The Hard Times
"Punk News Comin' Your Way!"[1][2]
Logo of The Hard Times
TypeSatirical website
Founder(s)Matt Saincome
Bill Conway
Ed Saincome
Staff writers250-300 contributors (July 2017)[3]
FoundedDecember 2014
HeadquartersSan Francisco[4]
Websitethehardtimes.net

The Hard Times is a satirical website with a focus on punk (especially hardcore punk and first wave screamo), alt music, and millennial culture[3][1][5][6] founded in 2014 by former SF Weekly music editor Matt Saincome,[1][2][7] his brother Ed Saincome, and comedian Bill Conway.[5][6][8] It has been compared to The Onion, ClickHole, and Reductress in style,[1][5] and has received praise for its specificity and niche appeal.[8][9]

The Hard Times also publishes Hard Drive, a satirical video game vertical, hosts stand-up comedy shows at music festivals, and produces podcasts.[3][6][10] As of 2021,[11] the Hard Times podcast network included:

Content published by The Hard Times is typically virally spread through engagement on social media such as Facebook.[1][5][8] The site averages between 2 and 6 million views a month.[3][8]

History

Founder Matt Saincome began pitching the idea for The Hard Times in 2012 as a junior studying journalism at San Francisco State.[9][12][4][13][10] He formally founded The Hard Times with his brother Ed and comedian Bill Conway in December 2014, following a soft launch earlier in the year.[1]

In September 2016, the site passed 3 million views, and entered into an advertising partnership with Vice Media.[5]

In 2017, the site launched Hard Drive for video game related articles,[3] and began developing video content.[9] The site tapped Jeremy Kaplowitz, Mike Amory, and Mark Roebuck as co-founding editors.

In 2018, The Hard Times began work on a book and a television show.[6][12]

In 2019, several editors of The Hard Times and actor Phil Jamesson created a parody presidential candidate Ace Watkins account on Twitter, with the fictional candidate claiming to aspire to be "the first gamer president".[14] The Twitter account amassed more than 40,000 followers within several days after the account's creation.[14]

Hard Times Media LLC sold The Hard Times to Project M Group, the parent company of Revolver magazine and Inked magazine, in July 2020, while maintaining ownership of Hard Drive.[15]

In May of 2023 The Hard Times parted ways with Project M and is once again owned and operated independently by the site's founders.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Raggett, Ned. "Punk And Irony Are Dead; Long Live The Hard Times". The Concourse. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  2. ^ a b "About - The Hard Times". The Hard Times. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  3. ^ a b c d e Daniels, Melissa. "How The Hard Times Is Building A Bridge Between Punk and Comedy". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  4. ^ a b "The Hard Times founder sent us this article he wrote about himself". Alternative Press. 2018-02-06. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  5. ^ a b c d e "The Hard Times is perfecting punk satire". The Daily Dot. 2016-11-06. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  6. ^ a b c d "Spotlight: 'The Hard Times' Founder Matt Saincome on Turning Punk Into Comedy & Developing a New TV Show". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  7. ^ "The Hard Times Unveils Its First Ever Documentary - October 4, 2016 - SF Weekly". SF Weekly. 2016-10-04. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  8. ^ a b c d Brown, August (13 January 2017). "In strange times for Internet satire, the Hard Times grows beyond its punk niche". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  9. ^ a b c "'The Hard Times' Founder Gives An Inside Look At His Punk Satire Site". Uproxx. 2017-11-08. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  10. ^ a b Douglas, Nick (10 April 2019). "We're the Founders of the Hard Times, and This Is How We Work". Lifehacker. Archived from the original on 2019-07-17. Retrieved 2019-08-02.
  11. ^ "Hard Times Podcast Network". The Hard Times. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  12. ^ a b "Area Punk, Founder of 'The Hard Times', and Entertainer of Millions Lands Major Interview with RiotFest.org | Riot Fest". Riot Fest. 2018-01-05. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  13. ^ "Alum Matt Saincome Founded Satirical Punk-Rock Website The Hard Times | College of Liberal & Creative Arts". lca.sfsu.edu. Archived from the original on 2018-09-22. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  14. ^ a b "Ace Watkins, the first 'gamer candidate,' gains thousands of Twitter followers". The Daily Dot. 13 July 2019. Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  15. ^ Ha, Anthony (July 2, 2020). "Project M acquires punk rock satire site The Hard Times". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
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