• News

• All

Nov 20, 2023 By Mark Redfern

Under the Radar is having its annual Black Friday Sale starting now and continuing through Friday, December 1. This year we’re offering 35% off all print subscriptions and 50% off all back issues, including our current issue. Our 20th Anniversary Covers of Covers album on CD is 35% off (plus there’s a bundle with the 20th Anniversary Issue and Covers of Covers that’s 30% off). No promo codes are needed.

At Under the Radar, we’ve remained steadfast in our commitment to celebrating the vibrant and ever-evolving indie rock music scene. With our print magazine and website, we continue to provide in-depth coverage, exclusive interviews, and insightful features that delve into the fascinating world of independent music.

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of bringing our readers some of the most compelling content. From being the last magazine to interview the incomparable Elliott Smith before his tragic passing to introducing you to then rising talents like Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, and Wet Leg, we’ve remained at the forefront of discovering and showcasing exceptional artists.

We need your help to fund future print issues of Under the Radar. Unfortunately, advertising alone doesn’t cut it anymore, so we are pivoting to relying much more on new subscriptions and back issue sales to get our upcoming issues off to press. It costs as much as $10,000.00 to print and ship each issue, so every new subscription or back issue sale helps us reach that goal. Even if you’re already a subscriber, perhaps there are some back issues you missed or you could buy a gift subscription for a friend or family member.

By subscribing to Under the Radar, you’ll not only connect with the music you love but also discover the joy of holding a beautifully crafted print magazine in your hands. As one of the few remaining print publications dedicated to indie rock music, we’re committed to providing you with a tactile and immersive reading experience that digital platforms simply cannot replicate.

With this sale a four-issue U.S. and Canadian subscription is only around $12.35 (usually it’s $18.99). Each issue also includes a free download sampler featuring at least 38 MP3s, as well as all the interviews and reviews. Every print subscription comes with free access to the digital version of the magazine (for smart phones and tablets) and every digital issue includes extra content not found in print, such as extra photos and/or interviews and/or reviews.

So for $12.35 not only are you getting four issue’s worth of America’s best print music magazine delivered to both your door and your smart phone/tablet, but also around 152 free MP3s when the four samplers are taken into account! Talk about value for money.

Eight-issue U.S. and Canadian subscriptions are $21.45 vs. the regular $32.99. A four-issue international subscription is now $27.95 compared to the regular $42.99 and an eight-issue international subscription is now $55.99 vs. $85.99 (that’s a savings of $30.00).

Back issues are only $3.00, versus the usual $6.00, so it’s a great time to stock up on some classic issues you may have missed, such as this year’s Issue 71 featuring Weyes Blood on the cover, last year’s My Favorite Movie Issue, 2022’s double 20th Anniversary Issue, 2021’s The Protest Issue (with Japanese Breakfast and HAIM on the covers), 2019’s My Favorite Album Issue (with Angel Olsen and Sleater-Kinney on the two covers), 2011’s 10th Anniversary Issue (featuring Joanna Newsome and Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold on the cover together), 2011’s Music vs. Comedy Issue (in which musicians and comedians interviewed each other, including Patton Oswalt vs. St. Vincent, David Cross vs. Wayne Coyne, Nick Offerman vs. Iron & Wine, and Aziz Ansari vs. TV on the Radio), 2009’s Best of the Decade Issue, and most of our older Protest Issues (where we examined the intersection of music and politics, with the issues from 2008, 2012, and 2016 still available). If you want to dive deep into the magazine’s history, we still have some rare copies of 2003’s issue #5 (featuring interviews with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Belle and Sebastian, Spiritualized, Broadcast, Broken Social Scene, Super Furry Animals, and more) available.Our recent print covers have featured acclaimed artists such as Sharon Van Etten, Kamasi Washington, Angel Olsen, Ezra Furman, HAIM, Mitski, boygenius, Moses Sumney, Phoebe Bridgers, and many more.

We’ve said it time and time again, but print music magazines are an endangered species these days. Most of the magazines that were around when we started have either gone out of business (Filter, Harp, Blurt, Devil in the Woods, Death and Taxes, etc.) or switched to online-only (Magnet, Paste, etc.). We feel there is still something to be said for creating a more permanent journalistic record, as opposed to a homepage that will simply be updated with more disposable content hours later. We are in the business of creating well thought-out and memorable print magazines that take days or weeks to read and can be collected. If you’ve read this far, then that’s hopefully something you’re interested in supporting as well. Under the Radar has made it work in part thanks to loyal subscribers and readers.

We are in a continued time of mass media consolidation, where many other music magazines and websites are owned by bigger corporations, and where there are hardly any print music magazines left in America, certainly not ones who reliably cover indie rock music (and associated subgenres). A truly independent print magazine such as Under the Radar, one that is not beholden to corporate interests and that covers the music we’re honestly passionate about, depends very much on subscriptions and back issue sales to continue printing. Advertising is simply not enough these days. So if you’d like to see us continue then please support us this holiday season and also take advantage of these great limited deals.

Most regular issues of Under the Radar feature:

In-depth interviews with 20 to 30 different musical artists.

Reviews of 20 to 30 new albums to keep you informed and inspired.

A free download sampler featuring around 38 handpicked songs.

Our recent print covers have featured acclaimed artists such as Weyes Blood, Sharon Van Etten, Kamasi Washington, Angel Olsen, Ezra Furman, HAIM, Mitski, boygenius, Moses Sumney, Phoebe Bridgers, and many more.

For Black Friday discounts on print and digital subscriptions go here and for 50% off all print back issues go here.

The sale runs from now through to Friday, December 1 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Also, if you’d like to support Under the Radar in other ways you can sign up to our crowd-funding Patreon page for a regular monthly donation, starting as low as only $1.00. You’ll get access to some exclusive content. Having more regular funds would help us enormously in our quest to cover even more bands, review even more albums, and put out the best print music magazine we can.

Keep in mind that all print subscriptions start with our next issue, Issue 72 (currently due out in late December/early January), and if you subscribe for four issues then you will receive our next four issues, regardless of when they come out, meaning that you aren’t buying a one-year subscription, but a four-issue one. If you want our last issue, Issue 71, you’ll have to order it separately, it won’t be included in the subscription.

We have an exciting special issue we’ve been working on for a couple of years that we will be announcing soon, along with other issues planned for 2024 and 2025.

Join us in celebrating the vibrant world of indie rock and stay ahead of the curve with Under the Radar as your trusted guide. Buy a back issue or subscribe now and seize this incredible opportunity to save while staying connected to the artists shaping the musical landscape.

As with every year, we are very thankful for our lovely readers and hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Subscribe here.

Buy back issues here.