Live Nation lays off nearly all staff at four influential music publications

Live Nation and Veeps — a ticketing and streaming company founded by the Madden brothers of Good Charlotte — have laid off nearly every employee at four major alternative music publications: BrooklynVegan, Alternative Press, Revolver, and Goldmine.

At BrooklynVegan, every single employee except founder Dave Levine was let go. Live Nation bought a majority stake in Veeps in 2021, and the company has now acquired controlling interests in all four publications. Music publicist Jacob Daneman announced the layoffs on social media, calling them "utterly unceremonious and moronic actions."

For over two decades, these outlets shaped the punk, alternative, and indie music scenes. BrooklynVegan and Alternative Press in particular championed pop-punk artists and launched the careers of high-profile music writers including Andrew Sacher, Annie Zaleski, and Anne Zanes.

Allie Gregory, managing editor of Toronto-based independent outlet Exclaim! Magazine, says the pattern is familiar: "Corporate-owned media will always be filtered out once its overlords come to realize how undervalued and thus unprofitable it can be." She calls it a significant loss to underground music culture. "There is no one covering the underground like they did in their respective corner of the world. BrooklynVegan gave independent artists their dues. That void will not be filled any time soon."

Toronto music journalist Hugh Carter, founder of independent publication Turn & Work, shares the disappointment. "It's the standard playbook," he said. "The large company buys the small one with promises of investment and growth, then when the honeymoon is over, reverses course and destroys it."