Rock Sound

Rock Sound is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, emo, hardcore, heavy metal and extreme metal genres of rock music, rarely covering indie rock music at all. The tag-line "For those who like their music loud, extreme and non-conformist" is sometimes used. Although primarily aimed at the British market, the magazine is also sold in Australia, Canada and the United States.

Rock Sound
Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park on the cover of June 2014 edition
CategoriesMusic magazine
FrequencyMonthly
Circulation14,057[1]
First issue1999
CompanyWhyNow
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.rocksound.tv
ISSN1465-0185

History

The British edition of Rock Sound was launched in March 1999 by the French publisher Editions Freeway. The magazine was bought out by its director, Patrick Napier, in December 2004. The magazines offices are in London. Separate titles with the same name have been published under the same umbrella company in France since 1993,[2][3][4] and in Spain since 1998.[5][6]

The first issue was published in April 1999. Issue 2 featured British band Reef on the front cover, and later issues 3 and 8 featured Terrorvision and Foo Fighters respectively. In July 2011 a host of "Through The Years" articles were written to celebrate the 150th issue of the magazine.[7] 2017 witnessed the first annual Rock Sound Awards where £1 from every magazine bundle sold was donated to the One More Light Fund in memory of Chester Bennington.[8]

The magazine was known for including a free CD in most issues, which had tracks from bands' new albums that have not been released as singles. These were called '100% Volume' or 'The Volumes', with other past compilations named 'Music With Attitude', 'Bugging Your Ears!', 'Sound Check' and 'Punk Rawk Explosion'.[9] Sometimes whole albums were included with the magazine, particularly from bands wanting to gain exposure, including Futures' debut album The Holiday in March 2010, and Burn The Fleet's debut album The Modern Shape in May 2012.[10]

In more recent years, exclusive artist merchandise including t-shirts have been sold alongside the magazine via the Rock Sound web store.

In 2023, Rock Sound became part of WhyNow media group and a special edition magazine was published in partnership with Slam Dunk Festival featuring headliners Enter Shikari and The Offspring on the cover. A weekly digital cover feature, The Album Story, was also launched on ROCKSOUND.TV.

Rock Sound's 300th issue was published in September 2023 with Fall Out Boy, Corey Taylor and Motionless In White appearing on the cover. The magazine will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2024.

Audience

Year Circulation
200916,374[11]
201015,005[12]
201114,227[13]
201313,220[14]
201513,924[15]
201614,057[16]

The magazine had a circulation figure of 15,005 from January to December 2010 auditored by ABC. This includes 10,162 sales in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and 4,843 from Other Countries.[12] The same auditing body said the magazine had a slightly lower circulation figure of 14,227 from January to December 2011, with sales of 10,053 from the United Kingdom and Ireland, and 4,174 from Other Countries.[13] The majority of sales come from newstrade, with some coming from subscriptions.

The main rival to the magazine in Britain is Kerrang! because of the similar types of music both magazines cover.

Album of the Year

At the end of every year the magazine lists their favourite 75 albums released in the previous twelve months.

Hall of Fame/Throwback

Rock Sound inducted numerous albums into its Hall of Fame, as part of a long-running feature. The main criterion for inclusion was thought to be influence – even within a particular genre – and for that reason many of the albums have been commercially successful as well as critically successful because they have then gone on to influence large numbers of bands or the music scene. Thus this differs from the Yearly Top Albums lists which do not take influence into account. In each article there was normally an interview with band members, a commentary on the album's release, a look at its initial success, and reaction from other musicians or participants in the album's creation - such as producers, engineers, and music video directors. Towards the end of this section's run it was renamed to "Throwback".

