The 30 Best Music Magazines in Germany - Ranking 2023

In this article we show you the 30 best music magazines in Germany. This includes well-known music blogs that—like music magazines—focus on editorial content about musicians & bands, movies and books. Music blogs that deal exclusively with topics about learning musical instruments or function more as guides are not part of this list.

Onto the ranking of the best music magazines

In order to rank the existing magazines in a top list without being subjective, we follow the Sistrix Visibility Index (SI) on the web (this resource is available only in German). The visibility index measures the success of a domain. Here, more than 100 million data points are queried and thus a ranking of all domains is determined. This value is considered the gold standard for SEO success measurements for over 10 years and is used by many respected media and journalists.

Top 30 Music Magazines in Germany

Rank	Name	URL	Year established	SI*	Tendent
1.	laut.de 🥇		1998	48,78
2.	Rolling Stone 🥈		1967	15,878
3.	Musikexpress 🥉		1969	12,817
4.	Bonedo		2007	9,503
5.	Metal Hammer		1983	5,598
6.	Hiphop.de		1998	4,182
7.	Tonspion		1999	2,334
8.	Rock Hard		1983	2,281
9.	Classic Rock		1998	0,771
10.	Diffus		2014	0,634
11.	Plattentests.de		1999	0,558
12.	Visions		1989	0,518
13.	mukken Magazine 🚀		2021	0,514
14.	MusikBlog		2012	0,491
15.	Groove		1989	0,473
16.	Faze Magazin		2012	0,393
17.	herzmukke		2016	0,358
18.	Rocks-Magazin		2007	0,327
19.	Backspin		1994	0,302
20.	eclipsed Rock Magazin		2014	0,211
21.	minutenmusik		2016	0,207
22.	Frontstage Magazine		2021	0,182
23.	Blokkbeats		2015	0,169
24.	bleistiftrocker.de		2017	0,157
25.	BurnYourEars		2004	0,152
26.	MusikMussMit		2010	0,148
27.	Testspiel.de		2007	0,134
28.	Pressure Magazine		2010	0,129
29.	Sonic Seducer		1994	0,076
30.	The Postie		2014	0,075

What exactly does a music magazine do?

A music magazine is considered a publisher for content around Reviews, News, Bands, Artists, and Concerts. The editorial teams (consisting of music journalists and bloggers) write music reviews and report about current music videos, movies and books. They also talk to artists and visit concerts and festivals for exciting insights and reviews.

Did you know? Many of the above-mentioned music magazines also offer their own music festivals, online portals, or radio shows in addition to the online & print magazine.

Why music magazines are still relevant in the digital age

Music has been a source of comfort, inspiration and joy for many people for centuries. It's no surprise that music lovers around the world seek authoritative sources of information about their favorite music genres and artists. As the digital age takes over our lives and streaming services dominate the music industry, the relevance of music magazines has been questioned. Nevertheless, the value of music magazines remains an important issue that is not limited to a specific age group or demographic.

Over the years, music magazines have been reliable sources of information about music history, trends and new releases. While the Internet is an excellent source of music-related content and news, music magazines offer listeners and readers a completely different perspective, providing in-depth features and interviews with artists, reviews of concerts & albums, and the opportunity to look behind the scenes. Music magazines continue to be authoritative and provide readers with trustworthy information. As the saying goes, "Don't believe everything you read online." Therefore, music magazines remain reliable sources of music-related information.

The rise of the best independent music magazines

Behind the major music magazines from Germany are often huge corporations such as Axel Springer SE or Musikhaus Thomann. Although mainstream music magazines offer reliable coverage, it is the independent music magazines that are becoming increasingly important for music reporting. They are often run by passionate authors & writers or independent publishers, which is why they are sometimes called "fanzines." These magazines have all the freedom to cover music and also tend to focus on lesser-known or more experimental artists. Some of the most popular independent music magazines are:

• Diffus
• MusikBlog
• mukken Magazine
• Herzmukke
• Picky Magazine
• minutenmusik
• Frontstage Magazine
• The Postie
• Untoldency
• Nicorola
• Kaput Magazin

Independent music magazines in particular offer a great contact point for newer artists & bands. The best thing to do is to look for the appropriate email of the editorial office and get in touch.

Did you know? The Corona crisis brought rap.de's huge online music magazine to its knees. Operations had to be shut down. This means the door is open for newcomer magazines from the hip-hop & rap sector.

The future of music journalism in print and digital formats

The rapidly changing digital landscape has led many people to question the future of print journalism, including music magazines. Yet print magazines still have a place in the world of music journalism. There is something special about flipping through the pages of a print magazine, reading articles and seeing photos and artwork in physical form. However, digital music magazines have become more prevalent over time. They offer the ability to easily access magazines on the go and are environmentally friendly. The reality is that music magazines, like many other print magazines, must adapt to the digital age to remain relevant. Music magazines that are not equally accessible in the future and do not map themselves optimally in the digital cosmos will not last. This is also the rising trend in the listing of the top music magazines in Germany in the table above.

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The music magazine from mukken

If we have forgotten an important act in the table, feel free to email us at redaktion@mukken.com. If you are also interested in music-related topics and are a passionate writer, feel free to get in touch. To get in touch with other musicians or to make new contacts, please visit our musician search. Here you will find like-minded people and a lot of great newcomers.