This is a list of music magazines that are publishing in 2026, organised by country. Each entry gives the founding year, the format (print, digital, or both), what the magazine covers, and whether you can read it free online. Titles that have closed are listed separately at the end, so you can tell what is alive from what is history.
Most lists of music magazines online are either an encyclopedia index with no notes, or a scraped ranking based on traffic. We wanted something more useful: a list you can actually read from, and that someone checks. Discography is an Indian independent music magazine, so the India section goes deeper than most. We list ourselves there, plainly labelled.
Key: P = print, D = digital, P+D = both. Free = the core editorial is free to read online.
Quick picks
- Most influential still in print: Rolling Stone, The Wire, Mojo, Uncut
- Best free reads online: The Quietus, Stereogum, Resident Advisor, The Line of Best Fit, Bandcamp Daily
- Best for new artists: DIY, Loud and Quiet, The Line of Best Fit, Gorilla vs. Bear
- Best for Indian independent music: Rolling Stone India, Discography, The Indian Music Diaries, Wild City
United States
Rolling Stone — Founded 1967 · P+D · Covers Rock, pop, culture, politics · Free online: Mostly
Billboard — Founded 1894 · P+D · Covers Industry, charts, pop · Free online: Yes
Pitchfork — Founded 1996 · D · Covers Indie, rap, pop, reviews · Free online: Partly
Spin — Founded 1985 · D (print revived as special issues) · Covers Rock, alternative · Free online: Yes
Stereogum — Founded 2002 · D · Covers Indie, news, reviews · Free online: Yes, with membership
Paste — Founded 2002 · D · Covers Music, film, culture · Free online: Yes
BrooklynVegan — Founded 2004 · D · Covers Indie, punk, metal, tours · Free online: Yes
Consequence — Founded 2007 · D · Covers Rock, indie, news · Free online: Yes
Alternative Press — Founded 1985 · P+D · Covers Punk, emo, alternative · Free online: Yes
Revolver — Founded 2000 · P+D · Covers Metal, hard rock · Free online: Yes
DownBeat — Founded 1934 · P+D · Covers Jazz, blues · Free online: Partly
JazzTimes — Founded 1970 · P+D · Covers Jazz · Free online: Partly
Under the Radar — Founded 2001 · P+D · Covers Indie · Free online: Yes (reviews)
Relix — Founded 1974 · P+D · Covers Jam bands, roots · Free online: Partly
Aquarium Drunkard — Founded 2005 · D · Covers Psych, folk, soul, reissues · Free online: Yes
Passion of the Weiss — D · Covers Rap · Free online: Yes
Treble — D · Covers Indie, metal, post-punk · Free online: Yes
PopMatters — Founded 1999 · D · Covers Music and culture criticism · Free online: Yes
Gorilla vs. Bear — Founded 2005 · D · Covers Indie, dream-pop · Free online: Yes
Bandcamp Daily — Founded 2016 · D · Covers Independent releases, all genres · Free online: Yes
American Songwriter — Founded 1984 · P+D · Covers Songwriting, roots, country · Free online: Yes
XXL — Founded 1997 · D · Covers Hip-hop · Free online: Yes
Vibe — Founded 1993 · D · Covers R&B, hip-hop · Free online: Yes
United Kingdom
NME — Founded 1952 · D (print weekly ended 2018) · Covers Rock, pop, indie · Free online: Yes
Mojo — Founded 1993 · P · Covers Classic rock, reissues · Free online: Print only
Uncut — Founded 1997 · P+D · Covers Rock, Americana, film · Free online: Partly
Q — Founded 1986 · Covers Closed 2020 (see Closed titles)
The Wire — Founded 1982 · P+D · Covers Experimental, avant-garde · Free online: Partly
Kerrang! — Founded 1981 · P+D · Covers Rock, metal · Free online: Yes
Metal Hammer — Founded 1986 · P+D · Covers Metal · Free online: Yes (via Louder)
Classic Rock — Founded 1998 · P+D · Covers Classic and hard rock · Free online: Yes (via Louder)
Mixmag — Founded 1983 · P+D · Covers Dance, electronic · Free online: Yes
DJ Mag — Founded 1991 · P+D · Covers DJ culture, electronic · Free online: Yes
Resident Advisor — Founded 2001 · D · Covers Electronic, club, events · Free online: Yes
The Quietus — Founded 2008 · D · Covers Rock, electronic, experimental · Free online: Yes
The Line of Best Fit — Founded 2007 · D · Covers New indie, alt-pop · Free online: Yes
Clash — Founded 2004 · P+D · Covers Music, fashion, culture · Free online: Yes
