ACP Magazines will publish music bible Rolling Stone magazine in a
masthead swap deal with new specialist publisher WolseleyMedia.

WolseleyMedia, which recently acquired Next Media, will add ACP
magazines’ Tracks and Waves to its portfolio. The two surfing titles
were part of the EMAP Australia portfolio acquired by ACP Magazines in
September 2007.

ACP Magazines’ chief executive officer Scott Lorson said the company
had been keen to add a music magazine to its stable of leading titles
and there was a natural fit for WolseleyMedia to publish Tracks and
Waves.

“Rolling Stone is the world’s premier music title with iconic status,
credibility and best-in-class journalism. We are looking forward to
investing in the same editorial quality locally and working closely
with the Australian music industry as well as covering international
music,” Lorson said.

He added the title offered clear synergies with PBL Media’s Nine Network, Ticketek, and ACER Arena.

Rolling Stone is published in the US and celebrated 40 years of
publishing in November 2007. Founded by Jann S. Wenner in San
Francisco, Rolling Stone covers everything that is important,
trend-setting and newsworthy to the tastemakers among young adults.

The Australian edition of Rolling Stone has a readership of 300,000
(Roy Morgan January to December 2007) and a circulation of 27,051 (ABC
July to December 2007).

Peter Holder from ACP Magazines’ Men’s Lifestyle Division will be the publisher of Rolling Stone.

Completion of the swap is expected shortly.

The question is, is ACP edgy enough to maintain the sex, drugs and rock n roll feel of such an iconic mag? Marketing is undecided…