Magazine
"ALARM succeeds over the online portals — and the coffee-table mags fronting for event planners — because they eschew elitism for inclusion. Everything from the writing to the art to the physical design is inviting.
"The participants genuinely want to share their discoveries with enthusiasm, as opposed to keeping them buried under a veneer of smug hipster fronting." – Jason Pettigrew, Alternative Press
Subscribe to ALARM and receive four massive book-style publications each year, spotlighting innovative underground musicians and artists that are neglected by mainstream and independent media alike.
For a limited time, save 64% off the cover price via our yearly subscriptions.
Founded in 1995 by independent publisher Chris Force, ALARM has stood for nearly 15 years as a bastion of freethinking music and art, unconstrained by the mainstream marketplace.
From our headquarters in a small Chicago office, along with a cast of contributing writers spread across the country, we listen to thousands of CDs, view hundreds of gallery openings, and attend lectures and live concerts in order to present inspirational artists who are fueled by an honest and contagious obsession with their art.
In ALARM, you'll find heavy-metal Japanese-American shamisen masters rub elbows with genre-bending Brooklyn rappers; you'll see Nigerian Afrobeat dissidents next to Norwegian jazz-prog experimentalists and antagonistic punk rockers.
Wooden sci-fi sculptures share magazine space with graffiti made of light; profiles about green touring and concert lighting designers are just pages from books about anti-war quotes and Russian propaganda posters.
Inside, you will discover artists that you won't find anywhere else — and that is because you also won't find any investors, corporate influences, or boundaries.
Subscribe to ALARM — save 64% off the cover price!
These dynamic musicians, unorthodox visual artists, and enlightening underground books and DVDs are the fuel that drives ALARM's tireless editors and international cast of contributors.
ALARM's exceptional cast has contributed to New York Public Radio, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Nickelodeon, MTV.com, and more.
In this age of media deregulation and conglomeration, independently owned magazines are ever more important in maintaining a vibrant and stimulating culture and a free society. They're also increasingly threatened.
With airwaves awash in pop princesses, focus-grouped songs, vapid DJs, and computer-selected tunes, independent music is reliant upon college radio stations, friendly venues, small record stores, and publications like ALARM to connect with listeners.
Independent music and arts journalism gives emerging artists the coverage that they need to provide the public with innovative, exciting, and challenging work that is the lifeblood of a healthy society.
ALARM's continued success depends on its readers — you.
