It’s the end of an era: Pitchfork, the iconic music website known for snarky album reviews and breaking new artists, is going away.
Condé Nast, the publication’s owner, announced it will be folded into GQ. One laid-off writer, Matthew Ismael Ruiz, shared that “half the staff” was laid off, including editor-in-chief Puja Patel.
“Today we are evolving our Pitchfork team structure by bringing the team into the GQ organization,” wrote Anna Wintour, Condé Nast’s chief content officer, in a staff memo. “This decision was made after a careful evaluation of Pitchfork’s performance and what we believe is the best path forward for the brand so that our coverage of music can continue to thrive within the company.”
However, the music industry has shifted dramatically since online streaming and social media apps like TikTok have changed how fans curate and discover new music.
In its wake, once-influential music journalism platforms like Pitchfork just haven’t been able to regain the culture-shaping relevancy they once had. And now, they’re going away. 😢
