After the popular publication was folded into GQ, a group of them is striking out on its own. One of the first orders of business: doing away with alb

What Should a Music Magazine Be in the TikTok Era? Pitchfork Alumni Have an Idea.

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2024-10-16 13:30:03

After the popular publication was folded into GQ, a group of them is striking out on its own. One of the first orders of business: doing away with album scores.

Five former Pitchfork journalists are starting a new music publication, Hearing Things. They are, from left, Jill Mapes, Dylan Green, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, Ryan Dombal and Andy Cush. Credit... Sasha Maslov for The New York Times

For more than a quarter century, Pitchfork was a kind of Rolling Stone for the millennial generation, a bible for audiophiles whose authority was summed up by its simple slogan: “the most trusted voice in music.”

That changed for many readers in January when Pitchfork’s parent company, Condé Nast, enacted a sweeping round of layoffs that included removing its editor in chief and folding it under GQ, the men’s magazine.

Nearly a year later, five former Pitchfork journalists are getting the band back together to start a new online music publication, Hearing Things. The site, which launches on Tuesday, aims to capture the original independent spirit of Pitchfork while tuning out the stan armies that worship huge artists.