Music magazine
Encyclopedia
A music magazine is a magazine
dedicated to music
and music culture. Such magazines typically include music news, interview
s, photo shoot
s, essay
s, record reviews, concert reviews and occasionally have a covermount
with recorded music.
, with the NME
(short for New Musical Express) leading the pack since its first issue in 1952. NME had a longstanding rival in Melody Maker
, an even older publication which had existed since 1926, however by 2001 falling circulation and the rise of internet music sites caused the Melody Maker to be absorbed into its old rival and cease publishing. Several other British magazines such as Select and Sounds
also folded between 1990 and 2000. Current UK music magazines include Q
, Kerrang!
and Mojo
(all published by EMAP
). Magazines with a focus on pop music
rather than rock
and aimed at a younger market include the now-defunct Smash Hits
and the BBC
's Top of the Pops
, which outlived the television show on which it was based.
Major music magazines in the United States
include Rolling Stone
(founded in 1967) and Spin
(founded in 1985). Clash Magazine was voted 'Music Magazine of the Year' in 2004 and is the second largest UK online presence , Clash was also Awarded Magazine of the Year at the PPA Scotland Awards.
Among classical music magazines, Diapason
is the most read in France.
Nostalgia Magazines - An example of a nostalgia magazine is Keep Rockinhttp://www.krmag.com 50's & 60's nostalgia magazine. The Premier issue came out in January 2009. The magazine features a mixture of current events surrounding that time period (concerts, car shows, etc.) and stories with original photos from the 50’s & 60’s as well as some reader written articles about experiences growing up during this time period.
. The practice began in the 1980s with UK magazine Smash Hits
giving away flexi disc
s, and graduated to mixtape
s and compact disc
s in the 1990s, with modern magazines such as NME
and Mojo
frequently including cover compilations.
The tracks are cleared for release by the relevant record companies, and are usually released for promotional purposes.
Nostalgia Magazines- and example of a nostalgia magazine is Keep Rockin' 50's & 60's nostalgia magazine. The Premier issue came out in January 2009. The magazine features a mixture of current events surrounding that time period (concerts, car shows, etc.) and stories with original photos from the 50’s & 60’s as well as some reader written articles about experiences growing up during this time period.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
dedicated to music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and music culture. Such magazines typically include music news, interview
Interview
An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
s, photo shoot
Photo shoot
A photo shoot is generally used in the fashion industry, whereby a model poses for a photographer at a studio where multiple photos are taken to find the best ones for the required brief...
s, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s, record reviews, concert reviews and occasionally have a covermount
Covermount
Covermount is the name given to storage media or other products packaged as part of a magazine or newspaper...
with recorded music.
Notable music magazines
Music magazines were very prolific in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
(short for New Musical Express) leading the pack since its first issue in 1952. NME had a longstanding rival in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, an even older publication which had existed since 1926, however by 2001 falling circulation and the rise of internet music sites caused the Melody Maker to be absorbed into its old rival and cease publishing. Several other British magazines such as Select and Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
also folded between 1990 and 2000. Current UK music magazines include Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
, Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
and Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
(all published by EMAP
EMAP
Emap Limited is a British media company, specialising in the production of business-to-business magazines, and the organisation of business events and conferences...
). Magazines with a focus on pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
rather than rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and aimed at a younger market include the now-defunct Smash Hits
Smash Hits
Smash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops (magazine)
Top of the Pops magazine is a monthly publication published by BBC Magazines. It features chart information, star gossip, fashion and beauty advice, quizzes, song lyrics and posters. It is a supplementary magazine for the TV show Top of the Pops....
, which outlived the television show on which it was based.
Major music magazines in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
include Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
(founded in 1967) and Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
(founded in 1985). Clash Magazine was voted 'Music Magazine of the Year' in 2004 and is the second largest UK online presence , Clash was also Awarded Magazine of the Year at the PPA Scotland Awards.
Among classical music magazines, Diapason
Diapason
Diapason may refer to:* Diapason , a just interval in Pythagorean tuning* Diapason , a tonal grouping of the flue pipes of a pipe organ* Diapason , a French classical music magazine...
is the most read in France.
Nostalgia Magazines - An example of a nostalgia magazine is Keep Rockinhttp://www.krmag.com 50's & 60's nostalgia magazine. The Premier issue came out in January 2009. The magazine features a mixture of current events surrounding that time period (concerts, car shows, etc.) and stories with original photos from the 50’s & 60’s as well as some reader written articles about experiences growing up during this time period.
Covermounts
Several music magazines include a free album of music (usually a compilation of tracks by various artists), known in the publishing industry as a covermountCovermount
Covermount is the name given to storage media or other products packaged as part of a magazine or newspaper...
. The practice began in the 1980s with UK magazine Smash Hits
Smash Hits
Smash Hits was a pop music based magazine, aimed at teenagers and young adults and originally published in the United Kingdom by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006 and was issued fortnightly for most of that time...
giving away flexi disc
Flexi disc
The flexi disc is a phonograph record made of a thin, flexible vinyl sheet with a molded-in spiral stylus groove, and is designed to be playable on a normal phonograph turntable...
s, and graduated to mixtape
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
s and compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
s in the 1990s, with modern magazines such as NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
frequently including cover compilations.
The tracks are cleared for release by the relevant record companies, and are usually released for promotional purposes.
Nostalgia Magazines- and example of a nostalgia magazine is Keep Rockin' 50's & 60's nostalgia magazine. The Premier issue came out in January 2009. The magazine features a mixture of current events surrounding that time period (concerts, car shows, etc.) and stories with original photos from the 50’s & 60’s as well as some reader written articles about experiences growing up during this time period.