Yet the LA Weekly bow-out is less about the death of the critic, and more about a shifting cast of curators. The ecosystem of oversaturation has merely crowned a new cast of incredibly-powerful tastemakers, with immeasurable influence over music culture.
That list includes The Weeknd and TV on the Radio, to name a few. “TV on the Radio's price went up massively as a live touring attraction, and so did their audience," Geiger noted, while noting that the Weeknd could suddenly fetch $25,000 a night and label signings after one review.
But the winner's list goes way beyond Pitchfork, and into less official channels like Facebook-shared Spotify playlists, Pandora, Sirius, and even the surrounding-aware Shazam. But it also includes powerful tastemakers like Coachella, and even well-entrenched platforms like terrestrial radio. Because instead of tuning out critics, the reality is that most fans are just dialing into different channels, and building their playlists and preferences accordingly.
