Paste (magazine)

The magazine was founded[4][5] as a quarterly in July 2002 and was owned[6] by Josh Jackson,[7] Nick Purdy,[8][9] and Tim Regan-Porter.[10][11][12] It later switched to a bimonthly format. In 2005, Paste fulfilled remaining subscriptions for the competing magazine Tracks, which had ceased publishing its print edition. Paste became a monthly with its August 2006 issue.

For two years in the mid-2000s, Paste had a weekly segment on CNN Headline News called "Paste Picks", wherein editors would recommend new albums and films every Tuesday.

In October 2007, the magazine tried the "Radiohead" experiment, offering new and current subscribers the ability to pay what they wanted for a one-year subscription to Paste.[13][3] The subscriber base increased by 28,000, but Paste president Tim Regan-Porter noted the model was not sustainable; he hoped the new subscribers would renew the following year at the current rates and the increase in web traffic would attract additional subscribers and advertisers.[14]

Amidst an economic downturn, Paste began to suffer from lagging ad revenue,[15] as did other magazine publishers in 2008 and 2009.[3] On May 14, 2009, Paste editors announced a plan to save the magazine, by pleading to its readers, musicians and celebrities for contributions.[16] Cost-cutting by the magazine did not stem the losses.[17] The main crux cited for the financial troubles was the lack of advertiser spending.[3]

In 2009, Paste launched an hour-long TV pilot for Halogen TV called Pop Goes the Culture.[18]

On August 31, 2010, Paste suspended the print magazine, but continues publication as the online PasteMagazine.com.[3][19]

From 2011 to 2016, Paste offered a digital subscription service, covering music, movies, TV, comedy, books, video games, design, tech, food and drink. Each issue included a digital version of the Paste Sampler with seven new songs each week. In 2017, Paste launched a new, large-format print magazine with an accompanying vinyl sampler, but it was discontinued after just two issues.

Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture".[20] Paste's initial focus was music, covering a variety of genres with an emphasis on adult album alternative, Americana and indie rock, along with independent film and books. Each issue originally included a CD music sampler but was dropped in favor of digital downloading as a Going-Green initiative. Featured artists included Paul McCartney, Ryan Adams, Blackalicious, Regina Spektor, The Whigs, Fiona Apple, The Decemberists, Mark Heard, Woven Hand, Milton and the Devils Party,[21] Liam Finn, The Trolleyvox, and Thom Yorke. Many of these artists also contributed to the Campaign to Save Paste.[22]

Paste added video game coverage in 2006 and has since expanded to include television, comedy, drinks (primarily craft beer), politics, travel and tech. The site streams original music performances daily from its studios in Atlanta and New York.

Paste has been recording live performances since 2006, first in its office in Decatur, Ga., and then in its Manhattan studio location beginning in 2016. In 2015, Paste added several collections of archival live audio and video to its website. Performances may be streamed for free at the site or on the Paste Music & Daytrotter app, launched in late 2017. In 2019, Paste opened a second studio in Downtown Atlanta.

In 2005, Paste was listed at #21 on the Chicago Tribune's list of "50 Best Magazines"; it appeared on the list again in 2007.[23] Paste was also named "Magazine of the Year" by the PLUG Independent Music Awards in 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2008, 2009 and 2010, Paste was nominated for a National Magazine Award in the category of General Excellence, and in 2010, associate editor Rachael Maddux' writings were nominated for Best Reviews.

• Kessler, John (July 12, 2009). "Alt-rock editor fights to keep Paste off life support". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2020.

• Official website