At 56 years old, New Musical Express is a venerable Brit rock institution, adapting to the changes in the musical landscape, if not directly playing a very influential role in them. But the Times U.K. surmises the weekly print magazine, with an abysmal circulation around 64,000, could face extinction, even as soon as a few months.
"Given NME's growing profile online, on TV, at festivals and branded tours, these figures seem a strange and bitter pill. Some industry commentators are even speculating that the print version could close within months," writes Stephen Dalton in The Times.
NME publisher IPC has responded to the low circulation by promising another revamp, calling NME in its print form "the heart of the brand." But while the publisher might not want to admit in print that we're in a post-print era, NME's future actions speak louder than words. Next month, NME launches an American awards show and tour and a radio channel is due this summer.
IPC's Steve Sutherland says there's no plan right now to close the door on the pring mag. "Am I married to print on paper? Would I weep buckets if, in 20 years, NME was talking on a minute-by-minute basis with millions of music fans all over the world, but the magazine had passed on? Personally, no. Do I believe that will happen? No again."
Their circulation's that low? Jeez. Even though NME sort of resembles a hyper-colorful, glossy music tabloid, I'd be sort of sad if this happens. The way they mesh Brit snarkiness with abundant exclamation points adds up to a writing style like that of no other publication, and their website doesn't have all the great junk that the print mag has, even if they do promote the same bands over and over. Plus, a website doesn't offer bizarre/amazing pullout bonuses, like the gigantic poster of Pete Doherty looking confused and holding a drink that appeared in a past issue. Or all the added CDs they slip in sometimes. I'd miss you, NME.