Once the insulated darling of the indie-music scene, Pitchfork has brought together a sprawling audience without losing ties to its roots. It features some of the most interesting, influential music writing online — smart without being snobby, critical but not pretentious — and remains one of the single best places to discover new music before all your friends jump on the bandwagon. In this way, it's a trend setter for tastemakers. Looking for proof of Pitchfork's appeal? Its annual music festival in Chicago has rapidly emerged as the cool kids' alternative to Lollapalooza.