BC-based RockStar Weekly has released the debut issue of RockStar Magazine in a unique digital-only edition.
Next week, it will launch its new online music network by broadcasting 10,000 songs without talk or ads.
RockStar Weekly publisher Dan Savoie says he plans to take the multi-platform title to the masses and "make it a fixture in Canadian pop culture. Whether it's music, movies, television or anyone with a good story to tell, it's time for Canada to showcase its amazing RockStars."
Featuring a dual-cover with both front and back images, the downloadable debut features Dancing With The Stars Season 13 winning dance coach Karina Smirnoff, while the flipside rocks with Canadian singer/songwriter Sam Roberts.
Going forward, the publisher plans subsequent bi-monthly issue releases in digital media, print and mini-CD subscription formats. Social media integration supports audience contact and interaction.
The magazine will feature a self-imposed minimum 50 per cent Canadian content, and Savoie says there will always be a Canuck featured on at least one of the two covers.
He told Mediacaster Magazine in an e-mail exchange that the first weekend of RockStar availability saw more than 2,450 magazine copies sold.
"That has far exceeded our digital expectations, especially for a first issue of an untested magazine. We look forward to greater times once the second issue is released in both print and all electronic formats (it's compatible with Apple and Android devices). The magazine [is now] available on the Amazon Kindle, too" he noted.
Savoie's excitement extends to the launch of RockStar Weekly Radio, planned for February 15, 2012. The new service will build on a companion weekly radio show, now airing on community stations in British Columbia on CKCL (Cranbrook) and The Arrow 107.1 (Nakusp) and Ontario on CILU 102.7 FM (Thunder Bay) and 100.9 Canoe FM (Haliburton).
RockStar Weekly is a SOCAN member, Savoie added, and its pays royalties through Tariff 22F.
The debut issue's cover was photographed by fashion and celebrity photographer Volker Fleck. In the story, Smirnoff reveals that the TV show was so stressful on her body that she sometimes found it necessary to get cortisone shots to keep going.
Also featured in the issue are Canadian rock n' roll DJ and VJ Terry David Mulligan, Vancouver fashion designer Brittany Wacher, The Joy Formidable and new punk rock/pop diva Porcelain Black, voted to the top of the RockStar Weekly list of the Top 12 RockStars To Watch In 2012.
For more Mediacaster Magazine coverage related to this topic, please see:
New On-demand Digital Music Services Launching in Canada
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/news/new-on-demand-digital-music-services-launching-in-canada/1000872710/
Streaming Video Plays Big Role in New Online Music Show
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/news/streaming-video-plays-big-role-in-new-online-music-show/1000884096/