 | |
| Categories | Music magazine |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Founder | Barend Toet |
| Founded | 1 April 1971 (1971-4-1) |
| First issue | 1971; 54 years ago (1971) |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Language | Dutch |
| Website | www.oor.nl |
Oor is the oldest currently publishedmusic magazine in the Netherlands, founded in 1971.Oor is the Dutch word for ear. Until 1984, it was published asMuziekkrant Oor.[1]
The magazine was first published on 1 April 1971 asMuziekkrant Oor, being founded by Barend Toet. Toet used the United States'Rolling Stone and the United Kingdom'sMelody Maker as examples to modelMuziekkrant Oor after.[2]
Of the first issue, 20,000 copies were printed and paid for by Berry Visser, one of the co-founders ofMojo Concerts. The magazine was sold to Levisson on 1 January 1972. In 1978, the magazine was bought byElsevier. Throughout the 1970s and 1990s,Oor was seen as "the only source of information in the Netherlands when it came to 'serious' pop music", because other magazines only dealt withTop 40 pop and foreign magazines could only be purchased in large cities.[3]Oor also received exclusive interviews with musicians such asStevie Wonder,Bob Marley,Prince andFela Kuti. The magazine's album reviews and concert schedules were a key part of its popularity.[4]
Halfway through the 1990s,Oor was sold to theTelegraaf Media Group. In 2002,Oor was bought by Erik de Vlieger's Imca Media Group. Since 2006, Argo Media is the owner.
Originally,Oor was published as a newspaper, hence the word 'krant' in the name. From the 1980s onward, the word Muziekkrant was dropped from the title andOor had become a magazine. In 2005 the publication frequency changed from bi-weekly to monthly.[1]
In 2021, the bookWant More? Het beste van 50 jaar Oor was published to celebrate the magazine's 50th anniversary. Thecrowdfunded goal of €22,500 was easily reached, and a total of €100,000 was raised on www.voordekunst.nl.[4]