfect moment.” for the record” (Kot, 2005). The album became to all the interviewees the fastest-selling title in the label’s history and for their time and reached Billboard’s Top 200 album chart ­effort and to Linda (du Lac, 2006). McGrew, EdD, Pro­ “Sweet Home Chicago” fessor Emeritus at In 2006 Schreiber organized the first annual Middle Tennessee chreiber wanted to create a fiercely honest in Chicago. By 2008 State University, for Scritical resource for a new generation of music the site’s annual advertising revenues amounted her valuable editorial fans and to help struggling independent musi- to $5 million and were growing by 70% per year advice. cians reach a wider audience. In 1999 he quit (Joseph, 2008). That year also saw the debut of his job at a record store and moved the site to Pitchfork.tv, a music-video Web site, and the Chicago. He acquired some freelance writers publication of the book The Pitchfork 500: Our and codified thePitchfork review into a signature Guide to the Greatest Songs From Punk to Present. formula – a long, rambling personal opinion of Since then, Pitchfork has spawned several other an album, accompanied by a rating on a scale successful offshoots, such as the music blog col- from 0.0 to 10.0 (Suddath, 2010). lective Altered Zones, a Parisian version of the Pitchfork Festival, and the Pitchfork-presented Chicago was good to Pitchfork. Today, with #Offline event series in New York and Austin, a monthly visitorship of more than 3 million, Texas. Schreiber now has a combined staff of the site is a hundred thousand times more popu- more than three dozen in Pitchfork’s Chicago, lar than it was when Schreiber moved from Brooklyn and Los Angeles offices; and true to Minnesota. It has also grown immeasurably his original vision, his company remains entirely independently owned and operated. more influential. The Columbia Journalism Review has labelled it “the first major Web-based The success of Pitchfork was far from tastemaker” (Butler, 2006). According to the obvious in its early days. For one thing, Schreiber New York Times, it is now “the most prominent had no business background. “Looking back, I brand in online music journalism” and is “widely often wonder: How would those first years have believed to have the power to pluck a band from been different if I’d had a college degree?” obscurity and thrust it into the indie conscious- Schreiber said in an interview with the authors. ness, and to push it out just as quickly” “I’d have had the experience and preparation I (Caramanica, 2010). The site is credited with needed. I’d have had a plan for how to reach my the early discovery of many of the independent goal of building a life for myself that would allow music world’s most lauded and successful acts, me to pursue my passion full-time. And I’d have including , had access to a community of like-minded peo- and . In 2004 Pitchfork gave a 9.7 ple, many of whom may have shared similar rating to Funeral, the first album released by goals from which to learn and collaborate. the then-unknown band from Instead, I had to teach myself everything – how Montreal. “That amazing review was really the to write, how to publish and how to grow. And band’s first validation, saying, ‘Everyone needs because of that, Pitchfork’s early years were an to pay attention to this’,” remembers Martin uphill battle. I did only what I was driven to do Hall, the publicist for (the band’s – write reviews, interview artists and build… label). “Before that Arcade Fire had been below the site itself. But when it came to building an

A b stract

In 1995, 19-year old Ryan Schreiber launched Pitchfork, a Web site dedicated to sharing his uncompromising taste for independent and underground music. Today, the Chicago-based company is the most prominent brand in online music journalism. It has accompanied the rapid transformation of the music industry and has branched out into concert production, online video and fashion. It now faces the greatest challenge associated with its growth: becoming mainstream. KEYWORDS Entrepreneurship, online journalism, music industry, information technologies, editorial mission, brand extension

