Rolling Stone
Jann Wenner borrowed seven thousand five hundred dollars from his family and the parents of his soon-to-be wife Jane Schindelheim to launch Rolling Stone in San Francisco. The first issue hit newsstands on the 9th of November 1967 with John Lennon wearing a Brodie helmet for the film How I Won the War on its cover. It was printed on tabloid-sized pulp newsprint and sold for twenty-five cents. Wenner described the magazine as not just about music but about the things and attitudes that music embraces. He named the publication after a Bob Dylan song at the suggestion of co-founder Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine distanced itself from underground newspapers like the Berkeley Barb while embracing traditional journalistic standards. Susan Lydon provided the slogan All the news that fits which appeared for the first time in 1969. Hunter S. Thompson began writing political pieces for the magazine in the early 1970s including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas published within its pages. The 21st of January 1970 issue covered the Altamont Free Concert and the killing of Meredith Hunter winning a Specialized Journalism award in 1971. David Dalton and David Felton interviewed Charles Manson in an L.A. County Jail awaiting trial for a thirty-thousand-word feature that won Rolling Stone its first National Magazine Award.
Kurt Loder joined Rolling Stone in May 1979 and spent nine years there including as editor. Timothy White arrived from Crawdaddy and David Fricke came from Musician to join the staff. Tom Wolfe proposed serializing his novel The Bonfire of the Vanities over biweekly issues from July 1984 to August 1985. Wenner offered Wolfe around two hundred thousand dollars for the serialization project. In 1985 they hired an advertising agency to refocus their image under the series Perception/Reality comparing Sixties symbols to those of the Eighties. This led to increased advertising revenue and more pages dedicated to entertainment. The magazine shifted toward covering celebrities films and pop culture while still keeping music as the main topic. It began releasing its annual Hot Issue during this period. By the 1990s the format changed to appeal to younger readers interested in youth-oriented television shows film actors and popular music. Critics argued the magazine emphasized style over substance during these changes. Michael Hastings and Matt Taibbi drove a resurgence of interest in the late 2000s with scathing reports on politics and finance. Taibbi described Goldman Sachs as a great vampire squid in December 2009. He documented illegal actions by banks in foreclosure courts after traveling to Jacksonville Florida and sitting in on hearings.
Advertising Age reported in September 2016 that Wenner was selling a forty-nine percent stake to BandLab Technologies from Singapore. The new investor had no direct involvement in editorial content. Penske Media Corporation acquired the remaining fifty-one percent in December 2017 making it a monthly magazine from the July 2018 issue. On the 31st of January 2019 Penske bought BandLab's stake gaining full ownership. The magazine experienced rapid rise during the 1970s followed by sharp decline into financial turmoil in the twenty-first century. A restaurant planned for Hollywood & Highland Center opened in February 2011 but closed in February 2013. In August 2025 Sean Woods and Shirley Halperin were named co-editors in chief with Halperin becoming head of music. Halperin is Rolling Stone's first female editor-in-chief. The publication launched a Chinese edition in January 2021 and a dedicated UK edition in September 2021. They announced acquisition of Life Is Beautiful in February 2022 stating live events are an integral part of their future. In 2023 they received nominations for Emmy awards and National Magazine Awards.
The Beatles have appeared on the cover more than thirty times either individually or as a band. The 22nd of January 1981 issue featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono has been called the Greatest Rolling Stone Cover Ever by Vanity Fair. Annie Leibovitz began running photographs in 1970 and became chief photographer in 1973. Her images appeared on more than one hundred forty covers throughout her tenure. The magazine spent one million dollars on a three-dimensional hologram cover for its thousandth issue released the 18th of May 2006. The first ten issues featured John Lennon Tina Turner The Beatles Jimi Hendrix Donovan Otis Redding Jim Morrison Janis Joplin Eric Clapton and the Monterey International Pop Festival. From 1973 onwards editions were produced on four-color press with different newsprint paper size. In 1980 it became gloss-paper large-format measuring ten by twelve inches. Editions switched to standard eight by eleven inch size starting the 30th of October 2008. Starting July 2018 it returned to the previous ten by twelve inch large format. In June 2024 the magazine was redesigned with new exclusive fonts and grittier paper stock.
