2025: Building SoundCheck Mag - Our First Year

Article contributed by: LJ Portnoy, Rebecca McDevitt, and Ilana Bornstein, SoundCheck Mag Co-Founding team

2025 - What a way to start, what a first year.

A Whisper Becomes a Thing

It started with a whisper. A tiny idea. A quiet moment where we decided to try something ourselves, this time with our full chests. We didn’t know where it would go. We just knew we wanted to build something with intention.

SoundCheck began small and digital. Our first interview lived in a Word document. Our first artist was someone we already knew and believed in. Chucky Hugh. Rebecca had a relationship. We had curiosity, care, and a shared belief that artists who were small, underrepresented, or still finding their footing deserved to be seen. So did fans. So did photographers. So did the people behind the scenes. From the beginning, this was never just about coverage. It was about storytelling.

The first issue was both monumental and modest. Twenty four pages. And still, the first time we held a physical copy in our hands, we knew we were holding the beginning of

something special.

Becoming an Us

Not even a few weeks into building the brand, someone slid into our DMs. She saw the vision. She saw the voice. She saw how she could help shape what this could become. Very quickly and very unanimously, Ilana joined the co-founding team. SoundCheck became an us.

The First Rooms We Entered

Then came the first trip. LJ visited Rebecca in March. JonasCon. New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia. We watched the idea start to materialize in real time. We landed an interview with Gabi Rose. It was a huge swing for us and our first recorded interview, done over Zoom. We edited it, shared it, and started to feel traction. We talked to fans at the barricade. We listened more than we spoke. We learned what it meant to show up with curiosity instead of expectation.

Expanding the Circle

Soon after, SoundCheck spent time in Detroit. We worked with Former Critics and spent a full day at 2928 Studios filming, photographing, interviewing, and capturing performances. It marked a turning point. Contributors joined. Fernando joined. Konstantina joined. The team grew, and with it, the scope of what SoundCheck could be.

By the time we released our fourth issue, our PRIDE issue with Milahroy, something had become very clear. This work was about passion over paycheck. About letting artists be fully themselves. About capturing joy, silliness, vulnerability, and truth without sanding down the edges.

Learning How to Build Together

At the end of May, the founding team came together in Miami. We attempted an early event. We learned quickly. We took photos. But more than anything, something seismic shifted. This was no longer just a creative project. We were learning how to operate. How to scale. How to build something together without losing what made it special.

When Momentum Hit

July arrived all at once. We landed an interview with Livingston, an artist we deeply admire. That conversation showed us something important. SoundCheck could exist at every stage of an artist’s career. From first releases to millions of listeners, the stories mattered just the same.

In August, we hosted our first truly successful event. Over sixty fans showed up to celebrate music, friendship, and fandom at a Jonas Brothers album release party. People left with collectibles, signed memorabilia, and memories they still talk about. That night felt like proof. Proof that this community was real.

The Work Multiplies

As the year continued, everything accelerated. We connected with Deleasa and featured him on the cover of Issue Six. His story became the most searched and most viewed piece we published this year. We continued expanding SoundCheck Sessions, our interview and performance series, sitting down with artists like Gabi Rose, Former Critics, Milahroy, Livingston, Grant Knoche, David Archuleta, Lila Holler, and others whose episodes are still waiting in the wings (don’t worry, big things are coming in 2026!)

Out in the World

In October, we returned to Miami with clarity we didn’t have before. We walked into Sweat Records carrying stacks of magazines and asked if they would share them with their community. They said yes. SoundCheck found a new home on record store counters, in real hands, in real cities.

November brought another shift. Our interview with David Archuleta went live. The newest issue of SoundCheck Mag landed at ninety pages of ad free, music lover first storytelling. Proof of how far this publication had come in under twelve months.

What the Year Actually Held

Over the course of this year, SoundCheck covered seventy seven shows. We released six issues. We told fan stories. We ran album reviews. We published concert recaps. We hosted virtual press conferences. We built SoundCheck Sessions. We showed up in Miami and Brooklyn. We watched one album post take off. We watched one story resonate far beyond what we imagined.

SoundCheck Wrappped 2025, curated by Ilana Bornstein

Behind every number was time. Planning. Writing. Photographing. Designing. Editing. Managing. Supporting one another.

There is not a moment where someone on this team is not thinking about SoundCheck. And that is something we are deeply proud of.

Closing the First Chapter: SoundCheck Mag 2025 Season Comes to an End

What started as an idea became an us.

As we close out our first year, we are taking a breath. Reflecting. Resetting. Making room for what comes next. There is so much happening behind the scenes, and 2026 will be about building intentionally, creatively, and together.

Endless love to our fans, contributors, musicians, and industry friends who made every moment of this possible.

Thank you for being part of year one. Happy New Year.

Cheers!

The SoundCheck Mag Team