74 International journal of arts management actual business, I procrastinated. I had no sense financial leverage. “Payola,” or paying for music of how to go about it. Figuring out how to turn promotion on radio and in criticism, is a practice my passion into a career was the single biggest as old as the industry itself.2 challenge I’ve faced in those 16 years. Not only did I lack the knowledge to make it work, but Clearly, Pitchfork has avoided such practices. the idea of selling advertising to support my craft This ethical high ground may ostracize some felt oddly exploitative. And I wasn’t sure why. I potential sponsors, but it resonates with the site’s was supposed to be proud of building my own user base, providing the most important facet business – so why did that feel wrong?” of the Pitchfork brand: credibility. Where most major publications focus on covering marquee stories and artists, Pitchfork thrives on discover- ing obscure artists and building the story sur- Irreverence as Business Model rounding these artists with in-depth reporting, news updates, and coverage of album releases ronically, this lack of business drive may have and tours until they are built into underground Isaved Pitchfork from the demise of many com- celebrities, often supporting them for many years. parable ventures that did not resist the Internet bust of the late 1990s. When most Web entre- is perhaps a prime example. This preneurs focused on raising money, and burning Atlanta space rock band was and is obsessively it as fast as they could, Schreiber focused on covered by Pitchfork. The solo albums of singer finding a voice. Bradford Cox under the moniker Atlas Sound were rated so highly that Deerhunter continues And what a voice he found! to be one of independent music’s most highly profiled acts.3 Conversely, the site is quick to “I was just this kid with opinions,” remembers Schreiber. “When I started out, it was about abandon those who fail to meet its expectations really laying into people who really deserved it.” on future releases. The gangsta rap innovators His earliest targets included the Stone Temple Clipse carved out a sizeable indie rock audience Pilots’ Tiny Music: Songs From the Vatican Gift with high ratings and a Pitchfork Festival appear- Shop, which received a 0.8-point rating (the ance, yet their 2009 mainstream release Til the equivalent of F+). Wrote Schreiber: “There’s Casket Drops was an obvious disappointment for nothing for sale at the ‘Vatican Gift Shop’ but the site’s editors. The band disappeared from the 4 lousy, repetitive riffs, wimpy lyrics, and a drug- scene soon after. addled [SOB] that should have OD’ed a long time ago” (du Lac, 2006). To produce its dense content, the site relies heavily on an extensive network of contributors At the centre of Pitchfork’s success lies the site’s who discover artists in small clubs or on obscure investment in and dedication to bold, sincere, blogs around the world and report important in-depth editorial. Arts journalism as a business news. The contributors also have access to a model is inherently at odds with itself, selling centralized online repository of music developed two different products: editorial to its readers by the company. By accessing it, they can dis- and advertising to companies – often, those very cover what is being listened to by other contribu- companies that are producing the artists being tors, check aggregate ratings and comments, and editorialized (Crocteau and Hoynes, 2006). Most then select the best new music to cover. This reporting and opinion are reliant on advertising technology provides a filter to the overflow of paid for by companies that have a vested interest new artists, tracks and albums.5 The network in influencing tastes and the publication of facts and its relationship with the underground music and can hardly resist their ability to do so through community is so effective that the executives at

RÉSUMÉ

En 1995, Ryan Schreiber, alors âgé de 19 ans, lance le site web Pitchfork afin de partager ses goûts sans compromis pour la musique indépendante d’avant-garde. Aujourd’hui, la société basée à Chicago est devenue la plus grande marque de journa- lisme musical en ligne. Elle s’est diversifiée dans la production de concerts et de vidéos, de même que dans la mode. Elle doit maintenant faire face au plus grand risque associé à son succès: devenir grand public. M O T S C L É S Entrepreneuriat, journalisme virtuel, industrie de la musique, technologies de l’information, mission éditoriale, extension de marque

