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 "Most Anticipated Albums of 2007" issue featuringMotion City Soundtrack | |
| Former editors | Jason Pettigrew, Paige Owens |
|---|---|
| Categories | Music |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Publisher | Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. |
| Founded | 1985 |
| First issue | June 1985 |
| Company | MDDN |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Los Angeles |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.altpress.com |
| ISSN | 1065-1667 |
Alternative Press is an American entertainment magazine primarily focused on music and culture. It generally provides readers with band interviews, photos, and relevant news. It was founded in 1985[1] by Mike Shea inCleveland, Ohio.[2] The company is now managed by MDDN, and based in Los Angeles, California.[3]
The first issue ofAlternative Press was distributed at concerts in Cleveland, Ohio, beginning in June 1985 byAP's founder, Mike Shea, to advocate for bands playingunderground music. The name of the magazine,Alternative Press, was not a reference to thealternative rock genre, but referred to this fanzine being an alternative to the local press. Shea began working on his first issue in his mother's house inAurora, Ohio. Shea and a friend, Jimmy Kosicki, targeted the Cleveland neighborhood of Coventry.[4] Financial problems plaguedAP in its early years, and by the end of 1986, publication had paused due to its financial problems, only resuming until the spring of 1988.[5] With the growth of alternative rock in the early 1990s, its circulation began to increase. NotableAP covers included bands such asRed Hot Chili Peppers andSoundgarden. By 1994, the magazine was doing cover stories onBeastie Boys,Henry Rollins andLove and Rockets.
By the early 2000s, after resisting attempts to reform and design the so called "fanzine", Shea and Bobby Crist breathed new life into the publication and sought new avenues for its survival, revamping the magazine and marketing it in many venues. They shifted the focus ofAlternative Press to the newer punk music associated with theWarped Tour. At the time of its 20th anniversary in 2005,AP had grown to an average size of 112 pages per issue, eventually averaging between 198 and 220+ pages a month.
AP sponsored a radio show which aired onXM Radio, apodcast featuring in-depth discussions on various topics with people such asFall Out Boy'sPete Wentz andKevin Lyman, and a compilation CD.
Nearing the end of the 2000s AP would venturing into hosting tours with AP Tours, documenting musicians day-by-day on the publications YouTube channel, and working with large scale music events.
In the fall of 2020,Alternative Press was sold to MDDN, owned byGood Charlotte membersBenji andJoel Madden.[6] In the 2020s,AP's digital and print content has shifted toward highlighting rising artists and introducing them to the magazine's audience. Cover stars include artists such asWaterparks,Rina Sawayama,Chase Atlantic,Willow Smith and more. The editorial shift has expanded their coverage to broader avenues that touched on lifestyle, culture, and style conversations within the alternative sphere. By 2022, the brand had formed new franchises to symbolise the shift in direction, such as Gen AP,[7] and AP&R. In January 2022,Alternative Press closed its offices inCleveland and relocated toBurbank, California.[6]
2022 sawAvril Lavigne debut on their March Issue,[8] and other notable cover stars that year includedDemi Lovato,[9]Louis Tomlinson,[10]Spiritbox,[11] andArctic Monkeys.[12] Upon the release of their Demi Lovato cover, the print publication announced it would be moving to quarterly releases,[13] as opposed to its monthly roll-out.
TheAlternative Press Music Awards was an annual music awards show in the United States, founded by the music magazineAlternative Press. The inaugural awards show in 2014 was hosted byMark Hoppus, bassist and vocalist ofBlink-182. In 2015, the hosts wereAlex Gaskarth andJack Barakat ofAll Time Low. In 2016, the show was hosted byAndy Biersack ofBlack Veil Brides. As of 2022, another event has not been announced.
