Conde Nast merges GQ magazine and online resource Pitchfork – Kommersant
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Conde Nast has decided to merge the editorial offices of its GQ magazine and the popular online publication Pitchfork, which publishes music news, music criticism, interviews with performers, etc. In an address to employees, Conde Nast Content Director Anna Wintour announced that they are “transforming the structure Pitchfork, including his team in the GQ structure.”
“This decision was made after a careful evaluation of Pitchfork’s performance, and we believe it represents the best path forward for the brand to ensure our music coverage continues to thrive within the company,” Ms. Wintour wrote in her letter, which is being published on among others The Hollywood Reporter.
Pitchfork’s merger with GQ, which by some estimates is the world’s oldest men’s magazine, comes as part of a restructuring announced by Conde Nast CEO Roger Lynch in 2023. It was initially stated that about 5% of employees would be laid off during the restructuring. The decision has angered Pitchfork editorial staff and labor unions because it involves staff cuts and, according to employees, calls into question the future of the online magazine. Among those fired was Pitchfork editor-in-chief Pooja Patel. Current and former employees of the publication, representatives of the music industry are discussing this situation, calling the management’s decision a “harbinger of doom” in general for the genre of reviews of reissued albums and box sets, which are especially popular among music lovers and connoisseurs.
Pitchfork was founded in 1996 by journalist Ryan Schreiber and first existed as an independent music blog, publishing music reviews with a focus on indie music and reviewing the best albums over time. Gradually, the range of topics expanded significantly to include fine arts, photography, cinema, etc., other authors appeared, and the blog became a magazine. In 2015, Pitchfork, by then already a well-known and influential online publication, was acquired by Conde Nast.
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