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Q(magazine)

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Qwas apopular musicmagazine. Originally published in print in the UK from 1986 to 2020, it was inactive from 2020 until 2023. In 2023,Qwas revived as an online publication. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalistsMark EllenandDavid Hepworth,who were presenters of the BBC television music seriesThe Old Grey Whistle Test.[2]Q's final printed issue was published in July 2020, but began posting new articles to their website in 2023 before being fully relaunched in 2024.

Q
Special Commemorative Issue (September 2020)
CategoriesMusic magazine
FrequencyMonthly
Circulation44,050 (ABC Jul – Dec 2015)[1]
Print and digital editions.
PublisherBauer Media Group
First issueOctober 1986
Final issueJuly 2020
CountryUnited Kingdom
Based inLondon
LanguageEnglish
Websiteqthemusic.com
ISSN0955-4955

History

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Qwas originally published by theEMAPmedia group and set itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing.[2]In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more". Originally it was to be calledCue(as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it would not be mistaken for asnookermagazine. Another reason, cited inQ's 200th edition, is that a single-letter title would be more prominent on newsstands.

In January 2008, EMAP sold its consumer magazine titles, includingQ,to theBauer Media Group.[3][4]Bauer put the title up for sale in 2020, alongsideCar Mechanic,Modern Classics,Your Horse,andSea Angler.[5][6][7]Publication ceased in July 2020 asKelsey Mediadecided to buy a number of non-music titles from Bauer (Sea Angler,Car MechanicsandYour Horse),[8]making the 28 July 2020 issue (Q415) the last to be published.[9]The end of the print version ofQwas blamed both on lower circulation and advertising revenue caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic,as well as being "a symptom of an expert-free internet age."[10]

Following the sale of the brand to Empire Media Group,[11]Qwas soft launched as an online publication in November 2023, posting new content along with articles from their archive.[12]It was officially relaunched in January 2024, with a new editorial team spearheaded by Los Angeles-based US Editor Andrew Barker and Oxford-based UK and Europe Editor, Dominic Utton.[11]In May 2024, the magazine was shuttered less than six months after its relaunch. Six full-time journalists were laid off.[13]

Original print magazine

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First issue ofQ(October 1986)

The magazine had an extensive review section, featuring:new releases,reissues,compilations, film and live concert reviews, as well as radio and television reviews. It used a star-rating system from one to five stars; indeed, the rating an album received inQwas often added to print and television advertising for the album in the UK and Ireland. While its content was non-free they hosted an archive of all of their magazine covers.[14]

Much of the magazine was devoted to interviews with popular music artists.[2]According toAlexis PetridisofThe Guardian,it was originally set up after the success of "rock’s old stagers" atLive Aid,which co-founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth had co-presented, to focus on long-established acts that appealed to an older music market, such asPaul McCartney,Rod Stewart,Paul Simon,Elton John,GenesisandEric Clapton.[15]It also compiled lists, ranging from "The 100 Greatest Albums" to "The 100 Richest Stars in Rock", with a special edition magazine called "The 150 Greatest Rock Lists Ever" published in July 2004.[16]Qalso produced a number of special editions devoted to a single act/artist likeU2orNirvana,but these magazines stopped in 2018, with its sister magazine,Mojo[2](also owned by Bauer) continuing to produce specials devoted to artists likeBob Dylan.

Promotional gifts were given away, such as cover-mountedCDs[14]or books. The January 2006 issue included a free copy of "The Greatest Rock and Pop Miscellany… Ever!", modelled onSchott's Original Miscellany.

Every issue ofQhad a different message on the spine. Readers tried to work out what the message had to do with the contents of the magazine. This practice (known as the "spine line" ) has since become commonplace among British lifestyle magazines, includingQ's sister publicationEmpireand the football monthlyFourFourTwo.

The magazine had a relationship with theGlastonbury Festival,producing both a free daily newspaper on-site during the festival and a review magazine available at the end of the event. This was first started as aSelectmagazine spin-off, though asQmoved its focus to theBritpopandindie rockstars of the 1990s, it was decided that EMAP did not need two monthly titles (andRawmagazine as well) covering the same genre of music;Selectwas shut in late 2000, withQcontinuing. In January 2008,Mojowas launched by EMAP as a rival toUncutand focused on all the rock stars, now viewed upon as being heritage and classic, thatQoriginally featured in its pages in 1986.

In late 2008,Qrevamped its image with a smaller amount of text and an increased focus on subjects other than music. This "Rolling Stone-isation "led to criticism from much of the traditionalQreadership,[citation needed]especially given that the total number of pages per issue had by then effectively halved since the earlier years of its publication.

