Indeed, one of the most underappreciated effects...

“Indeed, one of the most underappreciated effects of mp3s is their ostensible democratization of the critic function. Before every album started leaking out of pressing plants or being ripped from online storage accounts, accredited music reviewers were the only folks outside the industry with the privilege of hearing completed albums well in advance of their official release dates— a necessity to account for print’s long-lead times and the lengthy promotional schedules of the labels.”