Pitchfork is laying off staff, merging with Condé Nast’s GQ

Music is losing another trusted source as publisher Condé Nast “merges” Pitchfork with its men’s magazine GQ. Respected Pitchfork editor-in-chief Puja Patel will exit along with an unspecified number of staffers.

Condé Nast acquired Pitchfork in 2015.

Founded in 1999 and once able to make or break albums with its 0.0 to 10.00 review ratings, Pitchfork remained a solid independent source for new releases and music news throughout Patel’s tenure. She took over when founder Pitchfork Ryan Schreiber exited late in 2018.

Staffers Jillian Mapes, Evan Minske, Allison Hussey, Matthew Ismael Ruiz, and Hattie Lindert confirmed they were laid off on social media.

Anna Wintour, Condé Nast’s chief content officer and global editorial director of Vogue, announced the change in a memo to staff:

“Today, we are evolving our Pitchfork team structure by bringing the team into the GQ organization. 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,”

“Both Pitchfork and GQ have unique and valuable ways that they approach music journalism, and we are excited for the new possibilities together.”

Bruce Houghton is the Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor.