Yeah, I'm sure you take no joy in reporting this, what with all the lovely things you've said about them in the past. Must have been hard not to write "Little Nickel layoffs" but bravo to you for the restraint.
Judging by Sound's history, it seems likely they're going to strip it to the bone and run it as an advertising vehicle, like the company's other publications. That means cutting the high-salaried types too, like Nina Shaprio, just as SW earlier did to Rick Anderson - obviously, it wasn't his writing, since he's still writing for them as a freelancer, and breaking stories. You have to figure Mike Seely and the publisher, despite what they say, were given walking papers, too, or likely refused to take pay cuts. That's what Sound is all about - slicing and dicing its way towards unsound journalism.
BTW, how are all those replacement hires going for all the positions the Stranger has lost through attrition?