Option (music magazine)

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Option
Issue #69, July/August 1996.
Executive editor	Scott Becker
Categories	Music magazine
Frequency	Bimonthly
Circulation	14500 (1989)[1] 27000 (1995)[2]
Publisher	Scott Becker
First issue	March-April 1985
Final issue — Number	July-August 1998 81
Company	Sonic Options Network Supersonic Media Inc.
Country	United States
Language	English
ISSN	0882-178X

Option (subtitled Music Alternatives, then Music Culture) was a music magazine based in Los Angeles, California.^[3]

Contents 1 History 2 Features 2.1 Covers 2.2 Subscription incentives 3 Staff 4 Spin-offs 4.1 UHF 4.2 Option.FM 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

Originally called OPtion, it, along with Sound Choice, were the dual successors to the earlier music magazine OP, published by John Foster and the Lost Music Network and known for its diverse scope and the role it played in providing publicity to DIY musicians in the midst of the cassette culture.^[4] When Foster ended OP after only twenty-six issues, he held a conference, offering the magazine's resources to parties interested in carrying on;^[5] attendant journalist David Ciaffardini went on to start Sound Choice, while Scott Becker, alongside Richie Unterberger, founded Option.^[6] Whereas Sound Choice was described as a low-budget and "chaotic" publication in spirit, Option was characterized as a "profit making operation" right at the start, meant to compete with the newly founded Spin.^[6]

The magazine began as a small press publication, described by the New Music Periodicals review of the Music Library Association as "encompassing rock, jazz, classical, and electronic forms".^[3] The New York Times noted its dedication to coverage of indie music releases, with each issue containing "hundreds" of reviews: "not all rock by any means, but it's hard to imagine the existence of Option before punk rock."^[7] The magazine used 40-50 unpaid reviewers at a time, few of whom were professional critics.^[1]

One given issue's musicians profiled included "New Orleans's proto-jazz outfit the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and bluesman Walter "Wolfman" Washington; Indian pop-traditionalist Najma; vanguard composer and pianist Cecil Taylor; Yugoslavia's ideological rockers, Laibach; Texas R&B veteran Doug Sahm; Brit dance funkateers Wolfgang Press".^[8] According to Becker, the editors conscientiously debated as to whether cover subjects such as Frank Zappa and Siouxsie & the Banshees were "too well known".^[1]

By the late 1980s, Option had built up a reputation for its coverage of alternative and underground music scenes, regardless of genre or nationality. The San Francisco Chronicle called it "the top all-round music mag in the States today" in terms of "covering music from anywhere but the mainstream",^[9] and The Washington Post called it the "best" for "a broader spectrum of contemporary music".^[8] In 1989, the magazine had subscribers in 26 countries outside the United States.^[1] The advertising section was largely dedicated to small record labels; in 1997, Becker stated that advertising remained affordable to such companies due to the magazine keeping to a small circulation (27000 at the time).^[10]

1995 saw a graphical re-design of the magazine, focused mainly on improving readability. The logo typeface was changed to Frutiger, interior text was limited to Garamond and Triplex from the more eclectic mixture used previously, and the subtitle became instead Music Culture.^[2] These changes took place in the 10th anniversary issue (March/April 1995). On the elimination of the "alternatives" tag, Becker commented, in that issue's editorial and elsewhere, that "alternative" had been reduced to a "marketing platform" in culture and the media,^[11] becoming "watered down": "The sense that 'alternative' means 'other' - or 'all' - music is lost."^[12]

In July 1998, Becker announced that Option would go on hiatus, in order to consider the issues of finances and online competition;^[13] however, the July/August issue proved to be its last. The Los Angeles Times later attributed the end of the magazine to a mid-1990s jump in the price of paper, which the size of the publication could not accommodate for.^[14]

[edit] Features

[edit] Covers

Early issues of Option were numbered alphabetically: as the twenty-six issues of OP were numbered A-Z, Option was published starting from issue #A2. Issue #S2 (March/April 1988) ended this system, and subsequent issues were numbered from #20 onwards. In addition, just as OP used the letter of each issue as a theme, selecting musicians and topics named beginning with that issue's letter, early lettered issues of Option also carried on this practice.

Artists who have appeared multiple times on the cover of Option include Brian Eno, on #E2 (November/December 1985) and #37 (March/April 1991); Sonic Youth, on #G2 (March/April 1986) and #79 (March/April 1998); and Meat Puppets, on #R2 (January/February 1988) and #64 (September/October 1995). Issue #64 also featured a non-music headline banner, covering the death of Cesar Rene Arce.

The cover of the final issue, #81, featured Elliott Smith.

[edit] Subscription incentives

In the mid-1990s, Option included various record label sampler CDs with subscriptions. These included Particle Theory: A Compendium of Lightspeed Incursions and Semiotic Weapons From Warner/Reprise (Reprise Records, 1993)^[15] and No Balls (4AD, 1995).^[16]

[edit] Staff

Scott Becker was Option's publisher for its entire history. Following its closure, he has since become a full-time artist.^[17]

Richie Unterberger served as editor from 1985 to mid-1991, and subsequently became a major contributor to All Music Guide.^[18]

Mark Kemp succeeded Unterberger as editor from 1991 onwards, until being hired by Rolling Stone as an editor in 1996.^[19] His successor, Jason Fine, was also hired by Rolling Stone a year later,^[10] and remains there to date. He was followed at Option by Steve Appleford for most of 1997. Becker then edited the final two issues of the magazine himself with the assistance of senior editor Erik Pedersen.

[edit] Spin-offs

[edit] UHF

In January 1995, Sonic Options Network launched UHF (Ultra High Frequency), an alternative fashion magazine, after including it in Option itself as a supplement for two issues,^[20] starting in June 1994.^[21] The magazine targeted ages ranging from teens to 20s, focusing on concerns such as affordability; early issues were distributed at Urban Outfitters outlets.^[22] Later, in 1997, Becker characterized the launch as a failure.^[10]

[edit] Option.FM

Option.FM was an electronic dance music compilation album released in conjunction with Moonshine Records in 1998. Tracks were selected by Moonshine president Steve Levy and Becker, who wrote the liner notes to the album. A second volume, planned to be released within the year,^[23] never materialized.

1. "Westway" – Dub Pistols
2. "I Am the Freshmaka" – The Freshmaka
3. "We All Want to Be Free" (Skull Valley dub) – Tranquility Bass
4. "Why?" (DJ Vadim remix) – Gus Gus
5. "You Don't Get Me" (Urban Takeover mix) – Espiritu
6. "Frequency 019" – Snow
7. "Children of Summer" – Color Filter
8. "Ballet Mechanique" – DJ Spooky with Burro Banton
9. "Banano's Bar" – Plastilina Mosh
10. "Halfway Around the World" – Thievery Corporation
11. "Billy Club" (original) – Junkie XL
12. "Madness" (DJ Dara remix) – Keoki
13. "Neon Ray" – Lunatic Calm

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• "The Last of the Independents: Five Music Magazines That Mattered"
• Entry at RoJaRo
• Entry at WorldCat

[edit] External links

• Searchable index at FuzzLogic.com