Side-Line was an online music magazine.

History

Side-line was started in 1989 by two university students David Noiret and Seba Dolimont, who noticed that there was a distinctive lack of media interest in the independent music scene, and especially a lack of coverage in the darkwave, dark electro, endzeit, gothic, gothic metal and electro industrial genres. Initially, Side-Line was written in French, but, aware of the lack of information and communication in the independent music scene, Dolimont decided to change the magazine's language format to being published entirely in English.

In 1990, the German label Celtic Circle Productions offered to become the magazine’s publisher. The magazine also took on the added feature of moving to a glossy format with an attached CD compilation. After weeks of negotiations, Side-Line N°17 was released with a circulation of 7,000 copies. Side-Line was immediately recognised as the leading English-written magazine on the underground genre and received support from the record companies and media throughout the scene. After 6 issues, Claus Müller, chief editor of Germany's popular music magazine Orkus, approached the magazine to start collaborating; however, it was short-lived. By 2000, Side-Line had over 25,000 members.

Today, Side-Line's circulation is 6,000 copies, spread throughout Europe and America. Metropolis Records, Isotank, and Hot Topic distribute the magazine in America, plus an array of various record shops and mail order companies. In Europe, the distribution network is also progressively being intensified with new sale points in the UK, Italy, GAS, Australia, Baltic countries, France, Greece, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux, etc. In addition, members of the magazine launched their own record company project Alfa Matrix in mid-2001, which releases electronic artists such as Front 242, Ayria, and Unter Null.

On January 10th, 2008, the magazine announced on its website that Dolimont had suffered a viral cardiac attack in December 2007 and was stopping publishing the magazine with immediate effect.

References

External links

• Official website
• Alfa Matrix website