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You Probably Haven't Read These Music Magazines (But You Should)

© Chad Bowar

If you want to read the best music magazines, you've got to dig a little. There's more to music magazines than Rolling Stone and Spin. There are hundreds of other music magazines and self published zines out there. You just have to know where to look. I contacted dozens of magazine and zine publishers to see what was out there. There are so many good ones I can't fit them all into one article. So this is just part one of what could be several stories about non mainstream music magazines. The magazines in this article are all available in print editions. Some also have a web version. I encourage you to visit their sites and see what they have to offer. Just click on the title to go to their webpage.

Midwest Music Review
MMR is a monthly newsletter that reviews music, among other things. Issues are 12 pages long. The reviews cover all different types of music, including rock, alternative, folk, R&B, world music, and more. The reviews are short and to the point. There are usually 60 reviews per issue.

The Midwest Music Review is a good place to read reviews of lesser known but worthy artists. Take the newsletter to your favorite record store and pick up a couple of the CDs with 4 or 5 star reviews. You'll broaden your musical knowledge and get turned on to great artists you may not have heard of without MMR.

Ice Magazine
Ice Magazine calls themselves "The CD News Authority", and they back it up. It's a monthly 24 page newsletter based in Santa Monica, CA. There is a bit of music news, but the majority of the magazine is focused on upcoming CD releases. Ice lists the release dates of music in many different genres. There is also a Collector's Corner column that talks about promos and overseas releases.

If you want to know who is releasing CDs and when, you'll definitely want to read Ice Magazine!

Expose
If progressive music is something you enjoy, you'll love Expose. It's an 80 page quarterly magazine that explores the boundaries of rock. There are artist interviews, profiles, news, and tons of reviews. I don't know a whole lot about progressive music, but Expose really enlightened me about the genre. I've listened to a few of the CDs reviewed in Expose, and have really enjoyed them. Check it out for yourself.

Magnet
Magnet is a glossy magazine published 6 times per year. It is available in a lot of places. I found a copy at Barnes and Noble. Magnet's slogan is "Real Music Alternative". Some of the artists profiled in the issue I saw were Tom Waits, Atari Teenage Riot and Mogwai. A pretty eclectic mix, I must say. Magnet reminds me a lot of Spin, but they're not as pompous and oh-so-hip. Magnet even gives you a free CD with a subscription. I highly recommend reading this magazine.

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