Music publication ‘Hearing Things’ founders claim full ownership of the site
“This aligns us further with our values — we believe the future of journalism will be led by workers — and means that we are truly DIY.”
Hearing Things, the new(ish) music publication run by ex-Pitchfork staff, is now completely worker-owned.
Last Friday, May 30th, founders Andy Cush, Ryan Dombal, Julianne Escobedo Shephered, Dylan Green, and Jill Mapes published a statement on the site regarding the site’s proprietorship. According to the announcement, the five heads have claimed full ownership after severing ties with their investor, who initially retained 50 percent of the platform. They say this change “aligns us further with our values.”
“We were able to launch back in October thanks to start-up funding. This allowed us to work on HT full-time, focus on emerging artists, experiment with our writing, hire freelancers we love, and try out different ways to best serve our audience,” the statement read. “We believe the future of journalism will be led by workers—and means that we are truly DIY.”
Speaking to HEADS KNOW, Dylan Green said the future of the publication’s ownership was always uncertain.
This was the first time most of us had been in this position and to say we didn’t know what to expect would be an understatement,” he said. “We didn’t want to bet on the future, but now that that future is here, we’re extremely grateful to have the experience, community support ,and trust to keep this ship floating.”
They continued: “Bringing Hearing Things to life over the last nine months has been some of the most challenging and rewarding work of my journalistic career. As a seasoned freelancer and an independent podcaster, I’ve always been a fierce advocate for aspiring journalists and content creators to build a little piece of this industry that’s theirs, where the only person you answer to is yourself. That kind of autonomy is a double-edged sword fs, one you’ll get better at wielding with each passing day. Working with my four other incredibly talented and dedicated writer-founders has reinforced the notion that you don’t have to do everything alone, and that most things come out better with other hands involved. Enjoy the ride and trust your vision enough to know what other people can bring to it.”
This month, Hearing Things will be launching a weekly subscriber-only newsletter that highlights five songs. Subscribers will also continue to receive unlimited access to articles on the site. Readers can currently read a handful of articles before having to sign up via email or subscribe.
Hearing Things launched in October 2024 as a music and culture publication with the mission to “further the conversation instead of just regurgitating it.” Its editor-founders have been published in the likes of Pitchfork, The FADER, Vibe, Gawker, and more.
Read the full statement on Hearing Things and purchase tickets to their upcoming Summer Party on June 25th featuring Infinity Knives and Brian Ennals.
