Vice Media, the Brooklyn-based global publisher run by Suroosh Alvi and Shane Smith, laid off 2 percent of its workforce (60 employees) today, shuttering electronic music site Thump and Vice Sports in the process.
The cutbacks affect personnel in sales, branded content, editorial and corporate areas in the U.S., Canada and Europe.
The move, which was first reported by Variety, is said to be one of the steps the company is taking to move toward growing its video operations internationally.
Back in 2014 co-founder Shane Smith gave away a million dollars in cash at Vice’s Christmas party.
Thump launched in 2013 and was dedicated solely to electronic music and DJ culture. The site covered a wide swath of dance music and tried to distinguish itself by embracing Vice’s snarky flair for storytelling.
Thump’s editor Editor Michelle Lhooq confirmed Thump’s shuttering via a tweet stating that a story about Arca’s boots was the “final post ever.”
.@thumpthump died today, we’re saying goodbye w our final post ever— @ezra_marc‘s homage to @arca1000000‘s boots https://t.co/GfehRwMQED pic.twitter.com/bAgYAn4hsX
— EDGAR ALLEN HEAUX (@MichelleLhooq) July 21, 2017
Last month, Vice announced that it had raised $450 million from TPG, a deal that valued the company at $5.7 billion, as it looks to expand into original scripted programming. The financing is being used toward the creation of Vice Studios, which will produce scripted series for both digital and linear distribution. Vice is also backed by Disney and 21st Century Fox.