William, it costs really nothingONCE reading about music was as important as listening to it: back in the 1960s, the New Musical Express sold 300,000 copies a week. These days, NME sells around 15,000. From September 18th, in a bid to boost its circulation, the title will be given away free of charge.
At its peak, music journalism flourished on the back of a thriving underground scene in pubs and clubs. Young, enthusiastic journalists wrote about punk bands alongside subjects like Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament marches. But as broadsheet newspapers began to take pop music more seriously, devoting large sections and good reviewers to the task, it became harder for specialist magazines to attract readers.
With the rise of the internet, this became even trickier. Instead of turning to music magazines, youngsters today are more likely to follow new bands recommended by bloggers, particularly on video-streaming sites. Gig listings are available online or from the bands’ own PR machines. The feeling of belonging to a club is now far more effectively provided by social media.
Going...Continue reading
via Brian Rushton, Public NME
No comments:
Post a Comment