Volume 15, NUMBER 2 • winter 2013 75 Matador Records, one of the largest independent Transformation of the Music Industry labels (home of bands such as Interpol, Pavement, and many top indie acts), joke pub- uch has changed at Pitchfork since its licly about consulting Pitchfork for crucial Mfounding in 1996, but much has also updates on the artists they represent.6 changed in the music industry. A vast transforma- tion that has impacted all sectors of the industry Enjoying an unusual degree of creative free- began to take hold as increasing numbers of dom, Pitchfork’s writers often produce highly consumers gained access to broadband Internet idiosyncratic critiques (Carr, 2005). “You have and computer software that made it possible to to be completely honest in a review,” says duplicate and transfer music files. This access Schreiber. “If it gets tempered at all for the sake provided new opportunities to discover, consume of not offending somebody, it loses its and share music. The proliferation of digital value… We’re just really honest, opinionated music ensued, through both licit and illicit means. music fans. We might be completely over the At the same time, the business of recorded music top in our praise, or we might be cruel. But to felt the impact of this change, as manifested in anybody who reads the site, it’s clear that we’re declining CD sales, increased competition and not pulling any punches” (Carr, 2005). “I trust an unstable business environment that challenged the writers to their opinions and to their own traditional practices and the legal environment style and presentation… The most important of the industry. The trend continues today. thing to me is they know what they’re talking about and are insightful. The last thing that I The emergent online digital technology to would want to do is to dumb it down…. More which many attribute the decline of the recorded and more, criticism is not about criticism; it’s music industry is the same technology that has about making comparisons. If you like this band, spawned organizations such as Pitchfork. Ease of you might like this. To me, that’s not what criti- access to consumers via the Internet provides cism ever was. Honesty is such an important opportunity that was once controlled by major journalistic attribute” (Thomas, 2006). corporations and media conglomerates. Pitchfork had carved its niche in the indie music market “Pitchfork is about keeping music as a central and launched just a few years before Napster would part of the cultural conversation,” added Mark forever change the course of music distribution. Richardson, Pitchfork’s Editor-in-Chief and a member of the adjunct faculty at Columbia An interesting trend in the transforming College Chicago, in an interview with the music industry has also held throughout most authors. “We don’t aggregate information: We of Pitchfork’s existence. As the major labels share what we believe in. Music is a big deal to struggle with the evolving environment and us. Pitchfork’s tone is snarky, irreverent, critical changing consumer attitudes towards obtaining in a funny way and seeks to deflate the perceived music, the smaller, more easily adaptable inde- importance of the artist. We don’t take cheap pendent companies have managed to increase shots, but if the music is not good, we will say their overall market share of recorded music it.” In an interview conducted by Richardson sales. It is in this market that Pitchfork has for the site, Bono, lead singer of the Irish band become the hub for all things indie and has , paid respect to Pitchfork and its audience ultimately found success. because they take music very seriously, as does Figure 1 illustrates the year-end market shares he. True to form, Pitchfork followed this homage as reported by Nielsen SoundScan for total album with a scathing review of U2’s latest album. sales for the four major music companies and include independent record labels listed as

RESUMEN

En 1995, Ryan Schreiber, con 19 años de edad, lanza el sitio web Pitchfork para compartir sus gustos sin compromiso por la música independiente de vanguardia. Hoy, la empresa basada en Chicago, se ha vuelto la mayor marca de periodismo musical en línea. Se ha diversificado hacia la producción de conciertos y videos, además de estar presente en el mundo de la moda. Debe ahora enfrentarse al mayor riesgo asociado a su éxito: volverse mainstream. PALA B R A S C L A V E Emprendimiento, periodismo virtual, industria musical, tecnologías de la información, misión editorial, extensión de marca

76 International journal of arts management F I G U R E 1

RECORD LABEL MARKET SHARE: CURRENT AND CATALOGUE TITLES

35,00 30,00 25,00 2000 20,00 15,00 2007 10,00 5,00 2011 0,00

Indies EMI Music Sony Music

Warner Music Group Universal Music Group

Data sources: Nielsen SoundScan 2000, 2007, 2011 (http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120105005547/en/Nielsen-Company-Billboard’s-2011-Music- Industry-Report); Hutchison, Macy and Allen (2009)

“indies.” It is evident that independent labels The traditional ways of doing business in the were able to increase their market share signifi- music industry are changing. New entrants into cantly from 2000 through 2007 relative to most the market are testing their business models and major record companies. Though the market creating dispersion among music consumers. share for indies has since seen a decline, this shift For artists and musicians, the availability of in the popularity of independent music as indi- affordable, high-quality studio recording equip- cated by sales figures is reflective of the growth ment makes it possible to generate music easily. in popularity of Pitchfork. There is some con- This floods the market with a great deal of con- troversy with regard to the validity of the market- tent of varying style and quality. Mass promotion share percentages, as independent companies and distribution are no longer available only to sub-distributed by major labels are included a select few who are able to secure a recording within each category. “The reason is that indies deal. For music fans, music discovery is no longer [independent labels] frequently work through limited to terrestrial radio, physical publications major-owned distribution groups, and those and concert attendance. The Internet provides releases end up getting counted towards that unique access to artists and their material. For major label’s market share” (Resnikoff, 2011). It Pitchfork, the Internet is its arena. The site has has been speculated that the indie market share been established as a platform for music infor- could be as much as double what SoundScan is mation, discovery and lifestyle. Additionally, reporting. This further indicates significant Pitchfork is viewed as a trusted source. It has growth in indie labels. As of 2006, the SoundScan maintained its credibility in the indie world market-share data also include TEA, or track even as its business becomes increasingly main- equivalent albums, which counts every 10 indi- stream. This balancing act serves as the true vidual tracks sold as an album. driver of its business, allowing advertisers much desired access to specific niche markets. At pres- Large organizations trying to stay viable in ent, Pitchfork’s monthly advertising revenue is an increasingly volatile music market are faced approximately $371,870.7 with much competition and uncertainty. Though they historically tend to adapt to their changing The evolution of Pitchfork from its modest environment, large corporations take time and beginnings as a webzine to its current status as are generally not able to adapt as quickly as “curators of cool” (Gillis, 2011) has occurred smaller, more nimble organizations. This is evi- during a time of transformation in the music dent in the market-share data presented. industry. The ubiquity of music today, from