In 2003 an article titled Bug Chasers claimed homosexuals who intentionally sought HIV infection accounted for twenty-five percent of new cases annually. Physicians cited later denied making such statements. An anti-vaccine article Deadly Immunity by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attracted criticism in 2005 for quoting material out of context. Rolling Stone amended the story with corrections following these criticisms. The August 2013 cover featuring Dzhokhar Tsarnaev drew widespread criticism for glamorizing terrorism. Boston mayor Thomas Menino sent a letter calling the cover ill-conceived at best. CVS Pharmacy Tedeschi Food Shops Walgreens Rite Aid Kmart and other retailers banned their stores from carrying that issue. On the 19th of November 2014 the magazine ran A Rape on Campus about alleged gang rape at University of Virginia. Separate inquiries revealed major errors omissions and discrepancies in the story. Managing editor Will Dana apologized on the 5th of December 2014 for not fact-checking the report. The magazine retracted the story on the 5th of April 2015 after an outside investigation uncovered journalistic failure. UVA associate dean Nicole Eramo filed seven point five million dollar defamation lawsuit in May 2015. A jury found Rolling Stone liable for defaming Eramo and awarded her three million dollars in November 2016. The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity filed suit for twenty-five million dollars and received one point six five million to settle out of court.
As of 2025 fifteen international editions operate worldwide with the first being Rolling Stone Australia launched in 1969. The latest is Rolling Stone Philippines launched in print in 2025. Other active editions include Argentina France Germany India Japan Korea Middle East North Africa and UK. Defunct versions existed in Bulgaria Canada Chile China Russia South Africa Turkey and Serbia-Croatia. In May 2016 Wenner Media announced plans to create Glixel dedicated to video game coverage. Gus Wenner told The New York Times that gaming is today what rock n roll was when Rolling Stone was founded. John Davison headed the site until June 2017 when offices closed and staff fired citing remote work difficulties. Brian Crecente became editorial director running it from New York. Following sale to Penske Media Corporation Glixel content merged into Variety publishing. The website underwent redesign the 19th of April 2010 featuring complete archives under a free-with-print-subscription model. Federated search feature launched spring 2012 searching both website and archive. Users cross-reference lists like 500 Greatest Albums and 500 Greatest Songs for biographical insights.
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Common questions
Who founded Rolling Stone and when was the first issue released?
Jann Wenner launched Rolling Stone in San Francisco with the first issue hitting newsstands on the 9th of November 1967. He borrowed seven thousand five hundred dollars from his family and Jane Schindelheim to start the publication.
What is the history of editorial controversies involving Rolling Stone?
Rolling Stone retracted a story about an alleged gang rape at University of Virginia on the 5th of April 2015 after an investigation found major errors. The magazine faced lawsuits resulting in three million dollars awarded to Nicole Eramo in November 2016 and a settlement of one point six five million dollars for the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
How has the physical format of Rolling Stone changed over time?
The magazine began as tabloid-sized pulp newsprint sold for twenty-five cents before switching to four-color press editions in 1973. It became gloss-paper large-format measuring ten by twelve inches in 1980 and returned to that size starting July 2018 after using standard eight by eleven inch sizes since October 2008.
When did Penske Media Corporation acquire full ownership of Rolling Stone?
Penske Media Corporation acquired the remaining fifty-one percent stake in December 2017 and bought BandLab Technologies' share on the 31st of January 2019 to gain full ownership. This acquisition made the publication a monthly magazine from the July 2018 issue onward.
Which international editions of Rolling Stone are currently active?
As of 2025 fifteen international editions operate worldwide including Australia launched in 1969 and Philippines launched in print in 2025. Other active editions include Argentina France Germany India Japan Korea Middle East North Africa and UK while versions in Bulgaria Canada Chile China Russia South Africa Turkey and Serbia-Croatia have been defunct.