Album Artist Nationality Year Issue Guest Writer
The Shape of Punk to Come Refused
27 October 1998 #136, June 2010[27]
Jupiter Cave In
8 August 2000 #138, August 2010[28] Jacob Bannon of Converge
Weezer Weezer
10 May 1994 #139, September 2010[29][30] Gustav Woods of Young Guns
Smash The Offspring
8 April 1994 #140, October 2010[31] Frank Turner
White Pony Deftones
20 June 2000 #142, December 2010[32]
Jane Doe Converge
4 September 2001 #145, March 2011[33][34] Winston McCall of Parkway Drive
Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age
22 September 1998 #146, April 2011[35]
Hello Rockview Less Than Jake
6 October 1998 #149, July 2011[36]
Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation Funeral for a Friend
20 October 2003 #151, Summer 2011[37]
Tell All Your Friends Taking Back Sunday
26 March 2002 #152, September 2011[38]
Relationship of Command At the Drive-In
12 September 2000 #153, October 2011[39]
From Under the Cork Tree Fall Out Boy
3 May 2005 #155, December 2011[40]
New Found Glory New Found Glory
26 September 2000 #158, March 2012[41]
The Artist in the Ambulance Thrice
22 July 2003 #159, April 2012[42]
Good Mourning Alkaline Trio
13 May 2003 #160, May 2012[43]
Start Something Lostprophets
2 February 2004 #161, June 2012[44][45] Aled Phillips of Kids In Glass Houses
Ideas Above Our Station Hundred Reasons
20 May 2002 #162, July 2012[46][47] Rou Reynolds of Enter Shikari, Frank Turner
Suicide Season Bring Me the Horizon
29 September 2008 #164, Summer 2012[48] Sam Carter of Architects
A Fever You Can't Sweat Out Panic! at the Disco
27 September 2005 #165, September 2012[49] Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy
Mike Ferri of We Are the In Crowd
The Used The Used
25 June 2002 #166, October 2012[50] Chris Pennells of Deaf Havana
The Young and the Hopeless Good Charlotte
30 September 2002 #167, November 2012[51]
Alive or Just Breathing Killswitch Engage
21 May 2002 #168, December 2012[52] Matt Heafy of Trivium
Ascendancy Trivium
15 March 2005 #171, March 2013[53]
What It Is to Burn Finch
12 March 2002 #172, April 2013[54]
The Bronx The Bronx
26 August 2003 #173, May 2013[55]
Love Metal HIM
14 April 2003 #174, June 2013[56]
Infest Papa Roach
25 April 2000 #175, July 2013[57]
Tomorrow Come Today Boysetsfire
1 April 2003 #176, August 2013[58]
As the Palaces Burn Lamb of God
6 May 2003 #177, Summer 2013[59]
Bleed American Jimmy Eat World
24 July 2001 #178, September 2013[60]
Take to the Skies Enter Shikari
19 March 2007 #179, October 2013[61]
Miss Machine The Dillinger Escape Plan
20 July 2004 #180, November 2013[62]
Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness Coheed and Cambria
20 September 2005 #181, December 2013[63]
Gutter Phenomenon Every Time I Die
23 August 2005 #184, March 2014[64]
Perseverance Hatebreed
12 March 2002 #185, April 2014[65]
Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water Limp Bizkit
17 October 2000 #186, May 2014[66]
A Place in the Sun Lit
23 February 1999 #187, June 2014[67]
The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out Wait for Something Wild Sikth
18 August 2003 #188, July 2014[68]
Superunknown Soundgarden
8 March 1994 #189, August 2014[69]
Punk in Drublic NOFX
19 July 1994 #191, September 2014[70]
Hollow Crown Architects
26 January 2009 #192, October 2014[71]
Slaughter of the Soul At the Gates
14 November 1995 #193, November 2014[72]
Get Some Snot
27 May 1997 #197, March 2015[73]
Follow the Leader KoЯn
18 August 1998 #198, April 2015[74]
Crisis Alexisonfire
22 August 2006 #202, August 2015[75]
Nothing Personal All Time Low
7 July 2009 #203, Summer 2015
The Gift of Game Crazy Town
9 November 1999 #204, September 2015
Menace to Sobriety OPM
15 August 2000 #205, October 2015
This War Is Ours Escape the Fate
21 October 2008 #206, November 2015
Anthology Alien Ant Farm
6 March 2001 #207, December 2015
The Best in Town The Blackout
25 May 2009 #210, March 2016
Nightmare Anatomy Aiden
4 October 2005 #211, April 2016
Saosin Saosin
26 September 2006 #212, May 2016
Ocean Avenue Yellowcard
22 July 2003 #213, June 2016
Billy Talent Billy Talent
16 September 2003 #214, July 2016

Rock Sound Records

In 2019, Rock Sound introduced a new venture titled Rock Sound Records, a sub-brand of Rock Sound offering and distributing music in limited physical formats, such as cassette tapes and vinyl records. Generally, this involves the exclusive physical release of a record released by a band that's signed to a different (major) record label. For instance, the first Rock Sound Records release was a cassette tape version of Simple Creatures′ debut EP Strange Love, while the band is currently signed to BMG.[76]

Discography

# Artist Title Release date Format
1. Simple Creatures Strange Love 22 March 2019 [76] Cassette tape
2. PUP Morbid Stuff 27 March 2019 [77] Cassette tape
3. Boston Manor Welcome to the Neighbourhood 10 May 2019 [78] Cassette tape
4. Real Friends Even More Acoustic Songs 17 May 2019 [79] Vinyl record
5. Sum 41 Order in Decline 31 May 2019 [80] Cassette tape
6. Crown the Empire Sudden Sky 24 June 2019 [81] Vinyl record + magazine
7. Knocked Loose A Different Shade Of Blue 7 August 2019 [82] Cassette tape
8. Issues Beautiful Oblivion 12 August 2019 [83] Vinyl record
9. Waterparks Fandom 30 August 2019 Vinyl record + cassette tape
10. Grayscale Nella Vita 3 September 2019 Cassette tape