Volume 15, NUMBER 2 • winter 2013 77 traditional sources, through online media and here at Union Park that the evolution of the term via mobile devices, has created an almost unlim- indie most clearly manifests itself. After nearly ited supply of music content. The ease with which 20 years of changing tastes and label consolida- music can be created, promoted and distributed tion, indie has become a catchall that suggests has increased the need for “filters,” or recom- less what the music sounds like than the type of mendations for material that consumers may be people who listen to it. The music may be rock looking for. This is where Pitchfork provides a or dance or hip-hop, but it all appeals to valuable service to its readership; music consum- Pitchfork’s shaggy-haired, skinny-jeans-wearing ers visit Pitchfork for music reviews, industry crowd” (Suddath, 2012). news, interviews, “Best New Music,” staff lists, tour information and the ability to listen to new This new genre continues to permeate the music via streaming. The site is prolific, with mainstream, much like its predecessor, “alterna- colourful music reviews that provide readers with tive,” did. Indie music is no longer produced as much entertainment as information. Pitchfork and monetized solely by small companies; has managed to attract a more mainstream audi- increasingly, the big music companies and brand ence without sacrificing the indie aesthetic. Its names are involved. For example, one of the business model is reliant on advertising dollars; world’s largest companies, PepsiCo, now spon- however, it has been able to control the influence sors the album releases of indie bands such as of large, mainstream-focused corporations look- Neon Indian, and Wavves – all ing to tap into the indie market that Pitchfork Pitchfork-championed upstarts.8 champions so well.

A Growing Audience Means Indie Is the New Alternative Growing Revenues

he term “alternative music” entered main- itchfork has benefited handsomely from the Tstream consciousness in the early 1990s Prise of indie rock: The audience of the site with bands like Nirvana, and Sonic has risen with it. Pitchfork.com ranks globally Youth. An exciting underground culture caught on Alexa, a site that estimates Web traffic, as the the eyes and ears of the world and then gained number 3,346 most visited Web site in the world audiences and coverage on primetime media and as 1,400th in the .9 The site with MTV and Rolling Stone magazine. Artists has more than 1.5 million unique visitors per previously perceived as rebellious started to fill month, with many more in peak seasons.10 stadiums. Alternative became the top-selling genre in music, begging the question, “an alterna- Pitchfork’s Web site, like most online publica- tive to what?” (Nielsen SoundScan, 2012) tions, is monetized not by e-commerce or subscrip- tions, but primarily by advertising and Enter “indie rock,” a term originally derived sponsorship.11 Increases in visitors and more spe- from bands on independent (or indie) labels that cifically in pages viewed are directly correlated produce lower budget – thus often lower fidelity with increases in revenue. Unlike advertising pric- – rock music. The term was used for many years ing models like Google Adwords, which depend in the alternative music market to refer to under- on user click-throughs, premium editorial adver- ground bands within the mainstream alternative tising online is typically sold at a cost per thousand rock market. As additional genres like hip hop, impressions. This means that for every thousand folk and electronic began to also adopt the indie users who see an ad, “x” number of dollars will moniker for their underground subgroup, and be charged. Certainly the size and position of the as all of the genres continued to cross-pollinate, ad are key factors in pricing. Moreover, as the the broader term “indie music” gained momen- advertising becomes more targeted by subject or tum. The prime catalyst for this momentum was by demographic, the price of the ad increases. Pitchfork, which argued that all of these different forms of music could coexist and thrive, tethered Unlike traditional media advertising, which by one aesthetic. relies on a general understanding of circulation and audience demographics, Web-based advertis- Claire Suddath, who attended the 2010 Pitchfork ing can be targeted by location of the user, key- Music Festival, a three-day event held in July in words on the page, browsing and purchase Union Park, Chicago, wrote on Time.com: “It’s history, and many other variables stored on a

