| Oor | |
| Language: | Dutch |
| Category: | Music magazine |
| Frequency: | Monthly |
| Founder: | Barend Toet |
| Country: | Netherlands |
| Website: | www.oor.nl |
Oor is the oldest currently published music magazine in the Netherlands, founded in 1971. is the Dutch word for ear. Until 1984, it was published as .
The magazine was first published on 1 April 1971 as Muziekkrant Oor, being founded by Barend Toet. Toet used the United States' Rolling Stone and the United Kingdom's Melody Maker as examples to model Muziekkrant Oor after.[1]
Of the first issue, 20,000 copies were printed and paid for by Berry Visser, one of the co-founders of Mojo Concerts. The magazine was sold to Levisson on 1 January 1972. In 1978, the magazine was bought by Elsevier. Throughout the 1970s and 1990s, Oor was seen as "the only source of information in the Netherlands when it came to 'serious' pop music", because other magazines only dealt with Top 40 pop and foreign magazines could only be purchased in large cities.[2] Oor also received exclusive interviews with musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Prince and Fela Kuti. The magazine's album reviews and concert schedules were a key part of its popularity.[3]
Halfway through the 1990s, Oor was sold to the Telegraaf Media Group. In 2002, Oor was bought by Erik de Vlieger's Imca Media Group. Since 2006, Argo Media is the owner.
Originally, Oor was published as a newspaper, hence the word 'krant' in the name. From the 1980s onward, the word Muziekkrant was dropped from the title and Oor had become a magazine. In 2005 the publication frequency changed from bi-weekly to monthly.
In 2021, the book Want More? Het beste van 50 jaar Oor was published to celebrate the magazine's 50th anniversary. The crowdfunded goal of €22,500 was easily reached, and a total of €100,000 was raised on www.voordekunst.nl.
