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[1] by Mike Shea in Cleveland, OH.[2] The company is now managed by MDDN, and based in Los Angeles, CA.[3]
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.[4] 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.[5] 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, Alternative Press was sold to MDDN, owned by Good Charlotte members Benji and Joel Madden.[6] 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 touched 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,[7] and AP&R. In January 2022, Alternative Press closed its offices in Cleveland, Ohio and relocated to Burbank, California.[6]
