rollingstone.com
For over five decades, 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.
Rolling Stone has proven to be much more than merely a passing fad. This longstanding publication has consistently employed innovative reporting methods, championed controversial causes, and fostered groundbreaking dialogue in its pursuit of telling stories that matter. With dedication to its readership and unwavering commitment to quality journalism, Rolling Stone is without doubt one of the most influential publications in existence today.
Not every print magazine of the 20th century has been able to remain as flexible and adapt to an online format as Rolling Stone has. In recent years, the magazine, since focusing more on their web presence than their print magazine sales, has shifted their focus quite a bit.
Whereas Rolling Stone once held the mantle of being the authority on rock and roll music, alternative forms of journalism, and pop culture news, today they are more reliable for breaking stories surrounding shows, movies, and celebrities. If you are looking for a reliable source of information on these topics, Rolling Stone is the website for you.
I know a number of film buffs, media heads, and pop culture journalists who swear by Rolling Stone as their web browser's home page. For up to date entertainment news, Rolling Stone is as credible and fast-paced today as it was for scathing political commentary and music criticism in the past. Even though Rolling Stone's focus on content has changed over time, the one thing that has remained constant is the media giant's emphasis on quality and accuracy in reporting.
History
Rolling Stone magazine was founded in 1967 by Jann Wenner in San Francisco, California. During the magazine?s first years, Ralph J. Gleason gave Rolling Stone the rock and roll edge that it became known for, curating and contributing a plethora of authoritative rock and roll music reviews - many music critics of today cite the original reviews in Rolling Stone as their inspiration and credit these articles for laying out the blueprint of contemporary music reviewing as a whole. Today, Rolling Stone is published monthly, covers a wide range of topics including culture, politics, music, movies and more, and has a readership that extends across the globe.
Another writer, however, that contributed to Rolling Stone in the magazine?s formative years also left a mark on the literary world forever. Hunter S. Thompson was infamous for regularly contributing to Rolling Stone in the late ?60s through the 1970s, and he continued to do so periodically until his untimely death in 2005. Thompson - most well-known for his books Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Hell?s Angels - laid the foundation for an investigative kind of political reporting that would become part and parcel at Rolling Stone well through the 90s, 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.?
According to some reports, Rolling Stone shifted its coverage in order to appeal to a younger audience. The magazine has been accused of favoring ?style over substance.? Regardless of what you may think of Rolling Stone's gradual shift towards pop culture, one thing is for certain- the Rolling Stone of today is far different from the literary magazine of the 1960s, 70s and early 80s.
Despite some fans' concerns, Rolling Stone's recent content overhaul has been successful in keeping the magazine relevant to the internet age. Although some may criticize Rolling Stone for watering down its content, it is still a top publication and very successful commercially.
Design
I really like the look and layout of rollingstone.com. The site designers have managed to simultaneously uphold the magazine's iconic aesthetic while also giving it a subtle update, making it look and feel as modern as it should. 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 is a delightful blend of the nostalgic and the cutting edge - giving it a much more classy feel, for lack of a better term than the overwhelming majority of entertainment news sites in competition with Rolling Stone.
Content
The site has a magazine layout, with stories arranged in a sort of collage of pictures and headlines on the site's home page. However, it doesn't feel cluttered the way that a magazine sometimes can, as if too many things are vying for your attention at one time. It is nicely organized andcleanly laid out. Plus, there is amenu bar at the top of the page that gives even further guidance to help you find exactly the kind of story you came for,separating content by Music, TV, Movies, Politics, Culture, Video, Charts, and RS Pro.
Desktop and Mobile Experience
Rolling Stone is fully optimized for both desktop and mobile browsers, providing a streamlined and enjoyable experience regardless of the device you're using. The ads aren't awful, and text leads seamlessly into streaming video content. Your experience will be 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. Plus, there's a Rolling Stone app that gives you a much cleaner mobile experience.
Plans and Pricing
If you're a die-hard fan of Rolling Stone magazine, subscribing can be a great way to receive the print copy at your door every month, as well as a free tote. For $49.99 for the year, you get the print issue and digital copies of the magazine - which can be read on all tablets, smartphones, and computers. Alternatively, for $59.99 for the year, you'll get everything mentioned above as well as a one-time membership to RollingStone's official fan club.
Rolling Stone is currently in the process of rolling out RS Pro, which is aimed at people in the entertainment industry, journalists, and other media professionals. RS pro will contain tons of insider information and research tools. However, a price has yet to be announced.
Suggestions I Have
I think Rolling Stone is a great online reading experience. The articles are well written, accurate, research, and consistently good. I would like to see them become politically sharp once again; 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.
Now that they have a more youthful audience with entertainment news, why not publish pieces that are as immensely important, intellectually stimulating, and rebellious as the original spirit of Rolling Stone once was? 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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