Layoffs at music outlet Pitchfork as Conde Nast merges it with GQ, ETHRWorld

New York: Conde Nast is merging the popular digital music publication Pitchfork with the men’s magazine GQ, a decision that has triggered anger over resulting layoffs and concern for the outlet’s future.

In an email to staff obtained by AFP, Anna Wintour — the chief content officer for Conde Nast, the media conglomerate whose outlets include Vogue — announced the changes and resulting layoffs.

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

Pitchfork started in 1996 as an independent music blog out of Minnesota, growing into a popular reference that extensively covered alt and independent music, before becoming a standard-bearer of both music reviews and news coverage of the industry.

Conde Nast acquired it in 2015.

GQ is a monthly men’s magazine, with a focus on feature writing and celebrity coverage.

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