Long-running British music magazine NME has seen its sales numbers dwindle in recent years, so it's decided to completely shift it's strategy and become a free national music magazine. Sound familiar?
The magazine, which initially launched in 1952, has seen its weekly sales drop to a meagre 15,000 copies. Time Inc. UK will revitalize the brand by switching over to a free model and distributing 300,000 copies throughout Britain.
As with any major modern rebrand, the magazine will continue to expand its coverage. A post from the publication promisees it will maintain a focus on music, but will now also include coverage of "film, fashion, television, politics, gaming and technology."
Speaking with the Guardian, NME editor Mike Williams said, "NME is already a major player and massive influencer in the music space, but with this transformation we'll be bigger, stronger and more influential than ever before. Every media brand is on a journey into a digital future. That doesn't mean leaving print behind, but it does mean that print has to change, so I'm incredibly excited by the role it will now play as part of the new NME."
The magazine, which initially launched in 1952, has seen its weekly sales drop to a meagre 15,000 copies. Time Inc. UK will revitalize the brand by switching over to a free model and distributing 300,000 copies throughout Britain.
As with any major modern rebrand, the magazine will continue to expand its coverage. A post from the publication promisees it will maintain a focus on music, but will now also include coverage of "film, fashion, television, politics, gaming and technology."
Speaking with the Guardian, NME editor Mike Williams said, "NME is already a major player and massive influencer in the music space, but with this transformation we'll be bigger, stronger and more influential than ever before. Every media brand is on a journey into a digital future. That doesn't mean leaving print behind, but it does mean that print has to change, so I'm incredibly excited by the role it will now play as part of the new NME."