See also

References

Citations
  1. "Rock Sound Announces Fourth Consecutive ABC Increase". Rock Sound. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  2. Rock Sound France – Oasis Cover
  3. Rock Sound France – Marilyn Manson
  4. Rock Sound France – Choix Des Critiques
  5. Rock Sound Spain – Foo Fighters
  6. Rock Sound Spain – Rammstein
  7. Rock Sound – Covers 150
  8. "Meet The Winners Of The First Ever Rock Sound Awards! – News – Rock Sound Magazine". Rock Sound Magazine. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  9. Discogs – Rock Sound
  10. Rock Sound – Digital Compilation
  11. "Standard Certificate of Circulation: Rock Sound" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK). Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  12. "Standard Certificate of Circulation: Rock Sound" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK). Retrieved 2 October 2011.
  13. "Standard Certificate of Circulation: Rock Sound" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK). Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  14. "Consumer Magazines Combined Total Circulation Certificate: January to December 2013" (PDF). Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK). Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  15. "We Have Some Good News". Rock Sound. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  16. Rock Sound (9 February 2017). "Rock Sound Announces Fourth Consecutive ABC Increase". Rock Sound. Freeway Press Inc. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  17. Rockmusiclists RS 1999–2006
  18. RS MySpace Top 75 2006
  19. Reuben Forum RS Top 75 2007
  20. RS Top 75 2008
  21. RS Top 75 2009
  22. RS Top 75 2010
  23. RS Album of the Year Countdown 2011
  24. "The 50 Best Albums Of 2013 Part Five: 10 – 1". Rock Sound. 6 December 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  25. Bird, ed. 2015, p. 30
  26. "Introducing Your 2018 Rock Sound Awards Winners – News – Rock Sound Magazine". Rock Sound Magazine. Retrieved 2018-11-30.
  27. Rock Sound – June 2010
  28. Jupiter Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
  29. Rock Sound – September 2010
  30. Rock Sound – Blue Album Indicted Into Hall Of Fame
  31. Rock Sound – Smash Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
  32. Rock Sound – December 2010
  33. Rock Sound – March 2011
  34. Rock Sound – Jane Doe Inducted Into Hall Of Fame
  35. Rock Sound – April 2011
  36. Rock Sound – July 2011
  37. Rock Sound – Summer 2011
  38. Rock Sound – September 2011
  39. Rock Sound – October 2011
  40. Rock Sound – December 2011
  41. Rock Sound – March 2012
  42. Rock Sound – April 2012
  43. Rock Sound – May 2012
  44. Rock Sound Issue 161
  45. Rock Sound – June 2012
  46. Rock Sound Issue 162
  47. Rock Sound – July 2012
  48. Rock Sound Issue 164, p.54-57
  49. Rock Sound Issue 165, p.54-57
  50. Rock Sound Issue 166, p.48-51
  51. Rock Sound Issue 167, p.54-56
  52. Rock Sound Issue 168, p.46-49
  53. Rock Sound – March 2013
  54. Rock Sound – April 2013
  55. Rock Sound – May 2013
  56. Rock Sound – June 2013
  57. Rock Sound – July 2013
  58. Rock Sound – August 2013
  59. Rock Sound – Summer 2013
  60. Rock Sound – September 2013
  61. Rock Sound – October 2013
  62. Rock Sound – November 2013
  63. Rock Sound – December 2013
  64. Rock Sound – March 2014
  65. Rock Sound – April 2014
  66. Rock Sound – May 2014
  67. Rock Sound – June 2014
  68. Rock Sound – July 2014
  69. Rock Sound – August 2014
  70. Rock Sound – September 2014
  71. Rock Sound – October 2014
  72. Rock Sound – November 2014
  73. Rock Sound – March 2015
  74. Rock Sound – April 2015
  75. Rock Sound – August 2015
  76. GET YOUR WORLD EXCLUSIVE CASSETTE COPY OF SIMPLE CREATURES’ DEBUT EP FROM ROCK SOUND RECORDS
  77. There's only 500 of these PUP 'Morbid Stuff' cassettes in existence! Don't miss out – they're exclusively available from Rock Sound Records., from Twitter.
  78. Boston Manor Welcome to the Neighbourhood exclusively from Rock Sound Records
  79. World Exclusive Real Friends 'Even More Acoustic Songs' Variant
  80. ROCK SOUND RECORDS WORLD EXCLUSIVE: SUM 41’S ‘ORDER IN DECLINE’ ON CASSETTE
  81. Crown The Empire on Twitter
  82. Knocked Loose on Twitter
  83. Rock Sound on Twitter
Sources
  • Bird, Ryan, ed. (January 2015). "Top 50 Albums of the Year". Rock Sound. London: Freeway Press Inc. (195). ISSN 1465-0185.
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