NME

Not to be confused with the Canadian music magazineMusic Express.

For other uses, seeNME (disambiguation).

New Musical Express(NME) is a Britishmusic,film, gaming, and culture websiteand brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "rock inkie",theNMEwould become a magazine that ended up as a free publication, before becoming an online brand which includes its website and radio stations.

New Musical Express

December 2020 cover of the digital issue, featuringDavid Byrne
Categories	Music and pop culture media
Frequency	Weekly (1952–2018) Bimonthly (2023–present)
Founder	Theodore Ingham
Founded	1952(1952)
First issue	7 March 1952 – 9 March 2018, 2023 – present (print) 1996 (online)
Company	NME Networks
Country	United Kingdom
Based in	London, England
Language	English
Website	www.nme
ISSN	0028-6362

As a "rock inkie",NMEwas the first British newspaper to include asingleschart,adding that feature in the edition of 14 November 1952. In the 1970s, it became the best-selling British music newspaper. From 1972 to 1976, it was particularly associated withgonzo journalismthen became closely associated withpunk rockthrough the writings ofJulie Burchill,Paul Morley,andTony Parsons.It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s, changing from newsprint in 1998.

The magazine's website NME was launched in 1996, and became the world's biggest standalone music site, with over sixteen million users per month.With newsstand sales falling across the UK magazine sector in the early 21st century, the magazine's paid circulation in the first half of 2014 was 15,830.In September 2015, theNMEmagazine was relaunched to be distributed nationally as a free publication.The first average circulation published in February 2016 of 307,217 copies per week was the highest in the brand's history, beating the previous best of 306,881, recorded in 1964 at the height ofthe Beatles' fame.By December 2017, according to theAudit Bureau of Circulations,average distribution ofNMEhad fallen to 289,432 copies a week,although its then-publisherTime Inc. UKclaimed to have more than 13 million global unique users per month, including 3 million in the UK.In March 2018, the publisher announced that the print edition ofNMEwould cease publication after 66 years and become an online-only publication.However, this decision was reversed in 2023, withNMEannouncing that it would revive its print magazine as a bimonthly release.

NMEwas acquired in 2019 by Singaporean music companyBandLab Technologies,which put all of its music publications under the NME Networks brand in December 2021, when the company was restructured.

History

The paper was established in 1952.TheAccordion Times and Musical Expresswas bought by London music promoter Maurice Kinn for £1,000, just 15 minutes before it was due to be officially closed.It was relaunched as theNew Musical Express,and was initially published in a non-glossytabloidformat on standardnewsprint.Under the editorship ofRay Sonin,the paper began publishing artist interviews, industry gossip and, on 14 November 1952, taking its cue from the US magazineBillboard,it created the firstUK Singles Chart,a list of the Top Twelve best-selling singles. Sales of the magazine jumped by 50%. The first of these singles charts was, in contrast to more recent charts, a top twelve sourced by the magazine itself from sales in regional stores around the UK. The first number one was "Here in My Heart"byAl Martino.

1960s

During the 1960s, the paper championed the new British groups emerging at the time. TheNMEcirculation peaked under Andy Gray (editor 1957–1972) with a figure of 306,881 for the period from January to June 1964.The Beatlesandthe Rolling Stoneswere frequently featured on the front cover. These and other artists also appeared at the NME Poll Winners' Concert, an awards event that featured artists voted as most popular by the paper's readers. The concert also featured a ceremony where the poll winners would collect their awards. The NME Poll Winners' Concerts took place between 1959 and 1972. From 1964 onwards, they were filmed, edited, and transmitted on British television a few weeks after they had taken place.

In the mid-1960s, theNMEwas primarily dedicated to pop while its older rival,Melody Maker,was known for its more serious coverage of music. Other competing titles includedRecord Mirror,which led the way in championing Americanrhythm and blues,andDisc,which focused on chart news.The latter part of the decade the paper charted the rise ofpsychedeliaand the continued dominance of British groups of the time. During this period some sections of pop music began to be designated as rock. The paper became engaged in a sometimes tense rivalry withMelody Maker;however,NMEsales were healthy, with the paper selling as many as 200,000 issues per week, making it one of the UK's biggest sellers at the time.

1970s

Cover featuringPatti Smithfor the week of 21 February 1976

By the early 1970s,NMEhad lost ground toMelody Maker,as its coverage of music had failed to keep pace with the development of rock music, particularly during the early years of psychedelia andprogressive rock.In early 1972, the paper was on the verge of closure by its ownerIPC(which had bought the paper from Kinn in 1963).According toNick Kent(soon to play a prominent part in the paper's revival):

After sales had plummeted to 60,000 and a review of guitar instrumentalistDuane Eddyhad been printed which began with the words "On this, his 35th album, we find Duane in as good voice as ever," theNMEhad been told to rethink its policies or die on the vine.

