“Pitchfork” To Increase Its Stranglehold On “Indie”-Loving Internet Users

noah | March 4, 2008 1:35 am
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Indie rock tastemakers Pitchfork will launch their long-rumored video project, Pitchfork.TV, this April 7, and the site will apparently offer a slew of on-demand, high-definition video content including rock documentaries, performances, and other opportunities to get inside the heads of artists worthy of the site’s mention. Whether or not a full-on video site with lengthy clips–which requires a bit more user commitment than scanning the “Best New Music” list for new additions and grabbing MP3s from the ever-updated Forkcast –will capture the huge audience that its parent site currently commands should be a test to see just how well this whole Web 2.0 video “thing” will work, but I’m sure every Idolator reader is eagerly awaiting the moment when “The Interview Show,” which promises to bring “today’s best and most respected artists face-to-face with the Pitchfork critics who write their features and review their albums,” embarks on its ratings-grabbing “0.0 Week.” Let the fists fly! The full release–complete with more breathless show descriptions, and demographically correct band-name-drops–after the jump.

Where do you go when you want to watch new music videos but don’t feel like trying to decipher what’s happening through the gnarly transfer? Have you ever wondered how your favorite bands get along on tour, or how they work together in the studio? Ever wonder what it’d be like to go to their house for dinner, or watch them play secret sessions on rooftops and in basements? Too bad that imaginary music video portal doesn’t exist…. yet.

But on April 7, it’s time to unplug your HDTV speakers and connect them your laptop, because Pitchfork, the world’s most trusted independent music publication, is reinventing the concept of music television with Pitchfork.tv.

Since 1995, Pitchforkmedia.com has dedicated itself to exploring the independent music world and beyond, covering emerging and classic artists in reviews and news stories, and capturing their personalities through interviews and features. A logical extension of the journalist music coverage the site has provided for more than a decade, Pitchfork.tv will update and advance the music television format, bringing you closer to the artists that matter.

“We’re documenting artists and featuring them in ways we’ve never been able to,” says Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber. “Pitchfork.tv is really an extension of the kinds of features we’ve been doing on Pitchfork for years–it’s a new way to see these artists and get to know them better as people.”

In addition to the latest music videos and long-lost classics, Pitchfork.tv will present hours of original and exclusive programming- behind-the-scenes takes, band experiments, jam sessions, the concerts you missed, and the creative process you’ve never been able to witness:

• One Week Only makes Pitchfork.tv the first online video channel to screen full-length feature films, vintage concerts, and music DVDs free of charge: From the Pixies’ 2004 reunion tour film LoudQuietLoud and Todd Phillips’ notorious GG Allin documentary Hated, to Jimmy Joe Roche & Dan Deacon’s acid-drenched visual art piece Ultimate Reality, Pitchfork.tv will highlight a different film each week in its entirety.

• You want full concerts? Pitchfork Live brings you on stage with your favorite bands, with intimate camerawork and carefully mic’d performances that put conventional soundboard mixes to shame, launching with a sweat-soaked night at NYC’s Cake Shop with garage-punk maniac Jay Reatard.

• Ever wonder how artists spend their time off tour? Daytripping puts you in the passenger seat for a day out with some of the most vibrant personalities in independent music. The premiere voyage: A trip to the Man Man house and studio in Philly to witness the making of their forthcoming album, Rabbit Habits.

• Wish you were watching bands in your basement instead of fighting for a drink in crowded clubs? Welcome to Juan’s Basement. Orignially developed by upstart network Plum TV, the Emmy-nominated series is now exclusively booked and produced by Pitchfork. First up: Liars.

• What happens when disparate artists are chosen to spend a day recording together in a Brooklyn studio? Treefort Sessions documents the unique artistic collaboration process from start to finish.

• Ever thought the best place to see your favorite band would be as the sun was setting and the Empire State building glistened behind you? Don’t Look Down brings artists to rooftops around New York and Chicago and says go. The series kicks off with a pitch-perfect set from Sub Pop rockers The Thermals, 24 stories high.

• And, finally, The Interview Show brings today’s best and most respected artists face-to-face with the Pitchfork critics who write their features and review their albums, opening with a colossal dual interview between two of the world’s greatest metal bands: Mastodon and Neurosis.

Revolutionary content is just the beginning. With one of the web’s largest, crispest, and highest-resolution displays, Pitchfork.tv truly invites full-screen viewing. And, with all content available on-demand, we’re putting you in control of the music you want, how and when you want it. Soon, we’ll add personal playlist capabilities, so you can watch all your favorites like ducks in a row. And later this year, as part of a massive redesign effort, Pitchfork.tv will integrate with its parent site, presenting innovations and further advancements to the world of online music journalism.

Like Pitchfork itself, Pitchfork.tv is an independent company, with no investment dollars or special interests, allowing us the freedom and control to stay true to our creative vision. We’ve waited decades for a music channel that respects our intelligence and reflects our ideals. Now that the technology is here, we’re finally able to do it the way that people who really care about music have always wanted to see it done.

Welcome to Pitchfork.tv. The music channel cable never gave you.

(Oh, come now. Was that last line really necessary?)

Pitchfork.TV [Official site]