Music Express (abbreviated ME on later covers) is a Canadian music magazine.[1] Published as a print magazine from 1976 to 1996, it ceased operations that year but has since been relaunched as an online magazine.[2]
History and profile
Founded in 1976 as Alberta Music Express by Keith Sharp,[1] it was renamed Music Express in 1978 for most of its run,[1] also becoming Rock Express for the duration of 1986 to 1988.[1] Initially published in a tabloid format, it adopted the magazine format in 1982.[1]Music Express primarily covered rock and pop music, with a focus on Canadian music; during the 1980s, its distribution expanded to the United States, with a corresponding U.S. edition produced.[1] It was distributed via exclusive deals with various record store chains, including Kelly's Records in Western Canada and A&A Records in Eastern Canada.[3]
Losing its distribution companies in the 1990s,[3] the magazine was renamed Impact in 1993, finally ending in 1996.[1] Meanwhile, Sharp founded the music and lifestyle magazine ACCESS in 1994, which continues today.[1]
In 2012, Sharp relaunched Music Express in its current online magazine format.[2] Sharp published Music Express: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Canada's Music Magazine, a book about the magazine's history, with Dundurn Press in April 2014. The book also featured a foreword by Alan Frew, the lead singer of Canadian rock band Glass Tiger.