Conde Nast has purchased Pitchfork Media, it was announced today.
The Chicago-based, music-centric media brand, founded by CEO Ryan Schreiber in 1996, includes print and digital media as well as festivals, including its namesake indie music festival held each summer in Chicago (in Union Park) and Paris.
In a statement released today, Schreiber said:
Pitchfork is incredibly fortunate to have found in Condé Nast a team of people who share our commitment to editorial excellence. Their belief in what we do, combined with their additional expertise and resources, will allow us to extend our coverage of the artists and stories that shape the music landscape on every platform.
Pitchfork.com posted a statement today on its website which reads in part:
We have some very exciting news: Pitchfork has been acquired by Condé Nast, the media company that owns Vogue, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, GQ, and Wired, among many other esteemed editorial brands, and we’re honored to join their family. This is an extraordinary moment for us. In February, Pitchfork will celebrate its 20th birthday. We launched in 1996, when online magazines barely existed, and the internet’s potential as a publishing platform was just becoming clear. Gradually, Pitchfork’s readership increased, and so did the scope of our coverage. We opened additional sections, providing a home for both emerging and seasoned voices. We started a music festival in Chicago, and another in Paris. We introduced video programming to the site in 2008, and ventured into the world of print with The Pitchfork Review in 2013. Each of these endeavors are now integral components of Pitchfork, and with Condé Nast’s experience and resources, all of them will have greater opportunities to grow and flourish.
“Music content is one of the most prolific genres of content on the web,” said Conde Nast chief digital officer Fred Santarpia via statement. “The acquisition of Pitchfork reflects Condé Nast’s continued belief in the power of authentic editorial voices to engage influential audiences at scale.”
Known for its in-depth online coverage of the indie and emerging music scenes, The Pitchfork Review quarterly print publication was launched in 2013.
The company’s headquarters will remain in Chicago, as will approximately 20 employees (about half the company’s staff), with additional staff remaining at its Brooklyn offices, said Pitchfork president Chris Kaskie.
Financial terms of today’s deal were not disclosed.
