FishbowlNY - Turning the Page For New York Media
Tuesday, Aug 29

Ex-Spin Editor: Pitchfork Put Me Out Of A Job

spin_sum_41.jpgEx-Spin senior associate editor Dave Itzkoff's take on the magazine's demise, somewhat buried in a story about influential rock music Web site Pitchfork in this month's Wired music issue, a must-read in its own right:

I should probably mention that Pitchfork also helped put me out of a job. From 2002 until just recently, I was an editor at Spin, a magazine that was itself once positioned as a much-needed substitute for the entrenched rock journalism establishment. Spin's influence peaked in the early '90s, when alt-rock acts like Nirvana started going multiplatinum. But as that scene receded, the magazine struggled to find its identity: In one incarnation, it would sing the praises of nu-metalheads like Korn and Limp Bizkit; in the next, it would pin its hopes on garage-rock revivalists like the Strokes and the White Stripes.

As Pitchfork's influence grew, we consulted the site as both a resource and a measuring stick — if it was lavishing attention on a new band, we at least had to ask ourselves why we weren't doing the same: By then, our value as a trustworthy and consistent filter had waned. The trouble we had at Spin was that although there were still new and emerging indie-rock acts worth getting excited about, none would ever be big enough to sell a magazine that had to reach half a million consumers every month just to stay alive. But Pitchfork thrives in this new climate.

  • The Pitchfork Effect [Wired]


  • new on mediabistro.com

    The Future of Social Media with Chris Anderson

    The editor of Wired explains how to create a social network that works.
    Watch the video

    Email This Post

    Fill out the following information and click on the Send button in order to send this post, Ex-<em>Spin</em> Editor: Pitchfork Put Me Out Of A Job, to a friend.
    Friend's name
    Friend's email address
    Your name
    Your email address
    Note to your friend (optional, max 200 Characters)

    Read more on FishbowlNY >

    Turning the Page For New York Media
    FishbowlNY in Your Inbox
    Mobile Version
    RSS Feed
    Our Blog Network

    BayNewser

    WebNewser

    TVNewser

    PRNewser

    MediaJobsDaily

    GalleyCat

    UnBeige

    MobileContentToday

    AgencySpy

    FishbowlDC

    FishbowlLA

    FishbowlNY

    FishbowlNY Staff
    Editor:
    Amanda Ernst

    Contributing Editor:
    Drew Grant

    Columnist:
    Diane Clehane

    About FishbowlNY
    Follow FishbowlNY
    Email FishbowlNY

    Anonymous Tips
    Topics

    About

    About Us - Modules

    Acquisitions

    Advertising

    Alternative Weeklies

    AMC 2006

    AMC 2007

    AMC 2008

    Awards

    Beijing Olympics

    Books

    Bottom Feeding

    Breaking News

    Circulation

    Daily Angle

    Dissecting NPR

    DNC '08

    Election '08

    Ellies '08

    Fashion Week

    Fishbowl Initiatives

    FishbowlNY Poll

    Inauguration '08

    International

    Keith Kelly Distilled

    Legal Trouble

    Lunch

    Magazines

    Markets & Media

    Media Companies

    Media Events

    Media Lookbook

    Media Minutiae

    Media People

    Mediabistro Circus

    Memopad Distilled

    Menu

    Movies

    New Media

    News

    Newspapers

    NYT in 90 Seconds

    Obituaries

    Parties

    Pop Culture

    Radio

    RNC '08

    Scandals

    Scholarly Pursuits

    Strike Watch

    SXSWi '08

    The Crystal Ball

    The Internet Presidency

    The Revolving Door

    The State of Journalism

    Time 100

    Trends

    TV

    Video

    Archives

    November 2009

    October 2009

    September 2009

    August 2009

    more...

    Links

    AdAge

    Beet.tv

    BusinessWeek | Fine on Media

    Buzz Machine/Jarvis

    The Colbert Report

    The Corsair

    Daily Show

    Editor & Publisher

    Ed2010

    Folio:

    Gawker

    Gothamist

    Guardian America | Media

    HuffPo

    IWantMedia

    Marketwatch | Friedman

    Mediaite

    Mediapost

    Media Wire Daily

    NY Daily News

    NY Mag | Daily Intelligencer

    NY Observer | The Media Mob

    NY Post | Keith Kelly

    NYT | Media Decoder

    The Onion

    Paid Content

    Poynter | Romenesko

    Silicon Alley Insider

    Slate | Jack Shafer

    Wall Street Journal

    WaPo | Media Notes

    James Wolcott

    WWD | Memo Pad

    Job Listings

    Featured Listings

    Marketing Intern (4310)
    Readers Digest
    New York, NY

    Editorial Intern (4309)
    Readers Digest
    New York, NY

    Design Intern (4307)
    Readers Digest
    New York, NY

    Advertising Sales Intern (4306)
    Readers Digest
    New York, NY

    Upcoming

    ADVERTISEMENT


    mediabistro.com l Member Benefits l Jobs l Freelance Marketplace l Courses l Events l Forums l Content
    mediabistro Blogs: Media News l TVNewser l GalleyCat l UnBeige l FishbowlNY l FishbowlLA l FishbowlDC l PRNewser l AgencySpy
    MobileContentToday l WebNewser l BayNewser l MediaJobsDaily l mbToolbox
    Site Map l Advertising/Sponsorships l Partners l About Us l Contact Us/Help

    internet.commediabistro.comJusttechjobs.comGraphics.com

    Search:

    WebMediaBrands Corporate Info

    Legal Notices, Licensing, Reprints, Permissions, Privacy Policy.
    Advertise | Newsletters | Shopping | E-mail Offers