RPM (magazine)

RPM (magazine)
source
Title	RPM
Frequency	Weekly
Category	Music magazine
Firstdate	1964
Finaldate	2000
Country	Canada
Language	English

RPM (magazine) was a Canadian music publication that operated as a weekly trade and consumer magazine, tracking popular music, broadcasting, and record sales. Founded in the 1960s, it became a principal source for chart positions, industry news, and artist promotion across Canada, influencing radio programmers, record labels, and artists. Over its multi-decade run RPM intersected with major figures, institutions, and events in popular music and Canadian cultural policy.

History

RPM was established in 1964 amid the rise of popular music scenes tied to figures and movements such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Motown, and the British Invasion. Its founders and editors engaged with Canadian institutions including CBC Radio, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Maple Leaf Gardens, and record companies like Capitol Records, EMI, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. During the 1970s and 1980s RPM documented developments tied to artists associated with Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, The Band, and festivals such as the Mariposa Folk Festival and Festival Express. RPM covered industry shifts involving formats and technologies championed by companies such as RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Sony Music Entertainment, and trends illustrated by acts like Madonna, Prince, U2, and Michael Jackson. The magazine tracked Canadian content policies shaped by politicians and regulators related to Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney, and decisions influenced by hearings at the CRTC. Over the 1990s RPM chronicled the emergence of alternative and indie scenes tied to labels like Matador Records, Sub Pop, Nettwerk Records, and artists such as The Tragically Hip, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, and Barenaked Ladies.

Format and content

RPM published weekly charts, feature articles, interviews, reviews, and industry news covering broadcasters, retailers, and promoters associated with venues like The Palladium (New York City), Maple Leaf Gardens, and clubs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. Regular cover subjects included acts such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Kurt Cobain, Pearl Jam, and Radiohead. The publication ran columns referencing trade events like the Juno Awards, Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and the Canadian Music Week conference. RPM’s format reflected contemporaneous magazine practices seen in titles such as Billboard (magazine), NME, Rolling Stone (magazine), and Melody Maker, blending chart reportage with artist profiles on performers like Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Bryan Adams, Gordon Lightfoot, and Anne Murray.

Circulation and influence

RPM’s circulation reached music industry professionals at radio stations including CFNY-FM, CHUM-FM, CHEZ-FM, CITI-FM, and major broadcasters within networks like CBC Television, CTV Television Network, and Global Television Network. Its charts informed playlists at stations, record store stocking decisions at chains such as HMV (Canada), and A&R strategies at labels including Arista Records, Island Records, Polydor Records, and Atlantic Records. RPM’s influence extended to policymaking conversations involving cultural advocates such as Morris Levy-era executives, artist organizations like SOCAN, and guilds including Canadian Actors' Equity Association when intersections between broadcasting and music business policy arose. International publications and databases, including Billboard and the Guinness World Records, referenced RPM data for Canadian chart history.

Notable contributors and columns

Writers, editors, and columnists who contributed to RPM included journalists and critics engaged with scenes tied to figures like Lester Bangs-era criticism, profiles reminiscent of pieces on John Lennon, and trade reporting akin to that of Ethan Smith-style coverage. RPM featured interviews and columns about artists and industry leaders such as Randy Bachman, Daniel Lanois, Bruce Cockburn, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and executives from Capitol Records and Warner Music Group. Regular departments covered chart analysis, single and album reviews, and industry notices used by program directors at stations like CKLW and CHUM (AM). Guest columns occasionally came from promoters, producers, and managers associated with names such as Quincy Jones, Phil Spector, Garth Richardson, and Bob Ezrin.

Awards and chart publications

RPM compiled a variety of charts including singles, albums, country, adult contemporary, dance, and alternative rankings modeled after charts in Billboard (magazine) and responding to trends shown by artists such as Madonna, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, R.E.M., and Nirvana. RPM's year-end charts and awards coverage intersected with ceremonies like the Juno Awards and international honors such as the Grammy Awards. The magazine’s chart methodology informed certifications and milestones recognized by institutions like Music Canada (formerly CRIA) and was cited in biographies and retrospectives of artists including Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, and Shania Twain.

Closure and legacy

RPM ceased publication in 2000, a closure that coincided with industry-wide shifts tied to digital distribution efforts involving Napster (file sharing service), changes at major labels including Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, and evolving chart measurement protocols developed by companies like Nielsen SoundScan. The magazine’s archives remain a primary source for historians, biographers, and institutions researching Canadian popular music history involving The Tragically Hip, Rush (band), Arcade Fire, Drake (musician), and others. RPM’s charts and reporting are preserved in libraries, private collections, and referenced in works about Canadian cultural policy, music scenes, and artist careers associated with venues, labels, and events chronicled throughout its run.

Category:Canadian music magazines