How much longer can the NME last?

[Robbie]

NME circulation plummets below 15k

by Tom Pakinkis

NME’s average circulation has tanked 28.5% year-on-year, according to the latest ABC figures.

The magazine’s average circulation at the end of June 2014 stood at 14,312 compared to 20,011 at the same point in 2013.

NME circulation stood at 18,184 at the end of December 2013, meaning that the publication has seen a 21.3% drop period-on-period.

“NME’s overall brand reach is now 3.6m, bigger than it has ever been, and this puts the print ABC story into its proper context," said NME publishing director Jo Smalley. "Amazing content partnerships with the likes of Amex and Nikon have been renewed for the third and fifth year in a row respectively, whilst major new partnerships with the likes of O2 have been secured during this period.

"Events revenues, including the NME Awards, were up 66% YoY. Traffic on the NME mobile website during this ABC period has increased by a whopping 85% yoy, and nearly 40% of our total online audience now consume the brand via mobile. We are also continuing to explore how NME can further expand its international footprint. This builds upon the launch of NME.com in India and Club NME in Brazil. These are just a few of many examples revealing how the NME business model is changing to pursue new opportunities and grow new revenues."

The circulation of the UK's physical rock music press was down 15.3% on average YoY, going from 252,833 at the end of June 2013 to 214,121 in June 2014.

Q Magazine saw a YoY circulation drop of 21.8% while both Kerrang! and Uncut saw dips of just over 12%. Mojo fared best in the category, seeing its avergae circulation fall 10.9% year-on-year.

from musicweek.com

[TheThorne]

I still buy it but its basically a pamphlet and half of it is old interviews and its more Old Music Express as they only really give front covers to veteran acts often defunct ones. It is a dinosaur.

[Robbie]

The publisher can dress up the figures in any which way but the simple fact is, surely the print version of the magazine is now economically unsustainable.

A decade ago the weekly average circulation was 72,442 and even in 2008 it was still a respectable 56,284. Of course these figures are nowhere near what was the golden age of UK music newspapers which saw the NME top 300,000 weekly sales in 1964 and even after falling back in the early 1970s sales once again approached 300,000 in the mid 70s. Then began a prolonged, albeit slow, decline in circulation which was only really arrested with the arrival of Britpop in the 90s. Sales rose to over 120,000 a week in the heat of the Blur v Oasis rivalry before another decline set in, again arrested for a time by the seemingly final hurrah for guitar groups in the period 2003 to 2005.

I remember the tail end of the golden era for UK music newspapers and at one time bought all four main publications, Record Mirror, Sounds, NME and Melody Maker. My favourite always was Record Mirror but for a three year period I bought NME alongside it each week with the occasional purchase of the other two. Record Mirror and Sounds bit the dust in 1991, Record Mirror doing so even though it was still making a profit and sales were hovering around the 30,000 mark. Melody Maker was folded into the NME in 2000 so the NME stands alone as the last original UK music newspaper / magazine.

I've not bought a copy of NME for years, probably since late 2006. It has seemed directionless for two decades now - and very much a pale shadow of the newspaper it was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when it combined music news and charts with a wide variety of articles covering a wide range of very diverse subjects - and perhaps it should be put out of its misery once and for all? However, it will still be a sad day if it does close.

[Robbie]

Aug 14, 2014 13:18:37 GMT 1 TheThorne said:

I still buy it but its basically a pamphlet and half of it is old interviews and its more Old Music Express as they only really give front covers to veteran acts often defunct ones. It is a dinosaur.

I think it deliberately repositioned itself towards trying to attract an older audience - I think they know most teenagers are just not interested in buying a weekly music magazine - but it seems to have lost all focus and its repositioning hasn't worked.

[rubcale]

I always bought Record Mirror and NME, occasionally Melody Maker from the mid-70s.

Then in the 80s Record Mirror only.

Unfortunately, NME is a victim of the times.

[wonderwall]

Used to love the nme and melody maker back in the 90s shame it looks like it's coming to the end but it's just not as interesting as it once was.

[TheThorne]

NME Radio was fantastic though, loved that on Digital.

[Razzle Dazzle]

I used to buy melody maker in the late 90s and when it was merged with nme I bought it on and off until 2002 but they seemed more interested in destroying bands and hyping up the next big thing rather than promoting good indie music

[wonderwall]

Nme always made me laugh hyping bands up and ultimately knocking them down I remember they gave oasis be here now a 5 star review then back tracked calling it overhyped they followed everyone else really.

[Mic1812]

NME i found boring. It was always the big groups, same old same old. I preferred Record Mirror and smash hits.

If NME is to survive it needs total rebranding othrwise it will disappear like its predecessors.

Lets face it the internet is killing off everything.

[wonderwall]

I used to like the end of year lists singles and albums always made for a interesting read.

[superman]

NME lost the plot ages ago. They were even giving away free condoms at one point!
The current NME news com gives a clue. Kaiser Chiefs, Johnny Marr's new single. Probably a cd single that will sell about 200 copies!
The paper was called NEW MUSICAL - not "Never Mind".
They need new music not has beens!

[Razzle Dazzle]

they had it easy for years, between 2000-2006 there was a new indie band every week to write about, now they are harder to come by and the people who run it took the easy option of promoting veterans instead of new music, well everyone knows about them so whats the point in buying a magazine when theres a free website

[rewardman]

C'est la vie.

Print is dying.

[vastar iner]

Aug 14, 2014 17:59:42 GMT 1 superman said:

NME lost the plot ages ago. They were even giving away free condoms at one point!

Wouldn't have been a bad idea, had they not stapled them to the cover.

[raliverpool]

Conor McNicholas disastrous editorial reign (2003-09) is responsible for the NME going into a death spiral.

It really says something about his down market, low on factual information, high on poor quality journalism, sh*t-stirring (his unedifying spats/character assassinations of John Lydon, Paul McCartney; & Morrissey - fair play to the later for suing the NME, resulting in it (after McNicholas' removal) settling, paying all costs & a grovelling apology within the paper & on its website), alongside the ass-licking of his fee-paying public school classmate Lily Allen, glossy photos, etc .... that after he got removed from the NME, he lasted less than a year at Top Gear magazine, he landed a job with The S*n newspaper!

[vastar iner]

I suppose it doesn't help either that the NME's natural constituency seems to have vanished. Just picked out 1980 at random and its year-end lists are here. Joy Division, Elvis Costello, Talking Heads, Dexy's...Weather Report...Grace Jones, The Specials, OMD, Siouxsie, Echo & The Bunnymen, Squeeze, Bow Wow Wow...where are today's equivalents? Who nowadays can get the pulse racing in the same way? Who of this year's album releases will still be played 34 years on? It's just so bland now...

[TheThorne]

There is still exciting music around just it gets nowhere near the charts and the acts don't become household names like they used to. The only act I can think if that fills that description are The Artic Monkeys and Arcade Fire but even they are getting close to veteran status and nearly all the bands/acts you list were new or relatively new acts in 1980 , there is nobody like that now not in any genre never mind indie/rock.

[rewardman]

Aug 14, 2014 23:13:01 GMT 1 vastar iner said:

Who of this year's album releases will still be played 34 years on?

That's a tough one.

[oasisbobo]

It's a shame to read this. Love NME.