Crack — Founded 2009 · P+D · Covers Electronic, alternative · Free online: Yes
DIY — Founded 2011 (print) · P+D · Covers New music, indie · Free online: Yes
Loud and Quiet — Founded 2005 · P+D · Covers Alternative, new music · Free online: Yes
Songlines — Founded 1999 · P+D · Covers Global and traditional music · Free online: Partly
Gramophone — Founded 1923 · P+D · Covers Classical · Free online: Partly
BBC Music Magazine — Founded 1992 · P+D · Covers Classical · Free online: Yes (Classical Music site)
Jazzwise — Founded 1997 · P+D · Covers Jazz · Free online: Partly
The Skinny — Founded 2005 · P+D · Covers Culture, new music (Scotland, NW England) · Free online: Yes
Record Collector — Founded 1980 · P+D · Covers Records, reissues · Free online: Partly
The Vinyl Factory — D · Covers Records, sound culture · Free online: Yes
Gigwise — Founded 2001 · D · Covers Indie news and reviews · Free online: Yes
Canada, Australia and New Zealand
Exclaim! — Canada · Founded 1991 · P+D · Covers Canadian and international music · Free online: Yes
Beats Per Minute — US/UK/Canada · D · Covers Indie, electronic, rap · Free online: Yes
Rolling Stone Australia — Australia · Founded 1970 (relaunched 2020) · P+D · Covers Rock, pop · Free online: Yes
Beat — Australia · Founded 1986 · D · Covers Melbourne music and culture · Free online: Yes
Happy Mag — Australia · D · Covers Indie, culture · Free online: Yes
The Music — Australia · D · Covers Australian music news · Free online: Yes
Europe
Rolling Stone Germany — Germany · Founded 1994 · P+D · Covers Rock, pop · Free online: Partly
Musikexpress — Germany · Founded 1969 · P+D · Covers Pop, rock, indie · Free online: Partly
Spex — Germany · Founded 1980 · Covers Closed print 2018
Groove — Germany · Founded 1989 · D · Covers Electronic · Free online: Yes
Les Inrockuptibles — France · Founded 1986 · P+D · Covers Rock, culture · Free online: Partly
Rock & Folk — France · Founded 1966 · P · Covers Rock · Free online: Print mostly
Tsugi — France · Founded 2007 · P+D · Covers Electronic · Free online: Yes
OOR — Netherlands · Founded 1971 · P+D · Covers Pop, rock · Free online: Partly
Rockdelux — Spain · Founded 1984 · P+D · Covers Rock, indie · Free online: Partly
Mondo Sonoro — Spain · Founded 1994 · P+D · Covers Indie, rock · Free online: Yes
Rumore — Italy · Founded 1992 · P+D · Covers Rock, alternative · Free online: Partly
Rockol — Italy · Founded 1995 · D · Covers Music news · Free online: Yes
Gaffa — Denmark/Sweden · Founded 1983 · P+D · Covers Pop, rock · Free online: Yes
Norient — Switzerland · Founded 2002 · D · Covers Global sounds, research · Free online: Yes
Terrorizer — UK/Europe · Founded 1993 · P+D · Covers Extreme metal · Free online: Partly
Asia (outside India)
Bandwagon — Singapore · D · Covers Southeast Asian music · Free online: Yes
Rockin'on — Japan · Founded 1972 · P+D · Covers Rock, Japanese and Western · Free online: Partly
Rolling Stone Japan — Japan · Founded 2007 · P+D · Covers Rock, pop · Free online: Partly
Rolling Stone Korea — South Korea · Founded 2020 · P+D · Covers K-pop, rock · Free online: Partly
IZM — South Korea · Founded 2001 · D · Covers Korean and global reviews · Free online: Yes
Rolling Stone Philippines — Philippines · Founded 2024 · D · Covers OPM, pop · Free online: Yes
Himal Southasian (culture desk) — Nepal / South Asia · Founded 1987 · P+D · Covers South Asian culture incl. music · Free online: Partly
Africa, Latin America and the Middle East
Afropop Worldwide — Africa / diaspora (US-based) · Founded 1988 · D, radio · Covers African and diaspora music · Free online: Yes
OkayAfrica — Africa / diaspora · Founded 2011 · D · Covers Afrobeats, culture · Free online: Yes
Remezcla — Latin America / US Latino · Founded 2006 · D · Covers Latin music, culture · Free online: Yes
Indie Rocks! — Mexico · Founded 2010 · P+D · Covers Indie, rock · Free online: Yes
Rolling Stone en Español — Latin America · D · Covers Latin music · Free online: Yes
Scene Noise — Middle East · D · Covers Arab independent music · Free online: Yes
India
India's music press is mostly digital, mostly free, and mostly small. Film music dominates mainstream coverage; independent music lives on the titles below.
