It’s not often that we buy a book based on the synopsis alone, we are more inclined to buy a novel based on the appeal of the jacket design. Not many people buy albums anymore, so album art isn't as important as it once was. We withhold our expenditures when it comes to tangible media nowadays since we have Netflix and music streaming services. Just as we aren't willing to invest money in media, we become more hesitant to invest time into certain art forms.
So what does it take for us to willingly invest the time to listen to an album? Many of us won’t listen to an album or read a book unless it is recommended to us. We have universities that introduce us to works of literature and close friends to introduce us to music. We have other sources online that also introduce us to new media. Rotten Tomatoes, for example, introduces us to new movies by giving us a rating system. Pitchfork, The Needle Drop, and other online music review sites provide a rating system as well.
We should start looking at music reviewers as our friends. I am often told I am a total hipster because I read Pitchfork reviews, or watch Anthony Fantano’s YouTube videos. Hey, I suppose that's perfectly fine since I openly admit into engaging in hipster activities such as purchasing vinyl. But people seem to be critical of me since I read music reviews, as if they were to say these reviews change my own opinion about the music I listen to. Yes, so many people call Pitchfork “annoying” and “pretentious”. It makes since, I mean Pitchfork actively engages in favoritism with certain artists and completely write off others. But that doesn't mean that these reviewers don't provide any actual insight. In fact, their insight into new releases has encouraged me to listen to new artists.
Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop likes to break down the instrumentation and explain why certain things work and don't work. Regardless of whether or not I agree with his reviews all of the time, I feel as though Anthony Fantano's reviews as recommendations from a close friend.
You know when you have to read a classic novel for a literature class, and it turns out to be one of your favorite? If it wasn’t for that professor, you would have never opened up that book. Basically that’s how I feel about music reviewers. Contrary to popular opinion, at least for my musical experience, they don’t stifle and narrow my preferences, they actually broaden the horizons and allow me to delve deeper into music I would otherwise never touch. Thanks to Anthony Fantano’s reviews, I've become a fan of new and innovative Hip hop artists such as Milo and Injury Reserve.
Because of streaming services, we are literally able to listen to whatever we want to for little to no cost. So why should we listen to music critics if this is the case? I mean, obviously music critics have been and going to be very critical about certain releases that end up selling millions of albums or end up being your favorite album in your collection. I disagree with the sentiment that there is no need for album reviews since it may excite us into actively engaging in the musical experience and introduce us to new artists. Although someone's opinion about an album should never be the all encompassing fact, album reviews should encourage us to listen with open ears (something many of us rarely do).
