Advertising Age reports that Pitchfork and The Fader have joined forces, though the degree to which the former is an "exclusive club" is, as always, tediously overstated. (Pitchfork didn't "consider itself too cool to bother reviewing" Black Kids before setting the hype cycle into overdrive in the first place, let's not forget.) The two are getting together for "an extensive advertising and sponsorship relationship across print, online, festivals, events and unique content exchanges," while keeping their advertising and editorial as is.

Though it's tempting to imagine each mag's editorial would somehow bleed into one another, I kind of doubt that'll happen; their styles, while paralleling each other greatly, are too different to really mesh, and besides, both seem to be doing fine without the other. My question, regaring the piece, is: why is Pitchfork "hipper-than-thou" and The Fader—which places a premium on being FIRST! to an even greater degree, particularly given its ink-and-paper flagship, which is costlier than being a Web site first—is not? Could it be that the writer of the piece has heard of the former, since it's been written about so extensively over the last few years, while The Fader hasn't been? If so, how—what's that word again?—ironic.

Indies Pitchfork and Fader Form Partnership [Advertising Age]

The 2009 installment of Bonnaroo will take place June 11-14, 2009, and tickets go on sale this Thursday. Following the lead of K-Mart and Stagecoach, the Bonnaroo organizers are offering a lay-away plan for people who want to head out to Tennessee, but don't feel like running up their lines of credit; the price of your ticket—whether general admission or VIP—can be split up over five payments. (NB: This is all provided that the world doesn't fall into complete and total chaos before then.) [Official site]