Pitchfork (website)

''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres including pop, hip hop, jazz and metal. ''Pitchfork'' is one of the most influential music publications to have emerged in the internet age.

In the 2000s, ''Pitchfork'' distinguished itself from print media through its unusual style, frequent updates and coverage of emerging acts. It was praised as passionate, authentic and unique, but criticized as pretentious, mean-spirited and elitist, playing into stereotypes of the cynical hipster. It is credited with popularizing acts such as Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens.

''Pitchfork'' relocated to Chicago in 1999 and Brooklyn, New York, in 2011. It expanded with projects including the annual Pitchfork Music Festival, launched in Chicago in 2006; the video site ''Pitchfork.tv'' and book, ''The Pitchfork 500'', both launched in 2008; and a print publication, ''The Pitchfork Review'', published between 2013 and 2016. In later years, ''Pitchfork'' became less antagonistic and more professional in style, and began covering more mainstream music and issues of gender, race and identity. As of 2014, ''Pitchfork'' was receiving around 6.2 million unique visitors every month.

The influence of ''Pitchfork'' declined in the 2010s with the growth of streaming and social media. In 2015, it was acquired by the mass media company Condé Nast and moved to One World Trade Center. After the acquisition, the ''Pitchfork'' president, Chris Kaskie, left in 2017, followed by Schreiber in 2019. In 2024, Condé Nast announced plans to merge ''Pitchfork'' into the men's magazine ''GQ'', resulting in layoffs. The merge drew criticism and triggered concern about the implications for music journalism. Provided by Wikipedia