Living Blues
Living Blues is a privately held bimonthly blues music magazine, founded in 1970 at the University of Mississippi, that serves blues enthusiasts, radio stations, and independent labels through print and digital subscriptions, the annual Living Blues Awards, and global radio charts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1970
- HeadquartersUniversity, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Living Blues does
Living Blues is a privately held bimonthly blues music magazine founded in 1970 and headquartered at the University of Mississippi's South Oxford Center in University, Mississippi. It publishes in print and digital formats, featuring artist profiles, record reviews (new releases and reissues), monthly radio charts, an annual Top 50 Blues Albums list, blues festival guides, blues news, obituaries, and book reviews. The magazine is best known as the publisher of the annual Living Blues Awards (Critics' and Readers' Polls) — now in its 33rd year — and as the compiler of the Living Blues Radio Charts, which aggregate monthly playlists from 80+ radio stations across the US, Canada, Australia, France, Italy, and Spain.
The product portfolio centers on the magazine itself (current Issue #303, July/August 2026) supported by a deep back-issue archive of 306 issues spanning 1970 to present. Underlying technology is a conventional content-publishing stack: WordPress-based website at livingblues.com, subscription fulfillment via SimpleCirc, digital editions hosted on MyDigitalPublication, and newsletter distribution through Mailchimp. Branded merchandise (t-shirts) is sold directly through the website.
The business model combines recurring revenue from print and digital subscriptions with advertising sales to blues record labels, festivals, artists, and blues-related businesses, supplemented by single-issue back-issue sales and merchandise. Customers are individual blues enthusiasts (consumer segment), blues radio stations (broadcast contributors), and blues musicians and independent labels (advertisers). With approximately 5 employees and no disclosed outside investment, Living Blues operates as a small, founder- or institution-affiliated niche media enterprise with global editorial reach but a primarily domestic subscriber base.
Living Blues firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Living Blues
- Legal name
- Living Blues Magazine
- Website
- https://livingblues.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1970
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Living Blues is a privately held bimonthly blues music magazine, founded in 1970 at the University of Mississippi, that serves blues enthusiasts, radio stations, and independent labels through print and digital subscriptions, the annual Living Blues Awards, and global radio charts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Living Blues industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music Magazine / Music Journalism
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (51312), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)
Keywords
Where Living Blues is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- University
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Living Blues business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Magazine Subscriptions: The magazine generates primary revenue through print and digital subscription plans, with bimonthly issues delivered to subscribers. Individual issues are also sold at $15.00 per copy.
- Advertising: Living Blues generates revenue through advertising placements from blues record labels, festivals, blues-related businesses, and music organizations. Advertisers include Alligator Records, Delmark Records, blues festivals, and various blues artists.
- Back Issues and Merchandise: Sales of back issues and branded merchandise including t-shirts priced at $20-$35 for domestic and international customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Single Issue - Print |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Living Blues T-Shirts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Living Blues product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Living Blues publishes a bimonthly blues music magazine (print and digital) featuring artist profiles, record reviews (new releases and reissues), monthly radio charts, blues festival guides, obituaries, book reviews, and annual Living Blues Awards. The magazine has been in continuous publication since 1970, with over 300 archived issues available for purchase, and operates from the University of Mississippi's South Oxford Center.
Product overview
Living Blues is a bimonthly blues music magazine offering both print and digital subscription products. The publication features artist profiles, record reviews, radio charts, blues festival guides, obituaries, book reviews, and an annual awards program. The core product is the magazine itself, available as a print publication distributed bimonthly and as a digital edition through mydigitalpublication.com. Supporting offerings include back issues spanning from 1970, branded merchandise such as t-shirts, and subscription services for new subscriptions, renewals, and gift subscriptions managed via Simplecirc. Additional editorial features include the annual Living Blues Awards (Critics' Poll and Readers' Poll), monthly Living Blues Radio Charts compiled from international radio stations, and the Blues Festival Guide. Living Blues has published 306 issues as of the most recent count.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Living Blues Awards: Annual awards program recognizing outstanding achievements in blues music, including Critics' Poll and Readers' Poll categories for artists, musicians, albums, and live performers.
- Living Blues Radio Charts
- Living Blues Festival Guide
Products and services
- Living Blues Magazine (Print Edition) A bimonthly print magazine for blues music enthusiasts, featuring artist profiles, record reviews (new releases and reissues), monthly radio charts, blues festival guides, obituaries, book reviews, and the annual Living Blues Awards.
