The Presider of Music
spring 2020
AD + CW: Jacob Sepúlveda and Lauren Pfeifer
With an anti-algorithm approach to music discovery, Pitchfork Magazine is not here to agree with what’s popular just to be the cool kid in school. While encouraging music discovery at all times, Pitchfork is there to also validate music explorers in their search for the underappreciated.
spotify + youtube placements
How have we allowed everything from the music we enjoy to who we date to be laid out by an algorithm? Is your life defined by a number? Do we live in a simulation?
We’re not gonna answer any of these questions, but we’re gonna call it out from the inside out.
YouTube? Spotify? We’re coming for your algorithm.


record store day
brand partnershipPitchfork will press and design covers for what they’ve determined their “best new tracks” to be, partnering with Record Store Day to release a limited quantity in record stores nationwide. Not revealing their contents, these records will come with inserts (once opened) providing Pitchfork’s perspectives of each song, encouraging a degree open-mindedness.




Shazam
app placementWhen you Shazam a song, the app will display a blurb from our most poignant opinions. This allows viewers to understand more about what they’re listening to in order to bring attention to their developing music tastes over time.


are you a robot?
quiz web extensionShareable on social channels, Pitchfork’s quiz will challenge Spotify’s data-driven advertising approach. The more underappreciated artists and albums you know give you a higher score, earning you credibility to match our most opinionated music critics at Pitchfork. With an opportunity to win certification badges and stickers, Pitchfork builds music egos.
