I'm probably in the minority, but I think that criticism--preferably informed criticism--is valuable. If I have some inkling of what the particular critic likes and doesn't like, it helps me decide what I'm going to spend my limited time and money listening to.

It's like theater or movie critics--once I learn how their tastes run, I can use their reviews as guideposts. F'rinstance, I used to be sure that I'd disagree with anything Pauline Kael said, and it saved me from seeing a lot of (no doubt worthwhile to some) movies.

I don't have to agree with the critic to make use of the criticism.