RESUBMISSION - Existing Music Magazines

There are several music magazines in the UK, however each magazine is individual and different, with them all targeting different audiences. The most well known magazine in the UK has to be NME. However the magazine market is very challenging and the music magazine itself is shrinking. magazine circulation is falling at around 10 to 15% per year for each magazine. This has led to the music magazine companys' management to change strategy, one of the major changes is the online availability of editions. The major music magazines appear to be cheaper to download on an iPad or Smart Phone rather than the traditional paper copy. for example, to have a paper copy of NME delivered to your door costs £18.24 plus postage, where as the digital cost is only £10.80. This is almost half the price and the audience will want the best price they can get, this may have led to the fall in actual magazine sales as digital subscriptions seem to be spearheading the 21st century music magazine market.

British Music Magazines:
NME - New Music Express:

• Published weekly.
• Rock, alternative, indie.
• British HQ's
• Has been running since 1952
• Owned by IPC

Q:

• Formed in 1986 to accommodate an ageing market focussed on classic pop.
• Published monthly.
• Owned by Buaer Media Group.
• Focussed on reviews.
• Features a spineline - something written along the spine of the magazine.

Mojo:

• Covers classic rock formed in 1993.
• Also owned by Bauer Media Group.
• The Beatles are a regularly featured artist.

Kerrang:

• A modern magazine focussed on Rock.
• Again published by Bauer Media Group.
• First published in 1981.
• Has expanded and now features a digital TV channel and a digital and FM radio station.
• Was introduced during the new wave of heavy metal and rock in the UK.

Mixmag:

• Formed in 1983 and focussed on british electronic dance and clubbing music.
• was originally a source of music for club DJ's however it expanded during the rise of original house and acid house music.
• Mixmag is currently owned by Development Hell, a company which manages DJ's such as Danny Howard from Radio 1 and Ibiza.

All these brands use similar conventions, however they are all distinctively individual due to the genre and also due to the editors views. The personality of the people who produce the magazine may also be portrayed through the magazine which is another reason the magazines are different. The genre will make the magazines different as they will have to represent to their own audience so the writing styles, fonts and colours used may all vary depending which magazine you look at.

Here are some examples: