rollingstone.com
For over five decades now, Rolling Stone magazine has been one of the most important, daring, unique, and revolutionary institutions of quality journalism that the world has ever seen. Rolling Stone has reported on some of the most pivotal moments in global affairs and has built itself a hearty reputation of being a beacon of the counterculture - with a commitment to honest and unflinching reportage, an eye for fascinating and unsung stories, and an ability to adapt and change with the constantly shifting cultural tides. As a result, Rolling Stone has proved to be much more than merely a passing fad.
Although some print magazines of the 20th century have been able to remain flexible and adapt to an online format, not all have been as successful as Rolling Stone. In recent years, the magazine has shifted its focus away from their print magazine sales in order to focus more on their web presence. However, this adaptation has not been without its challenges, as evidenced by Rolling Stone's recent struggles with readership growth.
Whereas Rolling Stone of old was the authority on rock and roll music and alternative forms of journalism, the Rolling Stone of today is less an onslaught of political op-eds and somewhat esoteric album reviews, and more a trusted online source for news on pop culture and entertainment. If you are looking for a reliable source of breaking stories surrounding your favorite shows, movies, or celebrities, rollingstone.com is the site for you.
In fact, many media professionals and pop culture enthusiasts consider Rolling Stone their primary source for news about current entertainment offerings. It is as up-to-date as it was in the past and provides quality reporting that is consistent throughout its history. Although Rolling Stone's coverage has changed over time, its commitment to accuracy and high standards in journalism has remained constant.
History
Rolling Stone magazine was founded in 1967 by Jann Wenner and quickly became known for publishing pieces that were smart and of literary merit. During the magazine's early years, co-founder Ralph Gleason helped give Rolling Stone the rock and roll edge that it is known for by curating and contributing reviews of authoritative rock music. These reviews are often credited with laying out the blueprint for contemporary music criticism.
Another writer, Hunter S. Thompson, who also contributed to Rolling Stone magazine during its formative years left a mark on the literary world forever. Thompson was infamous for regularly contributing to Rolling Stone in the late 1960s through the 1970s and he continued to do so periodically until his untimely death in 2005. Thompson pioneered contrarian political reporting that would become prominent at Rolling Stone well into the 1990s, when they began shifting their focus to entertainment news. At its peak, though, the magazine was a cornerstone of a burgeoning literary genre, what some have dubbed outlaw journalism.
The reason given for the shift in Rolling Stone magazine's coverage was to more effectively appeal to a youthful audience. This change in focus saw the magazine cover politics and music less frequently, instead featuring news items on popular television shows, actors and blockbuster movies. It has been argued that this change in focus has seen the magazine favour 'style over substance'. Regardless of whether or not this view is shared, one thing is for certain: Rolling Stone Magazine today bears little resemblance to the hard-hitting literary magazine of the 60s, 70s and early 80s.
Although some may be critical of Rolling Stone for watering itself down and becoming increasingly vapid over the years, you can't argue with the fact that it has held onto its position as a top publication in the world, nor that it isn't arguably more commercially successful than ever before.
Design
I think the design of rollinstone.com is really well done. The designers have managed to keep the magazine's iconic look while making it look modern, which is what it should look like given that it's a classic Rolling Stone magazine. In other words, the site looks like a classic Rolling Stone magazine issue but reads and functions just as easily and quickly as, say, any of the most current tech news sites out there. It has a blend of the nostalgic and the cutting edge- giving it a much more classy feel, in my opinion.
Content
The website has the layout and style of a magazine, with stories arranged in a collage of pictures and headlines on its home page. However, it doesn't feel cluttered like a magazine can sometimes, as if too many things are vying for your attention at one time. It is nicely organized and cleanly laid out. Plus, there is a convenient site menu bar at the top of the page that gives you even further guidance to help find exactly what story you were looking for, separating content by Music, TV, Movies, Politics, Culture, Video, Charts, and RS Pro.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
The website Rollingstone.com is fully optimized for either a desktop or mobile browser, and provides a streamlined and enjoyable experience no matter what device the user is reading on. The ads are not awful, and text leads seamlessly into streaming video content. While browsing the site, I find myself slightly more interrupted with ads and promotions on a smartphone than on a desktop, but I don't find myself too annoyed when browsing this site either way. Additionally, there is an app for Rollingstone.com which gives users a much cleaner mobile experience.
Plans and Pricing
Despite the vast majority of Rollingstone.com being free to use, hardcore fans of the magazine can subscribe in order to receive the print copy of Rolling Stone at their door every month. For $49.99 for the year, subscribers receive the print issue and a free tote. For a one-time fee of $59.99, subscribers receive the print issue for a year, a free tote, and digital copies of the magazine, available on all tablets, smartphones, and computers.
Rolling Stone is currently in the process of rolling out RS Pro, which is aimed at people who work in the entertainment industry, journalists, and other professionals. RS Pro will contain tons of insider information and research tools at a price that has yet to be announced.
Suggestions I Have
As far as online reading experiences go, Rolling Stone is definitely up there. The articles are well written, accurate, and well researched. However, I would like to see Rolling Stone become more politically sharp once again. Sure, they still have articles about politics, but they are far from the scathing and unapologetic pieces they dared to publish in the 60s and 70s.
Given that they have built a solid audience with entertainment news, why not publish pieces as intellectually stimulating and rebellious as the original spirit of Rolling Stone once were? The times are just as (if not more) politically treacherous as they were when this magazine was founded. I think it's time for Rolling Stone to truly wield the sword of the written word once again instead of publishing almost exclusively fluff pieces about pop culture - but maybe that's just me.
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