Rolling Stone India — Mumbai · Founded 2008 · P+D · Covers Independent, film, global music · Free online: Yes
Discography (this is us) — India · D · Covers Indian independent music: features, artist pages, song and album lists · Free online: Yes
The Indian Music Diaries — India · D · Covers Indie news, premieres, interviews · Free online: Yes
Wild City — India · D · Covers Electronic, alternative, events · Free online: Yes
Homegrown — Mumbai · D · Covers Youth culture incl. indie music · Free online: Yes
Savaal — India · D · Covers Independent music features · Free online: Yes
The Outsiders — India · D · Covers Indie music and culture · Free online: Yes
Radio and Music — Mumbai · D · Covers Indian music industry news · Free online: Yes
Film Companion music desk — Mumbai · D · Covers Film and independent music · Free online: Yes
Scroll.in (music coverage) — India · Founded 2014 · D · Covers Long-form music essays · Free online: Yes
Sruti (print) — Chennai · Founded 1983 · P+D · Covers Carnatic and Indian classical · Free online: Partly
Hindustan Times / Mint Lounge music — India · D · Covers Music features in a lifestyle desk · Free online: Partly
For more Indian music writing, including blogs and newsletters, see Indian music blogs. For only independently owned titles worldwide, see independent music magazines.
Music magazines by genre
- Rock and metal: Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Revolver, Terrorizer, Mojo
- Electronic and dance: Resident Advisor, Mixmag, DJ Mag, Groove, Tsugi, Crack, Wild City
- Hip-hop and R&B: XXL, Vibe, Passion of the Weiss
- Jazz: DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazzwise
- Classical: Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Sruti (Indian classical)
- Global and folk: Songlines, Afropop Worldwide, Norient
- Experimental: The Wire, The Quietus
Free music magazines you can read online
Free to read, no paywall on core editorial: Stereogum, BrooklynVegan, Consequence, Paste, PopMatters, Treble, Aquarium Drunkard, Bandcamp Daily, The Quietus, The Line of Best Fit, Resident Advisor, DIY, Crack, Loud and Quiet, Exclaim!, The Skinny, Bandwagon, Remezcla, OkayAfrica, Scene Noise, Rolling Stone India, Discography, The Indian Music Diaries, Wild City, Homegrown, Savaal, The Outsiders. Many print titles (Mojo, Uncut, The Wire) can also be read through library apps such as PressReader or Libby, depending on your library.
Closed music magazines (for reference)
Q (UK, 1986–2020) · Melody Maker (UK, 1926–2000) · Sounds (UK, 1970–1991) · Smash Hits (UK, 1978–2006) · Creem (US, 1969–1989, revived 2022 as digital and print) · Blender (US, 1994–2009) · Vibe print (US, ended 2009) · Spex print (Germany, ended 2018) · Tiny Mix Tapes (US, 2001–2020) · The Source (US, print scaled back).
How we built this list
We started from what is published now, not from an encyclopedia index. Every live entry had new editorial work in 2025–26 when we checked. Founding years come from each magazine's own About page or its publisher; where we could not confirm a year, we left it blank instead of guessing. Ownership changes and paywalls change fast, so we re-check this list every quarter and date each update. Spot an error or a missing title? Write to us via the About page.
FAQ
How many music magazines are there?
Hundreds, if you count every zine and blog. This list covers 100+ titles that have editorial reach and are still publishing.
What is the oldest music magazine still published?
Billboard (founded 1894) is the oldest on this list. Gramophone (1923) is the oldest classical title, and DownBeat (1934) the oldest jazz title.
What are the biggest music magazines in the world?
By reach: Rolling Stone, Billboard, NME and Pitchfork. By influence on specific scenes: The Wire, Resident Advisor and Mojo.
Which music magazines cover Indian music?
Rolling Stone India, Discography, The Indian Music Diaries, Wild City, Homegrown, Savaal, The Outsiders and Sruti (classical). Globally, Songlines and Resident Advisor cover Indian artists regularly.
Are there free music magazines?
Yes. See the free list above. Most digital-first titles are free; print-first titles usually charge.
Discography is an independent music magazineHow to get coveredRelease music in IndiaIndian indieIndian indie bandsAbout
