Goldmine (magazine)
In September 1974, Brian Bukantis founded Goldmine in Fraser, Michigan. The magazine focused on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. That narrow focus opened onto a surprisingly wide world. Collectors interested in any corner of popular music had reason to pick up an issue. The writers, editors, and format decisions that carried the magazine through more than five decades each left their mark on what Goldmine became.
Rock, blues, soul, Americana, folk, new wave, punk, and heavy metal all fell within Goldmine's editorial reach. Each issue carried news articles, interviews, histories, and current reviews. The focus was on recording artists from the past and present alike. Discographies accompanied these features, listing all known releases by each artist covered. A collector researching an artist's output could use these discographies as a thorough reference. Dave Thompson and Harvey Kubernik were among the writers who contributed to Goldmine alongside a long-running succession of specialist editors.
Jeff Tamarkin served as Goldmine's editor from 1981 to 1996. Patrick Prince has edited the publication since 2015, with an earlier stint from 2010 to 2012. The contributors included Colin Escott, Gillian G. Gaar, David Nathan, Steve Roeser, Jay Jay French, Cub Koda, and Debbie Kruger. That roster brought specialist knowledge in music history to a publication covering an unusually wide range of genres and artists. The publication they contributed to would, in time, bear little resemblance to the newsprint tabloid it had been at the start.
The radical overhaul Goldmine eventually underwent brought in more color photography and more interviews. The magazine moved away from the old broadsheet and became a large, full-color, glossy publication. In 1977, the magazine moved from a bimonthly to a monthly publication schedule. That monthly frequency held for decades before the magazine returned to bimonthly publication at the beginning of 2022. Project M Media now publishes Goldmine from its New York headquarters.
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Common questions
Who founded Goldmine magazine and when was it established?
Brian Bukantis founded Goldmine in September 1974, launching the publication from Fraser, Michigan. The magazine focused from the start on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia.
What genres does Goldmine magazine cover?
Goldmine covers rock, blues, soul, Americana, folk, new wave, punk, and heavy metal. The magazine features recording artists from both the past and the present, with discographies listing all known releases.
Who edited Goldmine magazine from 1981 to 1996?
Jeff Tamarkin edited Goldmine from 1981 to 1996, a fifteen-year tenure. He was one of the magazine's most prominent editors in its history.
How has Goldmine magazine's format changed since its founding?
Goldmine originally printed on newsprint in a tabloid format. The magazine underwent a radical overhaul that introduced more color photography and more interviews, resulting in a large, full-color, glossy publication now produced by Project M Media.
How often is Goldmine magazine published?
Goldmine was published bimonthly from its founding until 1977, when it became a monthly publication. It returned to a bimonthly schedule at the beginning of 2022.
Who currently edits Goldmine magazine?
Patrick Prince has edited Goldmine since 2015. Prince also served as editor from 2010 to 2012, making him one of the magazine's longer-serving editors.
All sources
4 references cited across the entry
- 1BookEncyclopedia of the BluesEdward Komara — Psychology Press — 2005
- 3BrooklynVegan, Alt Press Hit With Mass LayoffsJazz Monroe — 2026-08-05
- 4GoldmineRock's Backpages