Y'all know this is just his brand, right?

Anthony Fantano, the self-proclaimed "Internet's Busiest Music Nerd"

When I'm looking into album reviews, my go-to is The Needle Drop. Built around thorough (and sometimes lengthy) videos, Fantano covers hip-hop, rock, indie, and anything inbetween. In fact, his determination to cover seemingly EVERYTHING he listens to is one of the reasons I started GenRegardless. Yet, it is important to acknowledge that in a post where I'm discussing branding, I led off with a picture of the man himself as opposed to The Needle Drop's logo.

Anthony Fantano has become his brand. Anthony Fantano is the Needle Drop.

Fantano has created a space where the viewers have learned what to expect, but in the best way possible. I know that when I go to watch one of his reviews, it is probably going to be harsh. Fantano never holds any punches. If he thinks a project feels rushed or cheap, he doesn't dance around those feelings. Furthermore, no artist is safe from a bad review, even though some have criticized his love for Death Grips (on a personal note, it would take a LOT for me to write an unfavorable review of Kanye project. This is me being upfront about a bias; Fantano avoids any bias such as this).

He presents his opinions as if they are facts, just like a convincing reviewer should do. However, in the description for every video you'll find "Y'all know this is just my opinion, right?" Fantano is intentionally convincing, but remains open to criticism and audience engagement.

The Needle Drop has been established (to me, at least) as the number one source for no-nonsense reviewing. Advertising money and publicity have ruined reviewing in mass markets (the days of Lester Bangs are long gone, as Rolling Stone's reviews have gotten progressively worse). Fantano is personal and forward, and I'll keep coming back to hear him destroy albums I love.

Except for Yeezus. He was wrong about Yeezus.










P.S. Here's a video of Fantano being interviewed by another hero of mine, Nardwuar.

P.S.S. just so you know, I'd say the GenRegardless brand is:

Picky.
Honest.
Conversational.