78 International journal of arts management Web page or even in the cached data on a user’s The first major brand extension was the computer. Furthermore, not only can an ad type Pitchfork Music Festival, held annually one week- be tracked and controlled, but the results yielded end each July since 2006. This tangible event- from the ads can be measured precisely by data- based extension to the brand has helped to solidify collecting effectiveness in terms of conversions the company as a leader in the music industry. from views to click-throughs and sales. This The festival continues to feature relatively obscure dynamic customizable advertising technology up-and-coming artists that Pitchfork champions. has rapidly made online advertising a preferred Unlike comparable festivals, such as Bonnaroo, medium in which to spend ad dollars.12 and Coachella, which have all grown to an average of 100,000 attendees,16 this event As one of the “hippest” lifestyle ecosystems stays at a relatively modest capacity of roughly on the Web, Pitchfork attracts young, early- 20,000, to maintain a comfort level for both the adopting tastemakers. The company strongly attendees and the artists. In addition to the influences what these culture- and fashion-for- Chicago festival, Pitchfork partnered with a ward consumers want. For companies interested French booking agency to launch an annual fall in gaining a foothold in this early-adopter-hipster indoor music festival in Paris in 2011, extending sphere, the site is at the top of the list for adver- its live-event reach internationally for the first tising budgets. Brands from Apple to Heineken time.17 The festival extension was an intelligent to Häagen-Dazs have relied on Pitchfork’s audi- business move for Pitchfork, since the music fes- ence to drive sales and establish a “cool” factor, tival industry is thriving while the recorded music and they have the money to do so.13 industry continues to struggle with its transition to digital distribution (Grose, 2011). With a background in ad sales at the news- paper , Pitchfork President Chris To tap into the expanding videogame market, Kaskie, who was Schreiber’s first employee, has in 2011 Pitchfork partnered with the online gam- focused over the years on monetizing the com- ing magazine to feature some of its pany. He openly discusses the struggles related content, drive traffic to its site and increase its to tensions between advertising and the under- attractiveness (“Pitchfork Announces Parnership ground aesthetic. He and the ad sales staff remain With Kill Screen,” 2011). In June 2012 Pitchfork mindful of the long-term appeal of their site for partnered with Intel to launch Soundplay, a series their fans and regularly counter advertisers’ ideas of videogames inspired by songs (“Pitchfork with more creative and tasteful campaigns. For Launches Soundplay,” 2012). example, instead of intrusive, flashing pop-up advertisements, they may offer a company the Other expansion initiatives have proved more more discreet sponsorship of editorial features challenging for the company. In 2008, adding like the influential Best of the Year Lists.14 to its focus on the written word and audio samples of music, Pitchfork launched the ambitious video channel Pitchfork.tv, featuring select online con- tent and exclusive content produced in house. Brand Extension Video advertising is higher-priced due to its higher user engagement, yet video content is considerably s Pitchfork has continued to grow and gain more expensive and time-intensive to produce Ainfluence and audience, the company has (Careless, 2012). In 2010 the company launched carefully extended its brand into a number of Altered Zones, a panel of 14 music blogs with areas outside of its traditional Web presence. As the mission of extending Pitchfork’s reach into with most modern brands, social media has more diverse and obscure content online become a key component of Pitchfork’s marketing (“Pitchfork Launches Altered Zones,” 2010). It strategy. The site was at the forefront of the seemed to be a logical move, as the main site’s Twitter revolution, launching its account in aesthetic was becoming more mainstream. Despite its relative popularity, Altered Zones was February 2010. It currently speaks to almost two 18 million followers, resulting in a rank of 283 shut down at the end of 2011. Pitchfork also filed for a fashion trademark in late 2010, under among the most followed. The site averages the name Nothing Major, and asked reputable almost nine posts per day, driving traffic back underground designers (such as David Rush from to a variety of Web properties while staying the Stussy clothing line) to develop tote bags, engaged with their users.15 Pitchfork also boasts shirts and other apparel for sale.19 140,990 “likes” on Facebook, providing a large reach on the leading social network.

