More on Pitchfork

The Chicago Tribune had an article on Pitchfork about a month ago.

One beautiful quote: "The review cast a pall over the record and actually predisposed people to not even listen to it," says Rosenfeld, who marvels at the site's sway over "a crowd of indie kids who want to be told what to like."

And another: "They absolutely have a tastemaking role," says Blender editor in chief Craig Marks of Pitchfork and other music-intensive Internet sites. "There's a certain youthfulness to the writing style that appeals to an aggressive community of indie-rock fan."

I think we could really use a site where thousands of music-lovers can write reviews and maybe even score albums in some way. Then, readers can browse the various opinions. This would do a great job of expanding the debate. But, then, of course, people wouldn't know exactly what to like.

One final thought: Pitchfork's importance in getting indie music played (the Arcade Fire example, mentioned in the article, is a good one) should not be overlooked. But, once again, with that power comes responsibility. I for one and many think the Arcade Fire album is rather great...I just wish its readers wouldn't blindly acquire what's top-ranked. That's too much power.