Spin
Spin music magazine covers all the bases, featuring both up-and-comers and full-fledged rock stars in the pages of its edgy, relevant and rather ground-breaking approach to the scene. Geared toward a younger, 20-something audience, Spin gets the scoop on what's making a name on the radio waves while staying ahead of the game in its pursuit of new, lesser-known icons. Their March 2011 cover spotlights Swedish indie rock artist Lykke Li, whose new album "Wounded Rhymes" is due out March 1 in the U.S. It also teases "The Insane Future of Rap" and "The Next Big Things," which include Esben and the Witch, MNDR and James Blake. Spin also boasts quite the impressive website, which goes green with a page-by-page online version of the magazine and keeps readers constantly in-the-know with side-bar features like "The Biggest Twitter Feuds of All Time." A two-year subscription of Spin is just $14.95, so go ahead and get in the music know.
Vogue
Vogue is a staple in the magazine world, covering high-end fashion and the lifestyle of the more affluent woman or man. Giving readers a preview of the coming year's hottest designers and their equally impressive lines, Vogue embodies the essence of the classy, upscale magazine. Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour has helped launch the magazine into a place of untouchable popularity with her harsh but golden persona, portrayed by Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006). March's cover features a high-fashion Lady Gaga, who has come to be known as an eclectic fashion icon, dressed in a plunging neckline and bob-cut, cotton candy pink wig. Promoting her new single "Born This Way," Gaga's cover and interview have helped bring Vogue back into the younger audience's view. Two years, or 24 issues of Vogue, is only $28 — quite a bargain for the size of the must-have mag.
AP
Alternative Press, or AP, magazine represents the more alternative end of the music spectrum. Covering a wide range of underrepresented genres like ska, electronic, dub, industrial and techno, AP has mastered its game with unsigned band features, artist Q&As and reader polls. AP magazine also stands alone in hosting its own nationwide music tour. Traveling from coast to coast, March through May, the 2011 AP tour lineup includes Black Veil Brides, Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows and Versaemerge. Alternative Press' website holds even more features than the magazine, and it houses online exclusives like podcasts with some favorite artists and a release calendar. AP magazine costs $28 for two years, or 24 issues.
Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan magazine, or Cosmo, is famous for its emphasis on women's sexuality, beauty and lifestyle. Geared toward the "fun fearless female," Cosmo is the go-to guide for tips on hair, makeup and relationships for women of (almost) all ages. It's a worldwide phenomenon, sold in over 100 countries and is the best-selling magazine in its class. Though it started in the late 1800s as a family-oriented magazine, it evolved into a women's magazine in the late 1960s. The magazine pushes the envelope, publishing explicit headlines and articles and unabashedly talking about subjects like oral sex and rape. Despite its controversial image, Cosmopolitan continues to be one of the most successful magazines in print today, flying off the shelves with its 26 issue subscription priced at just $28.
Garnet & Black
Though they only get enough funding for two print issues a year, the talented staff of Garnet & Black — USC's very own student-run magazine — have managed to fully encompass what it is to be a student at Carolina. Despite their tight budget, both print issues released this school year have come out looking just as good as any magazine stocked on a supermarket shelf. Superior design and innovative ideas have made both versions of G&B impressive, and adding in the intensive marketing campaign and release parties the publication puts on with every edition, G&B has taken school spirit and student talent to new levels.
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