Rolling Stone is super profitable for the first time in two decades

Editor’s note: Hi there Medium readers! I’m Simon Owens and I’m a journalist who writes about the media industry and Creator Economy. Below is my weekly roundup of links to industry news. Enjoy!

Rolling Stone is at its most profitable in two decades. [Axios]

It’s been interesting to watch Rolling Stone’s turnaround. Penske Media seems to be a good corporate parent

Should newsletter creators embrace programmatic advertising? [Simon Owens’s Media Newsletter]

Most newsletter writers have had to rely entirely on paid subscriptions to sustain their operations. While that’s been lucrative for the few who managed to build large audiences, it’s simply not feasible for the vast majority of creators.

A good profile of the incoming editor at The New York Times [New York Magazine]

He inherits a newspaper that’s experiencing its fastest growth in decades.

Musicians feel pressured by their labels to post to TikTok [Dirt]

Like it or not, TikTok has become a de facto musical tastemaker.

How Rupert Murdoch became the most powerful media mogul in history [NYT]