In February 2012,Andrew Harrisonwas recruited as editor, replacing Paul Rees during a difficult period when on-line publishing had led to a 17% decline in the magazine's circulation in the first half of 2012. It had fallen to 64,596 units; a reduction in volume described byThe Guardianas "the worst performance of any music magazine in the period".[17][18]Direct reporting to Publishing Director Rimi Atwal ofBauer Media Group,Harrison's brief was to "refocus" and revive the magazine, and to that end he took on a number of new journalists and launched their iPad edition, but decided against a rebranding. Under his tenure,Qwas named "Magazine of the Year" at the 2012 "Record of the Day" awards.[19]He left just 14 months later, according tothe Guardian,"as print music magazines continue to endure torrid times" and even free titles were failing to compete against blogs and platforms dependent ononline advertising.[17]

In July 2020, Bauer published a Special Collector's Issue of the magazine (Q414), which it had intended to be the last edition[20][21]before deciding to attempt to sell the publication to another media group. This issue was more of a 'throwback' publication, similar to whatMojohad been doing, and featured articles and acts from 34 years ofQmagazine. With other firms, such as Long Live Vinyl's owner Anthem Publishing,[22]ending the publication of a number of monthly music magazine titles, a buyer could not be found for the title, with editor Ted Kessler announcing that issue Q415 would be the last, on 20 July 2020.[23][15]

Notable articles

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In the early days of publication, the magazine's format was much closer in tone to that ofRolling Stone(though with some of the characteristic humour of formerSmash Hitsstaff shining through), withTom Hibbert's "Who The Hell..." feature (including interviews with people likeJeffrey Archer,Robert Maxwell,Ronnie Biggs[24]andBernard Manning) and film reviews.[25]After EMAP started to publish a new magazine calledEmpirein 1989 (the idea being thatEmpirewould be 'Q with films'), the movie reviews migrated to the new publication, withQbecoming a magazine focused on music (one found for sale alongsideSelectandVoxin various magazine racks).

In the 1990s, formerNMEstaff writers, such asAndrew Collins,Danny Kelly,Stuart Maconie,andCharles Shaar MurrayjoinedPaul Du Noyerand Adrian Deevoy over atQ.Music coverage in IPC's 'inkie' indie weekly[26]was becoming more serious afterMelody Makerclosed down and so names like Maconie[27]felt more at home at a publication that would still runtongue-in-cheekarticles such as "40 Celebs About Whom We Only Know One Thing" and "Do I Have To Wear This, Boss?" (Du Noyer's feature about every band having a member who looks out of place in the line-up).[24]

In 2006,Qpublished a readers' survey, "The 100 Greatest Songs Ever", which was topped byOasis' "Live Forever".[28]

In the April 2007 issue,Qpublished an article listing "The 100 Greatest Singers", which was topped byElvis Presley.[29]Lady Gagaposed topless in a shoot for the April 2010 issue of the magazine, which was banned by stores in the United States due to the singer revealing too much of her breasts.[30]

Other Q brands

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After a few years as a radiojukebox,Q Radiolaunched in June 2008 as a full-serviceradio stationwith a complete roster. Shows and presenters includeDrivetime with Danielle PerryandQ the 80s with Matthew Rudd.The station was transmitted on thedigital televisionnetworks in the UK and online.Coldplaywere involved with the launch of the station by giving an exclusive interview on Q's flagship programmeQPMon the launch day. It was based inBirminghamalongside the now-closedKerrang! 105.2after moving from London in 2009. The station was closed in mid-2013 after ownersBauer Mediadecided to use the station's bandwidth on various platforms (DAB, Digital TV) to launchKisstory,a spinoff of theirKissbrand. There was aQ TVtelevision channelin the UK, which launched on 2 October 2000 and closed on 3 July 2012.[31]

Qheld a yearly awards ceremony called theQ Awardsfrom 1990 until 2019. The Q Awards came to an end along with the publication itself.

Criticism

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According to the global business magazineCampaignin 2008,Qhad been criticised for "playing it safe" with its album reviews and cover mounts.[32]In its early years it was sneered at as "uncool and lacking edge", withSteven WellsfromNMEcalling it "the magazine that says 'Hey kids, it's alright to likeDire Straits' ".[15]

In a 2001 interview inClassic Rock,MarillionsingerSteve HogarthcriticisedQ's refusal to cover the band despite publishing some positive reviews:

I don't understand whyQMagazine won't write about us. The most memorable review they gave us was ofAfraid of Sunlightwhich said, "If this were by anything other than Marillion it would be hailed as near genius". And they still wouldn't give us a feature. How can they say, "this is an amazing record... no, we don't want to talk to you"? It's hard to take when they say, "here's a very average record... we'll put you on the front cover". Why don't they just stop pretending that it's all about music and admit it's really about money? Then put the top-selling five bands on the cover and tell everyone else to fuck off.[33]

