On Jan. 17, 2024, it was announced that influential online music publication, Pitchfork will be absorbed with men’s fashion magazine GQ. This drastic change includes layoffs to the team, including at least ten editorial staffers, leaving them with only eight remaining. Among these layoffs was editor-in-chief, Puja Patel, who replaced Ryan Schreiber in 2018 when he stepped down from the position. The decision was announced by parent company Condé Nast this past week. The decision came to be after what Condé Nast global chief content officer Anna Wintour stated as, “…a careful evaluation of Pitchfork’s performance.” Wintour reflects on the change as, “…the best path forward for the brand so that our coverage of music can continue to thrive within the company.”
What was once launched as an independent music blog by Ryan Schreiber in 1996, originally called Turntable, soon became one of the most influential music publications. The site uses a record-rating system, spanning from 0.0 to 10.0. Pitchfork began centered around indie and alternative music reviews but eventually expanded to cover the majority of genres heard today. The site gained enough influence to make or break an artist and their music.
Schreiber sold Pitchfork to Condé Nast in 2015. What started as an independent blog soon flourished into the diverse company we know today. Pitchfork became a space for women, people of color, and the LBGTQ+ community to join and explore all kinds of musical genres, ranging from its origin of indie to R&B, pop, and global music. Zippa provides Pitchfork’s demographics, which reveal that 40% of the staff are women and 39% are minorities. Pitchfork’s importance centers around its music-specific publications. Writers are able to write genuine, passionate pieces for music fans, rather than focusing on what would appeal to the general audience.
The recent decision to merge the company with men’s fashion magazine GQ is causing much backlash among readers. Many believe this move will take away the Pitchfork brand, undermining the importance of music journalism and the diversity the company built, by simply affiliating it with a men’s magazine. Condé Nast Vice President Melissa Consorte recognized these concerns and wrote a statement regarding the backlash. She states, “Pitchfork is not going away as a brand. This is not a terrible thing for us – GQ and P4K were getting in each other’s lanes and this makes it easier for us to use them in a complementary fashion. I think this will only help P4K feel bigger and more recognizable in the long term.” Though, what’s being disregarded is how this change will impact independent, underground artists. The Associated Press explains how guitarist Yasmin Williams was almost ready to give up her musical journey when a positive review from a Pitchfork writer inspired her to continue pushing forward. Williams expressed how musicians are fearful of the upcoming change, as, “people trust Pitchfork more than other outlets.”
Absorbing Pitchfork with GQ may not explicitly remove Pitchfork from the media, but it completely rebrands the company and implements music as a male interest. What was once known as a platform for people of various identities to explore and review music of all kinds will now be known as merely an aspect of a male-dominated fashion magazine. In a number of ways, this change feels like a huge step back rather than forward. This modification may not seem significant, but once it fully takes place, it’s inevitable that the Pitchfork brand will be morphed into something completely different and discredit the value of music journalism.