Volume 15, NUMBER 2 • winter 2013 79 Challenges of an Indie Mega-brand Notes

raditional companies thrive on growth and 1. Speech presented on 14 May 2011. Tconsolidation, enjoying increased revenues 2. http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story? and economies of scale. But for the creative sec- id=1591155&page=1#.UC12r79FD5A. tor, size can be a major hindrance. An inherent 3. http://pitchfork.com/artists/5094-deerhunter/. conflict occurs in balancing large overheads and 4. http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2008/12/clipse_ budgets, underground aesthetics and values. respond.php. 5. Keynote address by C. Kaskie at Columbia College Chicago As it continues to connect millions of readers on 1 October 2009; personal interview with the authors. with upstart artists, Pitchfork is inherently steered 6. http://www.matadorrecords.com/pretty_girls_ make_graves/. towards a more mainstream aesthetic. Even the most sincere editorial staff is influenced by a call 7. http://www.webstatzone.com/stat/pitchfork.com.htm. to entertain its audience, and the influence of 8. http://www.greenlabelsound.com/artists/. size is apparent in the programming of Pitchfork’s 9. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/pitchfork.com. sites and stages. Jim DeRogatis, a nationally 10. http://www.quantcast.com/pitchfork.com. renowned rock critic and an English professor 11. Keynote address by Kaskie, op. cit. at Columbia College Chicago, warns that 12. http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/design/ “Pitchfork puts the voice of the company ahead online-advertising-history/. of the voice of its writers, which is something 13. Keynote address by Kaskie, op. cit. that can lead a publication down a dark road” 14. Ibid. (Baumgardner, 2012). 15. http://twitaholic.com/top300/followers/. 16. http://www.ticketnews.com/news/Bonnaroo-2012- Historically, many taste-making publications dates-ticket-presales-announced61116042, (http://www. instantriverside.com/2011/05/coachella-to-expand-to-two- have suffered from growth. Rolling Stone is a case weekends-in-2012/; http://www.huffingtonpost. in point. Once celebrated for its musical and com/2012/08/04/lollapalooza-2012-black-s_n_1741353.html). cultural influence, the magazine diluted its 17. http://pitchfork.com/news/43044-announcing- appeal by entertaining its once massive reader- pitchfork-music-festival-paris/. ship with more mainstream topics (“Is Rolling 18. http://alteredzones.com/posts/2173/rip-altered-zones/. Stone Magazine Dead?,” 2011). It lost its under- 19. http://www.trademarkia.com/nothing-major- ground appeal and enabled the emergence of 85146809.html, http://tehomedia.com/2012/05/ competitors… such as Pitchfork. Will the site fashion-nothing-major/. suffer the same fate? The mainstream adoption of indie and its aesthetic and its infiltration of References mainstream culture will undoubtedly raise cred- ibility issues – a challenge that Pitchfork will Baumgardner, A. 2012. “Did Pitchfork Kill the have to navigate (Van Zandt, 2007). Rock Critic? The Changing Landscape of Music Journalism.” New City Music, 14 July. But having made it so far is quite an achieve- http://music.newcity.com/2011/07/14/ ment. “By all estimates, Pitchfork should have did-pitchfork-kill-the-rock-critic-the-changing- vanished long ago,” writes Michael Gillis in an landscape-of-music-journalism/. article titled “Curators of Cool.” “Scraped Butler, K. 2006. “Listen to This.” Columbia Journalism together during the same dot-com bubble that Review, May/June. http://www.cjr.org/issues/2006/3/. birthed such music web ephemera as SonicNet Caramanica, J. 2010. “Upstart Music Site Becomes (remember them?), the site has fared through Establishment.” New York Times, 14 July. http:// the collapse of many of its rivals to become one www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/arts/ of the greatest success stories of the era…. One music/15pitchfork.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. of the great things about Pitchfork is that it is Careless, J. 2012. “The State of Online Video Advertising one of the largest and most accessible curators 2012.” Streaming Media.com, 29 February. http:// of modern music of its or any generation…. www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/Editorial/ Perhaps it’s simply the result of a generation of Featured-Articles/The-State-of-Online-Video- obsessive compulsive, ‘High Fidelity’-inspired Advertising-2012-80985.aspx. music geeks, but its dozens of ‘Best Album’ and Carr, D. 2005. “ Meets Garage Critics.” ‘Best Single’ lists give Pitchfork’s readers more New York Times, 29 August. http://www.nytimes. than they’ve ever had in terms of selection and com/2005/08/29/business/media/29carr. choice” (Gillis, 2011). html?pagewanted=all.

