Rolling Stone magazine is offering “thought leaders” the chance to write for its website if they are willing to pay $2,000 to “shape the future of culture”.The storied magazine, which has published journalism by writers including Hunter S Thompson, Patti Smith and Tom Wolfe, approached would-be members of its new “Culture Council” by email, telling them that they had the chance to join “an invitation-only community for innovators, influencers and tastemakers”.
Emails seen by the Guardian suggest that those who pass a vetting process – and pay a $1,500 annual fee plus $500 up front – will “have the opportunity to publish original content to the Rolling Stone website”. It suggests that doing so “allows members to position themselves as thought leaders and share their expertise”.
As well as the chance to have their writing published on RollingStone.com, other benefits offered to members include contact with “a vetted network of peers” in their industries and “opportunities to collaborate, cross-pollinate ideas … and even hatch new projects”.
The invitation to possible members says that the scheme is strictly for those in the “worlds of music, entertainment, food, beverage and cannabis”.
New members to recently celebrate passing its vetting process include a fund manager and a Las Vegas real estate broker who also has a business selling alcohol-infused cupcakes.
The PMC spokesperson said: “Rolling Stone does not allow paid content to run as editorial in any context whatsoever. Content created by Culture Council members exists in its own channel separate from editorial content and is clearly labelled as originating from a non-editorial, fee-based member network, which allows industry professionals to share ideas in a paid forum.”