Rolling Stone Magazine

Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone magazine, gained wealth and influence by tapping into the Sixties counterculture in the pages of his publication. The magazine has gone on to define rock culture in America, in particular shaping the widespread culture of nostalgia for the classic rock era. One of the reasons for Rolling Stone’s success was their ability to capture a market that was notoriously anti-capitalistic, in ideology if not spending habits. They did so by positioning themselves as a part of the counterculture and an alternative to the corporate media—true believers in the music and its messages rather than interlopers coming in to exploit it. It was not long, however, before the line between hippie capitalism and outright capitalism blurred and the magazine became one of the most powerful businesses to emerge from the Sixties rock scene. In the process, the magazine’s commitments came into question. Did they serve their audience or their industry advertisers? Was their interest in speaking honestly to rock and roll fans or to increase their market share? These questions were debated in real time among rock critics and are still debated by historians. Because the magazine was so influential in projecting its musical tastes forward into the present, the motivations behind the music they chose to champion are important to understand. By exploring Wenner’s leadership and the writing he published, we can discover the ideological commitments of the magazine and how these influenced—and continue to influence—how we perceive rock history.