Underground music in Off Licence magazine
Based in Brighton, Off Licence magazine focuses on the artists, venues, and organisations that are the lifeblood of underground music. It started as an A5 zine in 2018, and since then it has expanded and evolved, becoming a bona fide perfect bound magazine, and adding on a radio show, and regular club nights at home in Brighton and across the UK.
But when I spoke with editor-in-chief Greg Stanley for our latest Stack Magazine Club, he says that it all started by accident. He knew early on that he wanted to be a journalist (“once I realised I wasn’t going to be a professional footballer, or commentator”), but he didn’t have any contacts in the industry, and wasn’t sure how to make a start. He loved going to underground gigs and started writing about them, and in 2017 he pulled out of a Masters, deciding instead to spend his student loan on publishing the first issue of his own music magazine.
What started as a simple response to the music has gained a more principled rationale, as he realised that Off Licence could play a part in helping independents to survive in difficult conditions. And he succeeded in persuading the Arts Council of that, securing backing from the Supporting Grassroots Music fund in the wake of the pandemic.
Importantly, he was able to use that cash as a springboard, putting on shows across the country, but also bringing on more people to work on the magazine, and approaching brands to set up partnerships. He’s clear that none of it is easy, and Off Licence magazine is still just about getting by, but it’s also evidence of a print magazine being used for clear social good, and succeeding on its own terms.
I hope you’ll enjoy the video of our conversation below. If you’d like to have magazines like Off Licence delivered to you every month, sign up for our surprise subscription, and we’ll start sending our selection to you. And then of course you can join our Magazine Club calls to hear from the editors, publishers and designers yourself.
