''Musician'' was a monthly

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

that covered news and information about American

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

. Initially called ''Music America'', it was founded in 1976 by Sam Holdsworth and Gordon Baird. The two friends borrowed $20,000 from relatives and started the publication in a barn in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. Subtitled "The Art, Business and Technology of Making Music", it became known for its extended and thorough articles about the stars of rock music. ''Musician'' was not intended to be a fan magazine—the founders envisioned it as a publication about the musician's craft, and as a result, it earned it the respect of people in the music business. As Holdsworth told an interviewer in 2003, the magazine "created a level of trust that made the musicians feel they were talking with peers". In that same article, he said that ''Musician'' was also known for unearthing details that the average magazine did not—such as why a musician chose a particular brand of instrument, or what was the inspiration for a certain song. ''Musician'' never gained a wide following, although it had a devoted readership. The magazine was respected by critics for the quality of its writers; among the best-known writers for ''Musician'' were rock critic

Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, critic, author, and musician. He wrote for '' Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock music ...

and soon-to-be film director

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...

. It was later renamed ''Musician, Player & Listener'' and was headquartered in

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

. Due to the expense of running it, Holdsworth and Baird sold it in January 1981 to the company that owned ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine. Holdsworth and another company executive bought it back in 1985, and they ran it until selling it again in 1987. The magazine folded in 1999.

References

{{Reflist *

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

: ''Musician''. Gloucester, MA: Amordian Press, 1982–1999. ISSN 0733-5253. Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1976 Magazines disestablished in 1999 Magazines published in Colorado Magazines published in Massachusetts Monthly magazines published in the United States Music magazines published in the United States