JC Costa Passes Away at 75

Industry veteran Jean-Charles Costa passed away on March 24 in New York City due to complications caused by an abdominal obstruction. He was 75 years old.

Known to many as simply JC, he was a talented writer, musician, photographer, artist, and storyteller. Cost was widely admired by friends and industry colleagues alike for his creativity, talent and keen wit.

A graduate of Columbia University, Costa began his career at Rolling Stone magazine in 1969 as a music critic, features writer and editor. Among his many notable album reviews were 1971’s Meddle by Pink Floyd, Frampton Comes Alive (1976), and Bad Company’s Burning Sky (1977).

From 1971 to ‘73, Costa worked at Atlantic Records handling duties as staff writer, artist relations and public relations, a specialty that would define the last 20 years of his accomplished career. At Atlantic Records, he wrote liner notes for albums by Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Chic and Roy Buchanan.

He spent the next twenty years as a writer, reviewer and editor at various publications including Gig magazine and Record magazine, while still doing freelance work for Rolling Stone and other publications.

In 2001, after decades as a successful marketing professional for Samson Technologies, where he served as vice president of marketing from 1993 to 2000, and the Manhattan-based advertising and PR firm SR/A, where he served as creative director, Costa combined his experience in writing, marketing, public relations, branding and music production to start his own PR firm based in New York City. His appropriately named Brainstorm Media offered creative marketing support, promotions and public relations to many pro audio and MI brands including Fishman, Martin Audio, Middle Atlantic Products and CAD Audio.

JC is survived by his wife Rise, their son Brett, daughter-in-law Jacqueline and granddaughter Tabitha.