Redwood Drive-In Theatre

What Redwood Drive-In Theatre does

SLUG Magazine (Salt Lake UnderGround) is an independent alternative media publication founded in 1989 in Salt Lake City, Utah, operating with a 7-person team across the Wasatch Front region. The publication covers local music, arts, LGBTQ+ community, film, food, beer and spirits, action sports, and nightlife subcultures through monthly themed print issues, a free website (slugmag.com hosted under the redwooddrive-in.com domain), a weekly email newsletter, and active social channels on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Its product portfolio extends beyond editorial into owned events and IP, including the SLUG Localized monthly music showcase (founded 2001) which pays and promotes local bands, the SLUG Cat annual alleycat bicycle race, the annual anniversary party, and SLUG Soundwaves music editorial franchise. A digital archive preserves 37 years of continuous coverage.

The underlying technology stack is a standard web content management and publishing platform with multimedia delivery (articles, photo galleries, event calendars, video) and no proprietary features, applications, APIs, or integrations disclosed. The publication does not operate a mobile app, and there are no documented SDKs, partner integrations, or AI/ML capabilities.

The revenue model is described as relying on donations (with a prominent DONATE call-to-action on the homepage) and advertising, supplemented by direct-to-consumer merchandise sales through a Square-hosted storefront (slug-magazine.square.site). All digital content is freely accessible, with no subscription tiers, paywalls, or pricing model publicly disclosed. The publication has no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, subsidiaries, M&A activity, funding rounds, patents, trademarks, certifications, or partnerships. Distribution is regional (Salt Lake City and surrounding Wasatch Front communities) via print, digital, newsletter, and live events.

Name

Redwood Drive-In Theatre

Legal name

SLUG Magazine

Website

https://redwooddrive-in.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SLUG Magazine is an independent alternative media publication in Salt Lake City, Utah, covering local music, arts, LGBTQ+, food, and cultural subcultures since 1989 via monthly themed print issues, a free digital platform, and community events including SLUG Localized and SLUG Cat.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Alternative Magazine

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

Consumer Lifestyle & Fashion Magazines (MPAJAEAA)

Keywords

• Alternative magazine
• Local music coverage
• Arts journalism
• Community events
• Independent publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SLUG Magazine (Salt Lake UnderGround) is an independent, alternative magazine that publishes monthly themed print issues and continuously updated digital editorial content covering Utah's local music, arts, film, food, LGBTQ+, action sports, and nightlife scenes. The publication also operates recurring live events including the SLUG Localized monthly music showcase and the SLUG Cat annual bicycle race, and maintains a digital archive of all past issues.

Product overview

SLUG Magazine is a single unified media publication offering comprehensive coverage of Salt Lake City's alternative music, arts, events, and community subcultures. The publication releases monthly themed issues (e.g., LGBTQ+ Pride, Eat Local, Beer & Spirits, Performing Arts, Local Beer & Spirits) and hosts recurring events including the SLUG Localized monthly music showcase and SLUG Cat annual bike race. The company also maintains a digital archive of past issues and provides multiple content channels through its website including music reviews, film reviews, community features, and event coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SLUG Magazine (Monthly Print & Digital Magazine) SLUG Magazine is an independent alternative magazine publishing monthly themed print issues and continuously updated digital editorial content covering Utah's local music, arts, film, food, LGBTQ+ community, action sports, and nightlife. The publication is free to access digitally and distributed via physical print copies across the Salt Lake City area.
• SLUG Localized (Monthly Music Showcase) SLUG Localized is a recurring monthly local music showcase that provides local bands with free posters to promote shows, a write-up in SLUG Magazine for the two headliners, payouts, and digital promotion. It is a live event series for musicians and audiences in Salt Lake City.
• SLUG Cat (Annual Bicycle Race) SLUG Cat is an annual alleycat-style bicycle scavenger hunt race celebrating Salt Lake City's bike community. It is a live event for local riders of all experience levels.
• SLUG Archives (Digital Issue Archive) SLUG Archives is the digital archive of all SLUG Magazine issues and content from 1989 to present, providing free access to back issues covering Utah's alternative music, arts, and community subcultures.
• SLUG Soundwaves (Music Editorial Section) SLUG Soundwaves is the music editorial section of SLUG Magazine featuring local and national music reviews, music interviews, concerts and festivals coverage, and year-end top 5 lists.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Austin Chronicle: Long-running independent alt-weekly in Austin covering local music, arts, film, food, and LGBTQ+ community. Closest functional analog: free print + digital magazine with events, classifieds, and a donations/sponsorship-driven revenue model.
• The Stranger: Seattle-based independent alt-weekly covering arts, music, film, food, and LGBTQ+ life with strong event programming. Directly comparable as a free print-and-digital alternative magazine serving an urban counterculture audience.
• Willamette Week: Portland, Oregon alt-weekly covering local news, music, arts, and culture. Similar scale, similar mix of print and digital distribution, and similar role as the city's independent alternative voice.
• Nashville Scene: Nashville's independent alt-weekly covering local music, arts, food, and culture. Strongly analogous product: free print + digital magazine anchored by a robust local-music coverage vertical.
• LEO Weekly: Louisville, Kentucky alt-weekly covering local music, arts, food, and LGBTQ+ community. Comparable as a small-team independent alternative magazine operating in a mid-size metro with events and a long-running archive.
• Phoenix New Times: Phoenix alt-weekly covering local news, music, arts, and culture. Comparable as a free print + digital alternative publication with deep community roots and multi-channel distribution including events.
• Tucson Weekly: Independent Tucson alt-weekly covering local arts, music, food, and culture. Comparable as a small independent operation publishing on a recurring schedule in a mid-size U.S. metro.

Regional players

• Boise Weekly: Independent alt-weekly based in Boise, Idaho — the closest geographic comparable in the Mountain West. Similar scope (music, arts, food, culture) and similar reliance on a single regional metro for both audience and advertising.
• Salt Lake Magazine: Other established Utah regional magazine, but lifestyle-oriented rather than alternative. Relevant as a same-geography competitor for Salt Lake City advertising dollars and reader attention, though it serves a different content niche.

Emerging players

• City Cast: Network of digital-first local news/lifestyle podcasts and newsletters across multiple U.S. cities. Relevant as an emerging model of community-rooted local media that competes for the same donor/sponsor mindshare in mid-size metros.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/slugmag
• Facebookfacebook.com/SLUGMagazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/slugmag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Redwood Drive-In Theatre