Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture.
It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
It was first known for its coverage of rock music and for political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson. In the 1990s, the magazine broadened and shifted its focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music.
It has since returned to its traditional mix of content, including music, entertainment, and politics.
The first magazine was released in 1967 and featured John Lennon on the cover and was published every two weeks.
It is known for provocative photography and its cover photos, featuring musicians, politicians, athletes, and actors. In addition to its print version in the United States, it publishes content through Rollingstone.com and numerous international editions.
Penske Media Corporation is the current owner of Rolling Stone, purchasing 51 percent of the magazine in 2017 and the remaining 49 percent in 2019. Noah Shachtman became the editor-in-chief in 2021.
More information: Rolling Stone
The first issue was released on November 9, 1967, and featured John Lennon in costume for the film How I Won the War on the cover.
It was in newspaper format, with a lead article on the Monterey Pop Festival. The cover price was 25¢ (equivalent to $1.94 in 2021) and it was published bi-weekly.
In the first issue, Wenner explained that the title of the magazine referred to the 1950 blues song Rollin' Stone, recorded by Muddy Waters, and Bob Dylan's 1965 hit single Like a Rolling Stone.
Kurt Loder joined Rolling Stone in May 1979 and spent 9 years there, including as editor. Timothy White joined as a writer from Crawdaddy and David Fricke from Musician.
Rolling Stone was known for its musical coverage and for Thompson's political reporting and in 1985, they hired an advertising agency to refocus its image under the series Perception/Reality comparing Sixties symbols to those of the Eighties, which led to an increase in advertising revenue and pages. It also shifted to more of an entertainment magazine in the 1980s.
It still had music as the main topic but began to increase its coverage of celebrities, films, and pop culture. It also began releasing its annual Hot Issue.
In the 1990s, the magazine changed its format to appeal to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music. This led to criticism that the magazine was emphasizing style over substance.
After years of declining readership, the magazine experienced a major resurgence of interest and relevance with the work of two young journalists in the late 2000s, Michael Hastings and Matt Taibbi. Rob Sheffield also joined from Spin.
In January 2021, a Chinese edition of the magazine was launched, while in September 2021, Rolling Stone launched a dedicated UK edition in conjunction with Attitude magazine publisher Stream Publishing.
One major criticism of Rolling Stone involves its generational bias toward the 1960s and 1970s. One critic referred to the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs as an example of unrepentant rockist fogeyism.
In further response to this issue, rock critic Jim DeRogatis, a former Rolling Stone editor, published a thorough critique of the magazine's lists in a book called Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics, which featured differing opinions from many younger critics.
More information: Youtube-Rolling Stone
Good news is rare these days,
and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished
and hoarded and worshipped
and fondled like a priceless diamond.
Hunter S. Thompson
