Alternative Press (magazine)

{{Short description|American music magazine}} {{About|the magazine|the "alternative press" in general|Alternative press (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{promotional|date=February 2022}} {{Infobox magazine | title = Alternative Press | logo = Alternative Press logo.svg | logo_size = 200px | image_file = AltPressMagCover.jpg | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = "Most Anticipated Albums of 2007" issue featuring Motion City Soundtrack | editor = Anna Zanes<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guterman |first=Gutes |title=Anna Zanes Shakes Up Music Media |url=https://www.bylinebyline.com/articles/anna-zanes-alternative-press |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=Byline |language=en}}</ref> | editor_title = Editor in Chief | editor2 = Neville Hardman | editor_title2 = Content Editor | editor3 = Kelsey Barnes<ref>{{Cite web |title=kelsey barnes {{!}} music and culture writer + interviewer |url=http://kelseyjbarnes.com/about |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=kelsey barnes |language=en-US}}</ref> | editor_title3 = Junior Editor | category = Music | frequency = Quarterly | circulation = | publisher = Alternative Press Magazine, Inc. | founded = 1985 | firstdate = June 1985 | company = MDDN | country = United States | based = Los Angeles | language = English | website = [http://www.altpress.com 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<ref>{{cite web|title=Potential Markets|url=http://www.freelancewriting.com/magazinewriting/write-for-music-magazines.php|publisher=Freelance Writing|access-date=December 4, 2015|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208125313/http://www.freelancewriting.com/magazinewriting/write-for-music-magazines.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> by Mike Shea in Cleveland, Ohio.<ref name="altpress">{{cite web |title=Alternative Press: Contact |website=Alternative Press |url=http://www.altpress.com/contact/ |access-date=September 20, 2011}}</ref> The company is now managed by MDDN, and based in Los Angeles, California.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MDDN |url=https://mddn.co/brands |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=MDDN}}</ref> Anna Zanes is the current Editor-in-Chief<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guterman |first=Gutes |title=Anna Zanes Shakes Up Music Media |url=https://www.bylinebyline.com/articles/anna-zanes-alternative-press |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=Byline |language=en}}</ref> and Kelsey Barnes is the current Junior Editor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=kelsey barnes {{!}} music and culture writer + interviewer |url=http://kelseyjbarnes.com/about |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=kelsey barnes |language=en-US}}</ref> As of late 2025, Alternative Press was no longer offering a printed magazine.<ref>Personal email communication 12/27/2025 with Joshua Zoerner, the official advertiser for Alternative Press.</ref>

== History == The first issue of ''Alternative Press'' was distributed at concerts in Cleveland, Ohio, beginning in June 1985 by ''AP''{{'}}s founder, Mike Shea, to advocate for bands playing underground music. The name of the magazine, ''Alternative Press'', was not a reference to the alternative 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 in Aurora, Ohio. Shea and a friend, Jimmy Kosicki, targeted the Cleveland neighborhood of Coventry.<ref>{{cite book | title=Alternative Press, Issue #264 | date=July 2010 | pages=82, 84}}</ref> Financial problems plagued ''AP'' 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Kevin |date=February 18, 2004 |title=Almost Famous |url=https://www.clevescene.com/news/almost-famous-1485494 |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Cleveland Scene}}</ref> With the growth of alternative rock in the early 1990s, its circulation began to increase. Notable ''AP'' covers included bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden. By 1994, the magazine was doing cover stories on Beastie Boys, Henry Rollins and Love 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 of ''Alternative Press'' to the newer punk music associated with the Warped 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 on XM Radio, a podcast featuring in-depth discussions on various topics with people such as Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz and Kevin 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, Shea sold ''Alternative Press'' to MDDN, owned by Good Charlotte members Benji and Joel Madden.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Troy L. |date=2022-01-25 |title=Alternative Press is no longer a Cleveland magazine |url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2022/01/alternative-press-is-no-longer-a-cleveland-magazine.html |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=The Plain Dealer (cleveland.com)}}</ref> In 2023, Shea founded Ruffian Books,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ruffian |title=Exploring the Unconventional |url=https://ruffianbooks.com/ |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=Ruffian Books |language=en}}</ref> an independent publisher specializing in the rebellious side of music, arts, and entertainment cultures—from their origins to present-day influences. Ruffian Books is poised to carry forward the legacy Shea created with ''Alternative Press'' by documenting the vibrant punk and alternative communities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ruffian |title=About Ruffian Books: Redefining Independent Publishing |url=https://ruffianbooks.com/pages/about-ruffian-books |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=Ruffian Books |language=en}}</ref>

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 as Waterparks, Rina Sawayama, Chase Atlantic, Willow Smith and more. The editorial shift has expanded their coverage to broader avenues that touch 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,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Generation Ap |url=https://www.altpress.com/tags/generation-ap/ |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=Alternative Press Magazine}}</ref> and continued to push AP&R—originally a print feature in the 2010s that was then brought to the magazine's digital space in 2018. In January 2022, ''Alternative Press'' closed its offices in Cleveland and relocated to Burbank, California.<ref name=":0" />

2022 saw Avril Lavigne debut on their March Issue,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Avril Lavigne: Alternative Press Magazine - March 2022 (Version 1) |url=https://shop.altpress.com/products/avril-lavigne-alternative-press-magazine-issue-404-march-2022-version-1 |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=Alternative Press}}</ref> and other notable cover stars that year included Demi Lovato,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Demi Lovato: Alternative Press Magazine - Fall 2022 |url=https://shop.altpress.com/products/demi-lovato-alternative-press-magazine-fall-2022 |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=Alternative Press}}</ref> Louis Tomlinson,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Louis Tomlinson: Alternative Press Magazine - Fall 2022 |url=https://shop.altpress.com/products/louis-tomlinson-alternative-press-magazine-fall-2022 |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=Alternative Press}}</ref> Spiritbox,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spiritbox: Alternative Press Magazine - Fall 2022 |url=https://shop.altpress.com/products/spiritbox-alternative-press-magazine-fall-2022 |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=Alternative Press}}</ref> and Arctic Monkeys.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reese |first=Ashley|title=Arctic Monkeys aren't done evolving |url=https://www.altpress.com/arctic-monkeys-the-car-interview/ |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=Alternative Press}}</ref> Upon the release of their Demi Lovato cover, the print publication announced it would be moving to quarterly releases,<ref>{{cite tweet |author=altpress |user=AltPress |number=1568269524297736194 |date=September 9, 2022 |title=Alternative Press moves from a monthly magazine to quarterly releases. 25% bigger than before, this poster book will feature in-depth cover stories and full-page images ready to be adorned on your walls. If you have a monthly subscription, please check your inbox. https://t.co/56oyXUYKzh |access-date=December 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221130120654/https://twitter.com/altpress/status/1568269524297736194 |archive-date=November 30, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> as opposed to its monthly roll-out.

==The Alternative Press Music Awards== {{Main|Alternative Press Music Awards}}

The Alternative Press Music Awards was an annual music awards show in the United States, founded by the music magazine ''Alternative Press''. The inaugural awards show in 2014 was hosted by Mark Hoppus, bassist and vocalist of Blink-182. In 2015, the hosts were Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat of All Time Low. In 2016, the show was hosted by Andy Biersack of Black Veil Brides. As of 2022, another event has not been announced.{{Citation needed|date=March 2026}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:1985 establishments in Ohio Category:Magazines established in 1985 Category:Magazines published in Cleveland Category:Monthly magazines published in the United States Category:Music magazines published in the United States Category:Popular music magazines