Anything But Heavy Metal? How Metal Conquered Pitchfork 2006-2012

• In Event: 240 - Section on Consumers and Consumption Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Paper Session: Table 06. Music and Taste

Abstract

How does a genre that has long been considered unlistenable and unsophisticated become avant-garde? Metal is a genre that might seem impervious to casual listeners, but has achieved critical acclaim in recent years. This study uses articles in the online magazine Pitchfork to examine the process by which metal was made avant-garde and appropriate for omnivorous tastes. It examines how omnivorousness, rather than implying equality, may devalue members of existing music cultures. In addition, I find that metal was made accessible by linking it to already known genres and distinguishing between "new," progressive elements in metal and older, traditionalist elements.

Author

• Marcel Knudsen, Northwestern University