Condé Nast, the publisher of Vogue, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, is buying the online music magazine Pitchfork Media for an undisclosed amount, The New York Times reports (paywall).
Pitchfork started in 1995 as a website devoted to independent music, and has grown to become an influential publication and the organizer of several large music festivals, including an annual one in Chicago, where Pitchfork is based. The move, founder and CEO Ryan Schreiber said in a statement, would allow Pitchfork “to extend our coverage of the artists and stories that shape the music landscape on every platform.”
Condé Nast executives have said that the move will bring in a younger, male audience to the company that publishes Vogue, as well as the tech-focused publication Wired.
It brings “a very passionate audience of millennial males into our roster,” Fred Santarpia, the company’s chief digital officer, told the Times, and CEO Bob Sauerberg added in an email to the company that it “reinforces our commitment to building Condé Nast’s premium digital network, focusing on distinctive editorial voices and engaging high-value millennial audiences.”
Twitter reacted to the deal with a mix of mockery, surprise, and outrage: