Pitchfork, once a cultural bastion of music criticism, will merge with men’s magazine GQ, leading to layoffs at the online publication, according to a memo from Anna Wintour, chief content officer of Condé Nast, their parent company.
“This decision was made after careful evaluation of Pitchfork’s performance and what we believe is the best path forward for the brand so that our music coverage can continue to thrive within the company,” Ms. Wintour wrote in his memo, which was given to staff on Wednesday.
Among the victims of the merger is Puja Patel, editor-in-chief of the site since 2018, who replaced Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber.
“Both Pitchfork and GQ have a unique and valuable approach to music journalism,” Ms. Wintour said, “and we are excited about the new possibilities together. With these organizational changes, some of our Pitchfork colleagues will be leaving the company Today.
A Condé Nast representative declined to say how many people were laid off.
Mr. Schreiber started Pitchfork when he was a teenager in Minneapolis in 1996. The name was a reference to a tattoo worn by Tony Montana, Al Pacino’s character in the classic film “Scarface.”
In the years to come, Pitchfork established itself as a taste-making institution. A prolific publication that could make or break an artist’s release – famous or not – with scathing reviews or voluminous praise, it became an alternative to Rolling Stone for audiences hungry for a more independent taste.
One example: The outlet gave Sonic Youth’s 2000 album “NYC Ghosts & Flowers” a rating of zero out of 10.
“Now, finally, my generation has its ‘Metal Machine Music’ – an unfathomable album that will be heard in the squash courts and open mic nights of deepest hell,” Brent DiCrescenzo wrote at the time.
Or, in a glowing review, the writing might veer into the abstract, as in the opening sentences of a 9.7 review of Arcade Fire’s album “Funeral,” which helped the band break through in the general public.
“Our generation is overwhelmed by frustration, unrest, fear and tragedy,” wrote David Moore. “Fear is totally pervasive in American society, but we still manage to build our defenses in subtle ways: we don’t care about arbitrary, color-coded ‘threat’ levels; we get our information from comedians and we make fun of politicians.
The site has had its critics over the years, complaining that some of its reviews were unnecessarily mean or just plain wrong.
In some cases, Pitchfork opted for a redesign. Liz Phair’s self-titled album received a zero from critic Matt LeMay when it was released in 2003. Sixteen years later, Mr. LeMay would call his review “condescending and cringing.”
In 2021, Phair’s album was one of several albums that received another look from Pitchfork – this time earning a 6.
Condé Nast acquired Pitchfork in 2015. Fred Santarpia, then chief digital officer at Condé Nast, said Pitchfork brought with it “a very passionate audience of millennial men to our roster.”
With the rise of social media, music streaming, social media, and podcasts, Pitchfork has lost some of the cultural cachet it possessed twenty years ago. And like many media companies, Condé Nast, whose portfolio includes The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Vogue, has struggled to remain profitable in the face of advertising cuts.
In November, Condé Nast announced it would lay off 5 percent of its workforce, or about 270 employees.