“There’s a lot of potential to rethink what people want out of a music magazine,” says Pitchfork founder and CEO Ryan Schreiber. “The tide has really shifted since we started Pitchfork in the mid-’90s. Then, there was no music criticism online; now, there’s very little in print. There’s all kinds of talk about how physical media is dying, but the popularity of vinyl is rising, and there has been a rise in literary and culture publications. It’s not dead, it just needs substance.”
That is Schreiber explaining why Pitchfork is returning to print after being the innovators of web only rock writing to fastcompany.com. With Converse set to be the sole advertiser in 2014 (aka for all four issues) they are set for a year and than they can decide how to go forward with “The Pitchfork Review”. The first issue dropping December 14th, 2014 will include “Pieces about Van Morrison, Otis Redding, a career-spanning piece on Glenn Danzig, and a feature on the history of the jukebox. There is also a retrospective on the glory days of the U.K. weekly music press by veteran English critic Simon Reynolds.” In other words, Ryan is publishing a Mojo for the US.
Not the worst idea in the world and since Pitchfork have lost their readership over the years, this is more like a demographic move. Look at it this way: 20 somethings 18 – 34 males don’t bother much with rock criticism, M 44 – 60 sure so. They are going after the readers they never had.
I took a look at what I could find off the first issue and I am not thrilled, but I am biased, and I can’t say how I would feel if it was a different publisher. I’ve disliked Pitchfork for its insulated arrogance and lousy taste in music for years now And really, who on earth needs a Van Morrison retrospective? Tied to what? That’s something people with zero resources do -I wrote one two years ago, do, not fat bullies like Pitchfork.