Rolling Stone is an American magazine devoted to music and popular culture.
History
Founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner (who is still editor and publisher) and music critic Ralph J. Gleason, Rolling Stone was initially identified with and reported on the hippie counterculture of the era. The magazine distanced itself from the underground newspapers of the time, embracing more traditional journalistic standards and avoiding the radical politics of the underground press. Rolling Stone did make a mark for its political coverage in the early 1970s, however, through the unique "gonzo journalism" of Hunter S. Thompson. The magazine also helped launch the careers of Cameron Crowe, Kurt Loder and Greil Marcus among others.
The magazine became so influential by the 1970s that a song dedicated to it, "Cover of the Rolling Stone" by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show (written by Shel Silverstein), became a hit single.
By the 1980s, despite still employing Thompson and other iconic writers of the sixties and seventies, Rolling Stone had adopted some of the corporate values that it had shunned earlier. The magazine moved to New York in 1976, and many date its change in culture from this point. Several writers left while new ones signed on and covers became more devoted to movie stars. A short-lived spin-off, College Papers, was edited by Jann Wenner's sister Kate Wenner and ran from about 1980-1982. In his book, Rolling Stone Magazine, Robert Draper notes that it was about the mid-1980s when the magazine became more of a music follower than a music trendsetter. In 1998 the Rolling Stone Network was launched by Scott mitchell and Tunes.com which introduced the magazine's rich content and valuable archives to online music lovers.
In the early 2000s, facing declining revenue and competition from young men's magazines such as Maxim and FHM, Rolling Stone reinvented itself, targeting a younger reader and offering more sex-oriented content, which often focused on sexy young television or film actors as well as pop music. Since then, however, the magazine has resumed its traditional mix of content, including in-depth political stories, and has seen circulation (currently at 1.5 million) and revenue rise.
Leading up to what it called the "50th Anniversary of Rock" in 2004, Rolling Stone published a series of all-time greatest lists to recognize historic achievements in the field. These lists provoked considerable discussion from other music critics as to who or what belonged on such lists and in what order. "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" appeared in 2003, followed by "50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock & Roll" and "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.
In popular culture
Rolling Stone is largely regarded as the predominant music promotional force in American culture, alongside the likes of MTV. It has been frequently referenced in other forms of media, such as in the semi-autobiographical film Almost Famous and the British music movie High Fidelity.
The Rick Griffin logo for Rolling Stone and magazine cover was used as the promotional shot and DVD cover for the film School of Rock.
Reference works
- Rolling Stone Album Guide. Four editions with varying titles, c. 1979, 1983, 1992, 2004.
- The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. Random House, 1980. ISBN 394739388.
International editions
- Australia: Rolling Stone is published by Next Media Pty Ltd, Sydney.
- Argentina: Rolling Stone is published by Publirevistas S.A..
- China: Rolling Stone in mainland China is licensed to One Media Group of Hong Kong and published in partnership with China Record Corporation. The magazine is in Chinese with translated articles and local content. It launched in March 2006 under the Chinese name 音像世界, or Audio Visual World, and is one of China's most popular music lifestyle magazines.
- Indonesia: Published since June 2005 by JHP Media.
Further reading
- Rolling Stone Magazine: The Uncensored History - Robert Draper
- Gone Crazy and Back Again - Robert Sam Anson