Website that pays its writers despite having no discernible source of income shuts down

[koganbot]

[Seriously, I never could figure out what their income source was. But they lasted two years! And they paid! And they didn't fuck up my text in the editing process!]

From: Christopher R. Weingarten
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 10:02 AM
Subject: the pitch pool is closed

Dearest allies,

So yeah, as most of you know, PTW is ending its triumphant 37-year run on tuesday. Getty is shutting us down (something they said about "never making them any money whatsoever at any point ever" Whatever, guys!). I was considering buying it, but it's just too expensive to manage at the freelance rates we were paying, and the last thing I want to do is muddy up the internet with more underpaid music criticism.

To answer your first-through-third questions: Yes, if you wrote for me in August, you will get paid. Yes, if you wrote for me in August, you will get paid. Yes, if you wrote for me in August, you will get paid.

Now: I just wanted to thank you all for being there. My goal was to work with my favorite writers and I seriously had the time of my life doing exactly that for two years. Thank you so much.

Deepest thanks to many sleepless nights of Jessica Suarez and Kory Grow. If I tried to sum up their efforts in exaggerated terms, it would still be an understatement.

Also, mad props to Brandon Stosuy, JT Ramsay and Tom Mallon for their tireless help in the lean(er) years.

Closing time, folks. Don't care where you go, but you can't stay here.

(Actually I do care! Stay in touch!)

~C

Comments

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

sorry frank, this totally sucks -- in broad terms (i hate when publications close) and obviously in terms of you

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

just realised ptw is not the same as lvw but the same applies -- any update from the latter?

[koganbot]

Yeah, PTW was never going to be a major source of income as I was only writing singles reviews ($50 a pop) and basically gave it up when I got the LVW gig. As for LVW, they're not going to revive my column but have invited me to pitch pieces, which I've not been doing yet. Todd (the Arts and Entertainment guy) told me, "I'm on the lookout for incisive essays about the arts, especially at the point where different art forms converge." This has me completely flummoxed, since I'd much rather write exploratory blog posts about questions I don't know the answer to.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

different art forms = music and writing

"what is it about the way we write about it that makes music suck" etc

questions like this??

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

Bvms, PTW was a really good site. Especially bumming given you wrote for it but I really liked its whole ethos and found some absolutely quality tracks there over the years. :(

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Does this have any effect on hosting the ILX server? (Sucks to see a venue for a lot of writers I like being shut down, but I'm getting used to that.)

[koganbot]

I hadn't given that a thought. I doubt that it costs much to maintain a server but.... I wonder if PTW will remain up as archives.

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

the cost is mostly bandwidth, having the server box in a room isn't a big issue.

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

interim arrangement seems to be that Getty will continue to host the server.

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

I had got out of the habit of checking PTW when I lost all my bookmarks in some laptop meltdown, but I liked its style. Shame.

Frank - I just spotted you tagged this with 'Both Dads R Dead Dogs', was that the first track you reviewed for them? I listened to this the other day.

[koganbot]

The first was either that or Meg & Dia's "Indiana."