In 2005, after winning the Q Legend award at the Q Awards,New OrderbassistPeter Hookcalled the magazine "two-faced cunts who give us bad reviews".[34]

References

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  1. ^Ponsford, Dominic (11 February 2016)."Full 2015 UK magazines ABC circulation breakdown: 60 out of 442 titles grow sales".Press Gazette.
  2. ^abcdColin Larkin,ed. (1997).The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music(Concise ed.).Virgin Books.p. 985.ISBN1-85227-745-9.
  3. ^Plunkett, John (11 February 2008)."Blaxill joins Bauer Radio".The Guardian.London.Retrieved12 March2013.
  4. ^Barnett, Emma (27 March 2008)."Bauer lines up Q Radio relaunch date".Campaign(Press release). London.PRWeek.Retrieved9 July2024.
  5. ^Cooke, Chris."Planet Rock magazine to close, Q could survive under new ownership".Complete Music Update.
  6. ^Snapes, Laura (24 May 2020)."'Like a tap being turned off': music magazines fight for survival in UK ".The Guardian.
  7. ^Sweney, Mark (18 May 2020)."Future of Q magazine in doubt as coronavirus crisis hits media".The Guardian.
  8. ^Tobitt, Charlotte (20 July 2020)."'Iconic' Q magazine closes after 34 years as Bauer fails to find buyer ".Press Gazette.Retrieved9 July2024.
  9. ^Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (20 July 2020)."Q magazine to fold after 34 years".The Guardian.Retrieved20 July2020.
  10. ^McCormick, Neil (21 July 2020)."The death of Q magazine is a symptom of an expert-free internet age".The Daily Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 12 January 2022.Retrieved24 July2020.
  11. ^ab"The Legendary Music Magazine Q Relaunches Under Empire Media Group at www.qthemusic.com".EIN Presswire(Press release). 30 January 2024.Retrieved31 January2024.
  12. ^"Q Magazine".qthemusic.com.Retrieved5 December2023.
  13. ^Tobitt, Charlotte (17 May 2024)."Relaunched Q magazine shut down in same week Loaded revival goes live".Press Gazette.Archivedfrom the original on 17 May 2024.Retrieved17 May2024.
  14. ^ab"Q Cover Archive – Q MagazineQ Magazine".Qthemusic.com.
  15. ^abcPetridis, Alexis (20 July 2020)."Q magazine's demise signals the end of the old music press".The Guardian.Retrieved15 October2024.
  16. ^"Q - 150 Rock Lists".Rocklistmusic.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2011.Retrieved22 July2020.
  17. ^abCardew, Ben. "Q editor Andrew Harrison steps down".The Guardian,11 April 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2021
  18. ^Sweney, Mark. "NME and Q suffer sales declines to the tune of 20% year on year".The Guardian,16 August 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2021
  19. ^"Record of the Day Awards for Music Journalism and PR 2012".Record of the Day. Retrieved 16 January 2021
  20. ^"Q Magazine".Q Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon 11 September 2011.Retrieved24 March2017.
  21. ^"Anecdotal Evidence! We share our favourite tales in the new issue".Q Magazine.
  22. ^"Long Live Vinyl".Longlivevinyl.net.Retrieved29 November2021.
  23. ^White, Jack (20 July 2020)."Q Magazine to close after 34 years".Official Charts.Retrieved9 July2024.
  24. ^abHepworth, David."Why we should mourn the loss of Q magazine".New Statesman.Archivedfrom the original on 21 September 2021.Retrieved9 July2024.
  25. ^Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (20 July 2020)."Q magazine to fold after 34 years".The Guardian.
  26. ^Marshall, Carrie (7 March 2018)."The inkies were the internet of the 80s".Bigmouth Strikes Again.Retrieved29 November2021.
  27. ^"Radcliffe and Maconie, Crocodiles, Closer and Crisps".BBC Radio 6 Music.
  28. ^"Q Magazine Lists".Rocklistmusic.co.uk.
  29. ^"Q Magazine Lists".Rocklistmusic.co.uk.
  30. ^Simon, Leslie."Lady Gaga's 'Q Magazine' cover banned in U.S."MTV.Archived fromthe originalon 21 July 2017.
  31. ^"Bauer axes Q TV after nearly 12 years to make way for Heat TV".Brand Republic. 23 May 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 29 July 2012.
  32. ^Leahul, Dan (26 September 2008)."Q Magazine looks beyond music in revamp".Campaign.Retrieved8 November2018.
  33. ^Ling, Dave."Interview with Steve Hogarth".Classic Rock.No. May 2021. Archived fromthe originalon 18 January 2015 – via daveling.co.uk.
  34. ^Purcell, Andrew (10 October 2005)."Q Awards Play Safe".BBC Radio 6 Music.Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2016.
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