OffBeat
| Editor-in-Chief | Jan A. Ramsey |
|---|---|
| Categories | Music magazine |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| First issue | 1988 |
| Company | OffBeat, Inc. |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | New Orleans |
| Language | English |
| Website | Offbeat.com |
| ISSN | 1090-0810 |
OffBeat is a monthly music magazine in New Orleans, Louisiana first published in 1988. It mainly focuses on the music scene of New Orleans and Louisiana. It covers wide range of local music including R&B, blues, brass bands, jazz, cajun music, zydeco, to rock.
Its support for the local music community has greatly contributed to the promotion of the scene. The club listings and disc reviews covering local independent labels are indispensable information source for the New Orleans music lovers. Publisher and Editor-in-Chief is Jan A. Ramsey. It is published by OffBeat, Inc. OffBeat was the first magazine in New Orleans to return to publishing after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, despite losing all its staff and its printer.
OffBeat is distributed free of charge in Metro New Orleans in records stores, hotels, and such, though it is charged elsewhere. In spring, OffBeat publishes special Jazz Fest issues with complete day-by-day schedules of the festival.
In addition to the monthly magazine, OffBeat also presents "The Best of the Beat Awards" to celebrate the local music and musicians, and also publishes "Louisiana Music Directory", a directory containing listings of bands, musicians, record labels, clubs, etc. The "OffBeat Weekly Beat" is a free weekly email newsletter with breaking news and current music listings. The magazine's website at OffBeat.com was the first magazine website online in the state of Louisiana, and is popular with lovers of New Orleans and Louisiana music and culture worldwide. In 2010, OffBeat launched an iPhone application (OffBeat Mobile) to keep its readers apprised of what's happening in New Orleans music.
OffBeat is featured in the HBO series "Treme." Its editorial resulted in the creation of characters (such as "DJ Davis McAlary," in reality local musician/DJ/writer Davis Rogan), and story lines in the series.
