Published by Wenner Media of New York, the print and electronic versions are a source of music information and pop culture. "We are still the Rolling Stone which has always been the voice of rock music, trends, news, and interviews. That same cutting-edge style is mirrored in Rolling Stone Online," said Wenner spokesperson, Cathy O'Brien.

On June 30, Rolling Stone Online will end a one-year contract with CompuServe. Asked why the Wenner chose to switch to AOL, O'Brien, said, "AOL offered us a nice opportunity for future plans. Since we were coming to end of our present contract, we decided to look at all of our options. The deal with AOL seemed to fit our goals in relation to where we want to go with Rolling Stone Online." A fall debut is planned for Rolling Stone's AOL inauguration.

Once online, Rolling Stone will become part of AOL's MusicSpace Channel. The online channel is described as an "evolving, interactive music channel offering multimedia, online events and activities, message boards, music-related World Wide Web links, artist information files, and more, in a variety of musical genres." MusicSpace includes Alternative, Country, Pop, Rock, Classical, and R&B. Current partners include MTV, VH1, Warner Bros. Records, SPINOnline, Virgin Records America, BMG Distribution, Tower Records, and the House of Blues.

Rolling Stone says it will feature a mix of original music-oriented news, including CD reviews, sound samples, video clips and photos, as well as its signature Interactive Cover Story, an electronic enhancement to the current cover story in Rolling Stone magazine. Live chats with top musicians and message boards focusing on artists and hot topics in the music industry are also planned. More details are expected over the summer.

(Patrick McKenna/19960620/Press Contact: Cathy O'Brien, Wenner, 212-484-1711, Internet-mail WMPR@aol.com)