'Very brave': NME returns to print five years after axing weekly magazine
Hard copies of the once hugely successful NME are set to return to print five years after the weekly print edition was axed.
The last free copy of the weekly publication came out in March 2018 with publishers citing rising production costs and a "tough" advertising market as the reasons behind the axe.
The July/August 2023 issue, with American singer-songwriter D4vd on the cover, will be the first of the new printed bi-monthly editions.
"Relaunching is a very brave thing to do"
Elsewhere in the issue will be an interview with Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme, as well as a look at the best albums of the year so far and a preview of the biggest films still to come.
Larry Viner, an archiver and collector for magazines and newspapers, told ITV News it was "very brave" of NME to relaunch a print edition due to difficulties of the modern market.
He said: "There are so many magazines that have disappeared and so many newspapers, regional and national, that are on their knees to relaunch is a very brave thing to do."
He said the growth in streaming had meant music producers no longer needed to advertise albums or other products in magazines leading to a key revenue stream almost completely drying up for the industry.
"The thing that has killed the music papers more than anything else is music streaming"
The magazine, which launched in 1952 and was pivotal in the development of the charts, which saw it grow hugely in popularity among teenagers at the time.
said magazines have always been very collectable and are seeing signs of a revival similar to the growth in vinyl sales in recent years.
The magazine will go on sale at 19.52pm on August 9 in a nod to the year it was founded.
It will be exclusively available through music retailer Dawsons, alongside limited issue drops through artists, record stores and select partners.
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