A while back (2007), Rolling Stone released all of their back issues on DVD. Included were scans of every single issue of Rolling Stone from 1967 to 2007, including all advertising, all indexed.

This collection is now available at Amazon for US$32.

Despite complaints about a terrible reader, an index much worse than what we expect these days post-Google, and DRM issues (you cannot copy the DVDs to your hard-drive, meaning much DVD swapping), this is an enormous bargain in anyone's book.

I personally prefer the real thing, but finding every Rolling Stone back issue would be impossible and very expensive, even at only a few dollars an issue.

Even if only purchased as an index for collectors, to search and find which issues they'd really like to get in paper form, this collection is a must have. I figure I've easily spent that much on back issues of various magazines in the past.

I'm grabbing a copy to look through for Faith No More gig advertisements.

If only something similar existed for NME, Melody Maker, Beat, In*Press, BAM... any magazine you can think of.

I have in the past offered scary amounts of money for old (80s) issues of magazines to be scanned. Sometimes I just want a single page. But usually, I'm ignored.

Google?

Google have long term plans to make newspapers available online at their news archive search.

Most searches on the archive are still Pay-Per-View (at a revolting $2+ per text view) but some will now go to a free Google-scanned image of the actual newspaper, including advertising. They plan to pay for the views with their own advertising.

The archive search has been an enormous help in my research for the Faith No More gig database, particularly on looking for clues about gigs in the misty mid-80s.

I hope one day I'll be able to view whole scanned articles and advertisements for cheap (5 to 10 cents) instead of the insulting $2+ it costs now.

And I hope one day they'll move on to magazines...