CHICAGO (CelebrityAccess) — Pitchfork, the music news site that was once one of the leading voices of the indie music movement, is facing extinction.
According to the New York Times, Pitchfork’s owner, Condé Nast, announced that the publication will be folded into the men’s magazine GQ, with layoffs expected.
“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,” Condé Nast’s Chief Content Officer Anna Wintour told staff in a memo obtained by The Times.
As the Times noted, details on the layoffs are pending but will impact Puja Patel, who has served as Pitchfork’s editor-in-chief since 2018.
Launched by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog in 1996, Pitchfork rapidly gained a reputation for its coverage of the independent and alternative music scenes.
During the transition to mp3s, Pitchfork served as a music discovery platform for independent artists, who would release sample tracks for fans to download through the service.
The Pitchfork brand was acquired by Condé Nast in 2015, with Schreiber continuing in his role as editor-in-chief until 2018.
