Evolving
August 7, 2026
Brooklyn Vegan, Alt Press and Revolver - amongst others - lost a large number of staffers over the last week. In a tale as old as time, the bad guys (in this case the brothers from Good Charlotte), sold to a bigger bad guy (Live Nation) who gutted the company. I am cutting out a bunch of detail here, but you get the idea.
Online discourse seems to be divided into two distinct camps: those who are heartbroken and lamenting yet another round of cuts to cultural entities; those who are saying very witty and sharp things like “who even reads Brooklyn Vegan anyway?”. Well, that there’s enough people commenting that they can be divided into two camps at all indicates that there is a swell of emotion following in the wake of this latest news; good, bad and occasionally ugly.
What strikes me is the futility of an anguished reader who is indeed pre-emptively mourning the loss of another website. At the time of writing this Brooklyn Vegan, Revolver and Alt Press are still publishing news stories (although not any news stories about this particular news story), and I would imagine that they will continue to do so. Behind the scenes there are probably one or two staffers remaining who are simultaneously grateful to still have a job, and would absolutely rather be anywhere other than at work right now. Not only will they be expected to fill the void left by their former colleagues, they’re probably being asked to do it in a way that is demeaning and miserable. Nobody ends up being a music journalist without having a passion for music in the first place.
The futility I detect is because I am not sure that there’s much that an avid reader of any of these sites could have done all that differently to help prevent this. Yes, there are those that argue that folk utilising an ad-blocker or using those sneaky sites to get round paywalls are hastening the demise of these supposed beloved sites. But I don’t think that’s the whole story here. I’m sure it doesn’t help, don’t get me wrong, but it feels a bit like berating someone for causing climate change because they’re using plastic straws or not sorting their cardboard for recycling when MegaCorp.com’s CEO is out there spilling oil, shitting out plastic goods and taking private jets to work.
So yes, surprise! I think the problem is capitalism. I am not privy to the numbers behind running a website like any of these, but I would imagine with ad placements, sponsorships, and brand deals - not to mention the quite attractive vinyl store that Brooklyn Vegan has been operating of late - they have an income reasonable enough to pay the wages of the folk that keep the lights on and the articles written there. But capitalism asks for more. Or rather capitalism demands more. It’s taking more whether you want it to or not.
Selling to a bigger company that is far removed from the ethos and values that the original site was built upon inevitably means that it is viewed in black and white, profit and loss terms. And if it’s not making the profit column light up, then to survive at all it must be gutted. A skeleton staff to keep its zombified corpse pressing “publish” on some lacklustre content in the hope that if it is interspersed with just enough of the original verve and enthusiasm that made it popular in the first place, we won’t notice. We’ve seen this before with Pitchfork and Vice - once mighty anchors in cultural conversation diminished, slimmed down, often dying a slow death by a thousand cuts, losing their status and integrity along the way.
Whether a large multi-national company like Live Nation should own news outlets is a whole other can of worms. In the latest issue of Revolver magazine, the inner front cover is an advert for one of Good Charlotte’s Madden brothers and his signature guitar. A relatively innocuous conflict of interest and use of the pages he then owned, you could say. But “relatively innocuous” are not words often used alongside Live Nation, so that is potentially troubling to say the least.
What do we lose when cultural institutions become viewed purely as financial assets (or liabilities)? We lose bands getting their first write up on an internationally renowned website. We miss out on artistic movements being captured through an array of voices, opinions and features rather than having it dictated to us via an algorithm. We lose cultural touchstones; references, recognition, connection, community and conversation. I have plenty I can say about how I wish music publications would do things differently, but I would take them imperfect rather than not at all, or existing aslittle more than a facade.
From my time as a publicist I witnessed the absolute joy of a band from here in the UK getting a multi-page feature in Revolver. The copies were all sent to my house and I sent them onwards so band members could show their mums! Brooklyn Vegan has always been a favourite of mine to work with; the staffers and freelancers alike were always responsive, enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and willing to take a little chance on something untested. Also, despite my resistance to end of year lists, the only ones I really pay any attention to are Brooklyn Vegan’s. I almost always discover something new and interesting there.
I feel like every week I am writing “what does the future hold?” lately. Spoiler, nobody really knows but it feels like it’s gonna be bleak. And yet, I remain an optimist, against my better judgement. I don’t know how to keep Revolver alive, and I don’t know how to make sure talented writers have an outlet for their big brain brilliance. And yet I refuse to believe the future will be without those voices, without those kinds of platforms. I don’t think I have the sway to convince the folk that grow excellent things from tiny ideas to never sell to the big boys, but oh how I wish I did. Regardless, people will still find a way to write about music - they always have and they always will.
I’ll do my best to bring you something cheerful next week. No promises though. That’s all I have for now. Thank you for reading.
~Becky
Inner cover advert of the latest issue of Revolver magazine
"I don’t know how to make sure talented writers have an outlet for their big brain brilliance."
Well, you've found an outlet for your own big brain brilliance, at least...
I believe music written media (be it magazines, blogs, discord servers, whatever) survives by being a rock that community forms around. It used to be that if you wanted to be The Kind Of Person Who Knows About Cool™️ Music, you’d need to go to read Brooklyn Vegan as a demonstration (to both your community and to yourself) that you were that kind of person. But with the erosion of subculture from almost every angle, people can nibble their identity-fulfilling media in tiny bites from a thousand spots, and no longer need to commit to media outlets with as much of themselves (or their wallet).
There is still passion and drive to write and discuss niche music; I do not believe there is an workable & sustainable business model for a free-to-read online publication unless the writer(s) are willing to commodify a parasocial relationship with their audience: The Patreon-Substack Axis.