- Living Blues Digital Edition Digital version of Living Blues Magazine accessible via mydigitalpublication.com, offering an interactive reading experience for digital subscribers.
- Back Issues Archive Archive of past Living Blues Magazine issues (over 300 issues) available for individual purchase from the livingblues.com product catalog, with individual issues starting at $15.00 each.
- Living Blues Merchandise Branded Living Blues t-shirts sold directly through the livingblues.com merchandise store, available in sizes L, XL, XXL, and XXXL with various color combinations (white ink on navy, navy ink on white, red ink on white) and priced at $20 US, $30 Canada, and $35 international.
- Magazine Subscription Services Recurring magazine subscription service offered in print and digital formats with options for new subscriptions, renewals, and gift subscriptions, fulfilled via SimpleCirc.
Companies that use Living Blues
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Living Blues technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Living Blues partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SimpleCirccoreSubscription management platform used for processing magazine subscriptions, renewals, and gift subscriptions. Handles the subscription fulfillment infrastructure for Living Blues.
- MyDigitalPublicationcoreDigital publishing platform hosting Living Blues digital editions, providing online access to magazine issues in a digital format.
- Radio Stations (80+ contributors)coreNetwork of 80+ blues radio stations across the US and internationally (Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain) that submit monthly playlists for the Living Blues Radio Charts compilation.
- University of MississippiminorLiving Blues is housed at the University of Mississippi's South Oxford Center. The magazine maintains ties to the university which houses The Blues Archive, a major blues music research collection.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Living Blues competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Blues Matters: UK-based independent blues music magazine covering artists, reviews, and the blues scene, directly comparable as a niche-genre print/digital periodical serving blues audiences.
- Blues Blast Magazine: US-based independent blues publication featuring reviews, interviews, and Blues Blast Music Awards, with a subscription model and advertising base closely comparable to Living Blues.
- Vintage Guitar Magazine: Print and digital magazine serving guitar-focused music enthusiasts with reviews and advertiser support from instrument brands; similar scale and subscription/ads business model to Living Blues.
- DownBeat Magazine: Long-running US jazz and blues magazine with bimonthly print issues, critics' and readers' polls, and subscription revenue, sharing the same niche-music magazine model as Living Blues.
- No Depression: Americana, roots, and blues-leaning music publication with reviews, festival coverage, and editorial features, overlapping Living Blues's genre-adjacent audience and editorial format.
Regional players
- Goldmine Magazine: US-based collectible music and music-history magazine covering vinyl releases, reissues, and artist profiles across genres including blues, comparable in niche print/community model.
Broad incumbents
- MOJO Magazine: Established UK monthly music magazine covering blues, rock, and roots genres with a much larger subscription base and ad portfolio, providing a broader-market analog to Living Blues's niche-magazine playbook.
- Paste Magazine: Independent music and culture outlet covering Americana, blues, and roots genres via long-form reviews, comparable in editorial mix but with stronger digital-first distribution.
- Rolling Stone: Iconic general-music magazine with broader reach into blues coverage and criticism; overlaps with Living Blues in music journalism, reviews, and festival coverage but at vastly greater scale.
Emerging players
- American Songwriter: Songwriter-focused music publication with deep roots/blues editorial coverage; competitor for advertising dollars from blues artists, labels, and festival organizers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Living Blues social profiles
Digital presenceLiving Blues financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Living Blues leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Living Blues funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Living Blues M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Living Blues
What does Living Blues do?
Living Blues publishes a bimonthly blues music magazine (print and digital) featuring artist profiles, record reviews (new releases and reissues), monthly radio charts, blues festival guides, obituaries, book reviews, and annual Living Blues Awards. The magazine has been in continuous publication since 1970, with over 300 archived issues available for purchase, and operates from the University of Mississippi's South Oxford Center.
Is Living Blues a public or private company?
Living Blues is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Living Blues founded?
Living Blues was founded in 1970. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Living Blues based?
Living Blues is headquartered in University, United States, in the North America region.
How does Living Blues make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Magazine Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are advertising and back Issues and Merchandise.
Who are Living Blues's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Blues Matters, Blues Blast Magazine, Vintage Guitar Magazine, DownBeat Magazine and No Depression. Goldmine Magazine is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are MOJO Magazine, Paste Magazine and Rolling Stone. American Songwriter is listed as an emerging player.
Does Living Blues have an API?
No public API is recorded for Living Blues.
What industry is Living Blues in?
Living Blues's product category is Music Magazine / Music Journalism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAN, Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines, with a secondary code of MPAJAEAM, Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines. Its NAICS code is 51312 and its SIC code is 2721.