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A lead news story this week discusses Kim Kardashian, the pinup for the concept of being "famous for being famous"; Pitchfork’s “Best Music Videos of 2015” features well-known chart-toppers like Drake, Rihanna, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj alongside its indie darlings. It is hard to avoid comparisons with NME, a British magazine famed for its coverage of punk and other underground music scenes—which is now handed out free thanks to dwindling circulation.
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But this merger also has the potential to disappoint. Fans worry that the magazine will lose its independent focus and voice—often plain nasty, rather than smart or nuanced—despite reassurances from Ryan Schreiber, its editor-in-chief and founder. The concern may be justified. For all its highbrow pretensions—one artist, Dan Bejar, refuses to discuss Taylor Swift in an interview because it “brings down [his] poem to a level that’s too mundane”—Pitchfork often spouts generic puffery. A lead news story this week discusses Kim Kardashian, the pinup for the concept of being "famous for being famous" ; Pitchfork’s “Best Music Videos of 2015” features well-known chart-toppers like Drake, Rihanna, Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj alongside its indie darlings. It is hard to avoid comparisons with NME, a British magazine famed for its coverage of punk and other underground music scenes—which is now handed out free thanks to dwindling circulation. NME endorsed Justin Bieber, beloved of preteen girls and ignored or despised by most critics, on its cover. It’s hard out there for a music critic these days.
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