Iconic music publication NME is relaunching its print magazine.
After shutting down production in 2018 to focus on its digital presence, the brand will return as a global bimonthly magazine with a July/August issue featuring fast-rising indie singer-songwriter D4vd. Each issue will focus on an emerging artist as part of NME’s commitment to music discovery, and a limited number of copies will be sold via select partners (starting with music retailer
Dawsons on Aug. 9) to enact what NME Networks COO Holly Bishop calls a “high-hype model.”
“We believe there’s value in scarcity, and you really see this in the hype and buzz that’s created in the fashion world, particularly around sneaker drops. We’re taking a similar approach to the magazine,” Bishop, who has worked in publishing at NME for 10 years, tells
Variety. “Of course, we want the brand to be accessible … but there really is something valuable in delivering a product that’s hard to get your hands on.”
One of the most historic titles in music journalism, the U.K.-based New Musical Express was founded in 1952 and quickly became a tastemaker, helping propel British acts from the Rolling Stones to the Sex Pistols, U2, Blur and Oasis to worldwide fame. Now, in a media landscape where print publications are growing scarcer by the day, Bishop cites NME Networks’ acquisition by Caldecott Music Group in 2019 as one of the factors that will allow for NME to create a magazine that isn’t driven solely by profit...
www.nme.com
