Research into the music magazine industry

NME

History:
1960'S

• The NME peaked under Andy Gray, Editor 1957–1972, with a figure of 306,881 for the period from January to June 1964.The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were frequently featured on the front cover.
• The paper became engaged in a sometimes tense rivalry with its fellow weekly music paper Melody maker  however, NME sales were still strong with the paper selling as many as 200,000 issues per week.

1970'S

• NME had lost the battle Melody Maker, as NME failed to keep up with social demands such as the new popular rock music.

1980'S

• In the 1980s, the NME became the most important music paper in the country. This became popular because in the 1980'S it was available to readers by mail order at a low price.
• Sales were dropping, and by the mid-1980s, NME had hit a rough patch and was in danger of closing. This is because arguments were developing about what genre of music to present in the magazine.

1990'S

• By the end of 1990, the Madchester scene was dying off, and NME had started to report on new bands coming from the US. These bands would form a new movement called grunge and by far the most popular bands were Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
• Although the period from 1991 to 1993 was dominated by American bands like Nirvana, British bands were not ignored. The NME still covered the Indie scene and was involved with a war of words with a new band called Manic Street Preachers who were criticising the NME for what they saw.

2000'S

• In 2000 Steve Sutherland left to become brand director of the NME, and was replaced as editor by 26-year-old Melody Maker.
• In May 2008 the magazine received a redesign, aimed at an older readership. The first issue of the redesign featured a free seven-inch Coldplay vinyl single. Circulation of the magazine has fallen continuously since 2003. In the second half of 2013, the magazine's circulation was 19,491 down from a 2003 figure of 72,442.

2015

• In February 2015 it was reported that the NME was in discussions about removing the cover price and becoming a free publication.

Target Audience

• Mainly men between 17- 30 years old.

Circulation Figures

• In July 2015 the circulation was 15,000