We're going to invade your beach: The creation of BIZZ magazine

Abstract

BIZZ magazine, aimed at young people and teenagers, was initially published by Abril Publisher. It appeared in 1985, when the military dictatorship ended in Brazil, where a climate of freedom was installed after decades of repression, giving rise to a culture of consumption by children and youth in the country. The Brazilian cultural industry understood the moment broadcasting programs aimed at this niche on radio and television stations all over Brazil. In this process, Brazilian rock rose to the top of the cultural goods market, which transformed young artists into mass culture stars. BIZZ, the best-selling music magazine in Brazil, guaranteed privileged space for these artists, in addition to those identified with the universe of international pop music, as well as the great names of MPB. Brazilian rock bands that were not successful at the time, both underground and those that would become famous one day, were also news in the magazine, but they were reported differently when compared to successful groups. One example is in the reviews: for mainstream artists, the reviews were mostly negative; whereas those aimed at unknown artists, the texts had a positive content. Tensions arose from this journalistic stance, in a print market aimed primarily at pop and rock music stars. This contradiction was resolved by the magazine's excellent sales, which guaranteed a certain autonomy to these journalists in the production of their texts.