Pitchfork

Pitchfork is an American online magazine launched in 1995 by Ryan Schreiber, based in Chicago, Illinois, and owned by Condé Nast. Being developed during Schreiber's tenure in a record store at the time, the magazine developed a reputation for its extensive focus on independent music, but has since expanded to a variety of coverage on both indie and popular music.

History

The site was first established as a blog by Ryan Schreiber in the mid-1990s, with the first issue being published online in 1996. In the early years, Schreiber wrote much of the content himself, but as the site grew, he began to hire additional writers.

In 2006, Pitchfork was purchased by Condé Nast, a large American media company. The purchase led to a further expansion of the site, with more staff being hired and the introduction of new features, such as the music festival Pitchfork Music Festival.

Content

Pitchfork's content includes daily news, reviews, features, and lists. The site generally focuses on new music, but also includes reviews of reissues and box sets. The site has also published "best-of" lists – such as the best albums of the first half of the decade – and annual features like the The Year in Music and the end-of-year albums and tracks lists.

Influence

Pitchfork's influence on music tastes has been well documented. According to a 2006 article in The Guardian, "Pitchfork's reviews can often be predictors of an album's commercial performance." The site is also known for its in-depth interviews with artists, which have included notable figures such as Björk, Radiohead, and Kanye West.

Criticism

Despite its influence, Pitchfork has been the subject of criticism from musicians and other music journalists. Critics argue that the site's influence gives it too much power in shaping music trends, and that its reviews can be overly harsh or dismissive.

See also

• List of online music databases
• Music journalism

References

Pitchfork Resources
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