Alan Smith was made editor in 1972, and was told by IPC to turn things around quickly or face closure.To achieve this, Smith and his assistant editorNick Loganraided theunderground pressfor writers such asCharles Shaar Murrayand Nick Kent, and recruited other writers such asTony Tyler,Ian MacDonaldand CalifornianDanny Holloway.According toThe Economist,theNew Musical Express"started to champion underground, up-and-coming music....NME became the gateway to a more rebellious world. First cameglamrock,and bands such asT. Rex,and then camepunk....by 1977 it had become the place to keep in touch with a cultural revolution that was enthralling the nation's listless youth. Bands such asSex Pistols,X-Ray SpexandGeneration Xwere regular cover stars, eulogised by writers such asJulie BurchillandTony Parsons,whose nihilistic tone narrated the punk years perfectly. "By the time Smith handed the editor's chair to Logan in mid-1973, the paper was selling nearly 300,000 copies per week and was outstrippingMelody Maker,Disc,Record MirrorandSounds.

According to MacDonald:

I think all the other papers knew by 1974 thatNMEhad become the best music paper in Britain. We had most of the best writers and photographers, the best layouts, that sense of style of humour and a feeling of real adventure. We also set out to beatMelody Makeron its strong suit: being the serious, responsible journal of record. We did Looking Back and Consumer Guide features that beat the competition out of sight, and we did this not just to surpass our rivals but because we reckoned that rock had finished its first wind around 1969/70 and deserved to be treated as history, as a canon of work. We wanted to see where we'd got to, sort out this huge amount of stuff that had poured out since the mid '60s. Everyone on the paper was into this.

Led Zeppelintopped the "NMEPop Poll "for three consecutive years (1974–76) under the category of the best" Vocal Group ".

In 1976,NMElambasted German pioneer electronic bandKraftwerkwith this title: "This is what your fathers fought to save you from..." The article said that the "electronic melodies flowed as slowly as a piece of garbage floating down the pollutedRhine".The same year also sawpunk rockarrive on what some people perceived to be a stagnant music scene. TheNMEgavethe Sex Pistolstheir first music press coverage in a live review of their performance at theMarqueein February that year, but overall it was slow to cover this new phenomenon in comparison toSoundsandMelody Maker,whereJonh InghamandCaroline Coonrespectively were early champions of punk. Although articles by the likes ofMick Farren(whose article "The Titanic Sails at Dawn" called for a new street-led rock movement in response to stadium rock) were published by theNMEthat summer, it was felt that younger writing was needed to credibly cover the emerging punk movement, and the paper advertised for a pair of "hip young gunslingers" to join their editorial staff. This resulted in the recruitment ofTony ParsonsandJulie Burchill.The pair rapidly became champions of the punk scene and created a new tone for the paper. Parsons' time at NME is reflected in his 2005 novelStories We Could Tell,about the misadventures of three young music-paper journalists on the night of 16 August 1977 – the nightElvis Presleydied.

The logo that has been used with slight variation since 1978

In 1978, Logan moved on, and his deputyNeil Spencerwas made editor. One of his earliest tasks was to oversee a redesign of the paper byBarney Bubbles,which included the logo still used on the paper's masthead today (albeit in a modified form) – this made its first appearance towards the end of 1978. Spencer's time as editor also coincided with the emergence ofpost-punkacts such asJoy DivisionandGang of Four.This development was reflected in the writing ofIan PenmanandPaul Morley.Danny Baker,who began as anNMEwriter around this time, had a more straightforward and populist style.

The paper also became more openly political during the time of punk. Its cover would sometimes feature youth-orientated issues rather than a musical act. It took an editorial stance against political parties like theNational Front.With the election ofMargaret Thatcherin 1979, the paper took a broadly socialist stance for much of the following decade.

1980s

In the 1980s, theNMEbecame the most important music paper in the country.It released the influentialC81in 1981, in conjunction withRough Trade Records,available to readers by mail order at a low price. The tape featured a number of then up-and-coming bands, includingDuran Duran,Aztec Camera,Orange Juice,Linx,andScritti Politti,as well as a number of more established artists such asRobert Wyatt,Pere Ubu,theBuzzcocksandIan Dury.A second tape titledC86was released in 1986. From 1981 to 1988 the magazine released 36 cassette compilations.

TheNMEresponded to theThatcher eraby espousing socialism through movements such asRed Wedge.In the week of the1987 election,the paper featured an interview with the leader of theLabour Party,Neil Kinnock,who appeared on the paper's cover.He had appeared on the cover once two years before, in April 1985.

Writers at this time includedMat Snow,Chris Bohn(known in his later years at the paper as 'Biba Kopf'),Antonella Gambotto-Burke(known by her pseudonyms Antonella Black and, because of her then-dyed orange hair,Ginger Meggs),Barney Hoskyns,Paolo Hewitt, Don Watson,Danny Kelly,Steven Wells,andDavid Quantick.

