Gary Cooper is a British journalist specialising in the technical and business aspects of the music industry. He has also worked in public relations consultancy and marketing both in and outside the music business.

Born in London, he gained his first experience as a journalist on a local newspaper in the Home Counties, then moved back to London to become editor of the UK's first Rock musician's magazine, Beat Instrumental. He later went freelance, beginning a career which saw him contribute articles and reviews for the weekly music paper Sounds and many other musicians' publications in the UK, including Guitarist, Sound International and many other audio, broadcast and Hi-Fi titles. His work also regularly appeared in magazines in Holland, Germany and Australia and he contributed to books published by the BBC, Virgin, Blandford Press and Pink Floyd.

In 1982 he was approached to become the founding editor of a new musician's magazine, called Music UK. During the three years he edited Music UK, he also founded the Pro Audio magazine Sound Engineer and continued to freelance widely, most notably for the Musical Instrument (MI) industry's trade magazine, Music Business.

Leaving to start another magazine - the innovative, free distribution In Tune - he pursued this project for two years, continuing to write for other MI and Pro Audio magazines, including Studio Week and EQ.

Unable to make In Tune pay, he closed the magazine in 1986, since when he has freelanced widely, mostly for major UK titles including MI Professional, Audio Pro, Music Mart and, most recently, for both Bass Guitarist and Acoustic Guitar magazines. Following the collapse of the company which published MI Professional in late 2005, he joined the team of the new UK MI trade magazine, Music Trade News, though still remaining freelance, as Associate Features Editor. He also continues to work as a consultant in both the music and IT industries.