Music Magazines research

I decided to do some research into music magazines to gain a further understanding of the ancillary tasks involved in our choice of coursework.

 Q MAGAZINE:

- Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. 

- Founders: Mark Ellen and David Hepworth ( The two were concerned by the music press of the time. They felt that it was ignoring a generation of older music buyers).

- Q was published by the EMAP media group in October 1986.

- In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more".

- Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), however, this name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for another magazine. 

The magazine includes:

"An extensive review section, featuring: new releases (music), reissues (music), music compilations, film and live concert reviews, as well as radio and television reviews. It uses a star-rating system from one to five stars; indeed, the rating an album receives in Q is often added to print and television advertising for the album in the UK and Ireland. Much of the magazine is devoted to interviews with popular musical artists."

NME MAGAZINE:

- NME stands for New Musical Express.

- The music magazine is a British journalism magazine which has been published since March 1952.

- The main genres it focuses on are: rock, alternative and indie music. 

- First British paper to include a singles chart, in the edition of 14 November 1952.

- In the 1970's,it became the best-selling British music newspaper.

- During 1972-1976, it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism.

- Although it started as a music newspaper, it eventually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s, it then changed from newsprint in 1998.

"We're the magazine that bands read. There isn't one magazine guaranteed to give an as truthful, honest, informed account of what's going down in music as NME. And we do it because we don't want to be lied to either – after all, this is rock'n'roll we're talking about, it's too important for that."

 VIBE MAGAZINE:

- Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine.

- The magazine is based in NYC

- It was founded by producer Quincy Jones.

- The magazine mainly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers.

- The magazine was shut down production in Summer 2009.

- "Vibe was then purchased by private company - InterMedia Partners and is now issued semi-monthly with double covers, with a larger online presence."

- The magazine's target demographic is predominantly young, urban followers of hip-hop culture.

- It was in 2014 that the magazine moved online.

- The magazine became highly successful as it began featuring a broader range of interests than its closest competitors.

- As of June 30, 2012, Vibe has a circulation of 300,943, of which 202,439 was paid, and 98,504 was non-paid.

- Vibe Media is a premiere destination for urban music, entertainment and culture. Vibe lends its authoritative voice to create solutions for advertisers looking to engage consumers 18-54 via music, entertainment, and lifestyle.

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE:

- It was originally headquartered in New York City.

- Billboard is now owned by Prometheus Global Media.

- It was first published on November 1, 1894.

- It is distinguished as being among the oldest trade magazines in the world.

- The magazines original focus was on bill posting and outdoor amusements before switching to the music industry in the 1950s.

- Billboard maintains several internationally recognized record charts, which track the most popular songs and albums across several categories on a weekly basis.

"The world's premier music publication, Billboard has served the entertainment business since 1894. Beginning as a weekly for the billposting and advertising business, Billboard and its popular music charts have evolved into the primary source of information on trends and innovation in music, serving music fans, artists, top executives, tour promoters, publishers, radio programmers, lawyers, retailers, digital entrepreneurs and many others."