80 International journal of arts management Crocteau, D., and W. Hoynes. 2006. The Business of Van Zandt, S. 2007. “All Hail the New Indie Rock Media: Corporate Media and the Public Interest, 2nd Mainstream.” Reuters, 28 March. http:// ed. Newbury Park, CA: Pine Forge Press/Sage. www.reuters.com/article/2007/03/20/ du Lac, J. 2006. “Giving Indie Acts a Plug, or Pulling music-indies-column-dc-idUSN1622640820070320. It.” Washington Post, 30 April. http://www.wash- ingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/arti- Interviews cle/2006/04/28/AR2006042800457.html. Gillis, M. 2011. “The Curators of Cool: A History of Ryan Schreiber, Founder and CEO, Pitchfork Media, Inc., Pitchfork Media.” NewcityMusic, 14 July. http:// 14 May 2011 (in person). music.newcity.com/2011/07/14/the-curators- Chris Kaskie, President, Pitchfork Media, Inc., 1 October of-cool-a-history-of-pitchfork-media/. 2009 (in person). Mark Richardson, Editor-in-Chief, Pitchfork Media, Inc., Grose, T. 2011. “Live, at a Field Near You: Why the 3 May 2011 (in person). Music Industry Is Singing a Happy Tune.” Time, 11 November. http://www.time.com/time/maga- zine/article/0,9171,2098639,00.html. Hutchison, T., A. Macy and P. Allen. 2009. Record Label Marketing, 2nd ed. Burlington, MA: Focal Press. “Is Rolling Stone Magazine Dead? A Cover Story Nets Just 2000 New Fans.” 2011. Hypebot.com, August. http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2011/08/is- rolling-stone-magazine-dead.html. Joseph, D. 2008. “Indie Music’s Hipster Heaven.” Businessweek, 22 April. http://www.businessweek. com/stories/2008-04-22/indie-musics-hipster- heavenbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market- and-financial-advice. Kot, G. 2005. “The New Tastemakers.” , 3 April. http://articles.chicagotribune. com/2005-04-03/news/0504020384_1_ pitchfork-indie-store-music. Nielsen SoundScan. 2012. “The Nielsen Company & Billboard’s 2011 Music Industry Report.” Business Wire, 5 January. http://www.businesswire.com/ news/home/20120105005547/en/ Nielsen-Company-Billboard%E2%80%99s-2011- Music-Industry-Report. “Pitchfork Announces Partnership With Kill Screen.” 2011. Pitchfork, 2 May. http://pitchfork.com/ news/42385-pitchfork-announces-partnership-with- kill-screen/. “Pitchfork Launches Altered Zones.” 2010. Pitchfork, 7 July. http://pitchfork.com/news/39381- pitchfork-launches-altered-zones/. “Pitchfork Launches Soundplay: Video Games Inspired by M83, Cut Copy, Matthew Dear, and More.” 2012. Pitchfork, 4 June. http://pitchfork.com/ news/46573-pitchfork-launches-soundplay/. Resnikoff, P. 2011. “Indies Now Have the Largest Album Marketshare.” Digital Music News, 10 August. http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/ stories/081011indie. Suddath, C. (2010). “How Pitchfork Struck a Note in Indie Music.” Time, 9 August. http://www.time. com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2007424,00. html. Thomas, L. 2006. “The Pitchfork Effect.” City Paper (Minneapolis), 14 June. http://www.citypages. com/2006-06-14/news/the-pitchfork-effect/.

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