Mass Layoffs At BrooklynVegan, Alt Press & Other Music Publications As Veeps Restructures

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Singer Julia Shapiro, drummer Gretchen Grimm and bass player Annie Truscott of Chastity Belt perform onstage during the Brooklyn Vegan day party at Red 7 on March 19, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

Veeps, a livestreaming platform majority-owned by Live Nation and also owner of notable music publications, has reportedly gutted editorial staff at BrooklynVegan, Alternative Press, Revolver and Goldmine.

Pitchfork reported Aug. 5 that emails to BrooklynVegan staffers were bounced back.

Veeps has mainly operated as a ticketed livestream platform and was founded by Good Charlotte members Benji and Joel Madden in 2017. The company purchased the four music publications from Project M Group sometime in 2024 or 2025, and Live Nation acquired a majority stake in Veeps in 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

BrooklynVegan was founded in 2004 by Dan Levine, whose email was the only one to not bounce back, per Pitchfork. The New York-based site was an influential independent voice in music, as was Alternative Press, which has featured some of rock’s biggest voices since 1985. Goldmine was established in 1974 and catered to collectors and music-related memorabilia, and Revolver, which was founded in 2000, covered the hard rock and metal scenes.

The layoffs are a devastating blow to independent music journalism and the entire music ecosystem, with many artists using these outlets for exposure and to connect with audiences.

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