Remember Creem magazine? That rock 'n' roll news source around during the 60s, 70s, and 80s that competed against Rolling Stone? Well, it's time to thank the music gods, because the media company has been resurrected.
Creem has relaunched as a website and quarterly print magazine. The new site features an archive of every issue from the magazine’s original 1969-1989 run and a weekly newsletter called “Fresh Creem.” Print magazines are set to launch in the fall, with plans to expand into a full-on entertainment company down the line.
Chairman JJ Kramer – the son of the original Creem co-founder and publisher Barry Kramer – is heading up the new Creem Entertainment alongside CEO John Martin (a former Vice publisher) and Jaan Uhelszki (one of Creem’s original editors). Editorial staff for the new Creem magazine includes vice president of content Fred Pessaro, senior editor Maria Sherman, and editor at large Zachary Lipez.
Founded in Detroit, Michigan, Creem earned a reputation throughout the 1970s and 80s for helping promote local rock artists like the Stooges, MC5, and Alice Cooper. Prominent contributors to the original magazine include Lester Bangs, Robert Christgau, Patti Smith, Cameron Crowe, Greil Marcus, and Dave Marsh. The magazine was also heavily featured in the plot of the popular historical fiction movie Almost Famous (2000).
This isn't the first attempt to reboot Creem. In 1988, New York publisher Arnold Levitt purchased the rights to the magazine and licensed the intellectual property in the 90s to a group of Florida investors. They unsuccessfully attempted to relaunch the title as a glossy bimonthly. Photographer and former Creem contributor Robert Matheu also attempted a reboot with his cousin Jason Turner and a Michigan businessman Ken Kulpa. Unfortunately, they failed to secure investors and were plagued by legal disputes.
Creem’s digital archive, which includes 224 issues and 69,000 photos, articles, and reviews, can be accessed with a 30-day free trial until August, when it will be bundled with subscriptions to the print magazine. You can find subscription plans here.
Check out Creem's revival announcement video below.
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Article Image: The 1971 Creem logo over an orange background. (Creem.com [Available through Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons.)