However, sales were dropping, and by the mid-1980s,NMEhad hit a rough patch and was in danger of closing. During this period (now under the editorship of Ian Pye, who replaced Neil Spencer in 1985), they were split between those who wanted to write abouthip hop,a genre that was relatively new to the UK, and those who wanted to stick to rock music.Sales were apparently lower when photos of hip hop artists appeared on the front and this led to the paper suffering as the lack of direction became even more apparent to readers. A number of features entirely unrelated to music appeared on the cover in this era, including a piece by William Leith on computer crime and articles byStuart Cosgroveon such subjects as the politics of sport and the presence ofAmerican troopsin Britain, withElvis Presleyappearing on the cover not for musical reasons but as a political symbol.

TheNMEwas generally thought to be rudderless at this time, with staff pulling simultaneously in a number of directions in what came to be known as the "hip-hop wars". It was haemorrhaging readers who were desertingNMEin favour ofNick Logan's two creationsThe FaceandSmash Hits.This was brought to a head when the paper was about to publish a poster of an insert contained in theDead Kennedys' albumFrankenchrist,consisting of a painting byH.R. GigercalledPenis Landscape,then a subject of an obscenity lawsuit in the US. In the summer and autumn of 1987, three senior editorial staff were sacked, including Pye, media editorStuart Cosgrove,and art editor Joe Ewart. FormerSoundseditorAlan Lewiswas brought in to rescue the paper, mirroring Alan Smith's revival a decade and a half before.

Some commented at this time that theNMEhad become less intellectual in its writing style and less inventive musically. Initially,NMEwriters themselves were ill at ease with the new regime, with most signing a letter of no confidence in Lewis shortly after he took over. However, this new direction for theNMEproved to be a commercial success and the paper brought in new writers such asAndrew Collins,Andrew Harrison,Stuart Maconie,Mary Anne HobbsandSteve Lamacqto give it a stronger identity and sense of direction. Lewis prioritised readership over editorial independence, and Mark Sinker left in 1988 after Lewis refused to print his unfavourable review ofU2'sRattle and Hum( "the worst album by a major band in years" ), replacing it with a glowing Stuart Baillie review intended to be more acceptable to readers.Initially many of the bands on the C86 tape were championed as well as the rise ofgothic rockbands but new bands such as theHappy Mondaysandthe Stone Roseswere coming out ofManchester.One scene over these years wasAcid Housewhich spawned"Madchester"which helped give the paper a new lease of life. By the end of the decade,Danny Kellyhad replaced Lewis as editor.

1990s

BlurvsOasis,August 1995. NME started 1990 in the thick of theMadchesterscene, covering the new British indie bands andshoegazers.

Björk,April 1995. The magazine heavily championed Björk's breakthrough in the 1990s.

By the end of 1990, the Madchester scene was dying off, andNMEhad started to report on new bands coming from the US, mainly fromSeattle.These bands would form a new movement calledgrunge,and by far the most popular bands wereNirvanaandPearl Jam.TheNMEtook to grunge very slowly ( "Sounds" was the first British music paper to write about grunge with John Robb being the first to interview Nirvana.Melody Makerwas more enthusiastic early on, largely through the efforts ofEverett True,who had previously written forNMEunder the name "The Legend!" ). For the most part,NMEonly became interested in grunge afterNevermindbecame popular. Although it still supported new British bands, the paper was dominated by American bands, as was the music scene in general.

Although the period from 1991 to 1993 was dominated by American bands like Nirvana, British bands were not ignored. TheNMEstill covered the indie scene and was involved with a war of words with a new band calledManic Street Preachers,who were criticising theNMEfor what they saw as an elitist view of bands they would champion. This came to a head in 1991, when, during an interview withSteve Lamacq,Richey Edwardswould confirm the band's position by carving "4real" into his arm with a razor blade.

By 1992, the Madchester scene had died and along with the Manics, some new British bands were beginning to appear.Suedewere quickly hailed by the paper as an alternative to the heavy grunge sound and hailed as the start of a new British music scene. Grunge, however, was still the dominant force, but the rise of new British bands would become something the paper would focus on more and more.

In 1992, theNMEalso had a very public dispute withMorrisseydue to allegations byNME'sDele Fadelethat Morrissey had used racist lyrics and imagery.This erupted after a concert atFinsbury Parkwhere Morrissey was seen to drape himself in aUnion Jack.The series of articles (starting with Fadele's one) which followed in the next edition ofNME(featuring the story on the front cover)soured Morrissey's relationship with the paper, and this led to Morrissey not speaking to the paper again for the next 12 years (i.e., until 2004).

Later in 1992, Steve Sutherland, previously an assistant editor ofMelody Maker,was brought in as theNME's editor to replaceDanny Kelly.Andrew Collins,Stuart Maconie,Steve Lamacq,andMary Anne Hobbsall left theNMEin protest, and moved toSelect;Collins, Maconie and Lamacq would all also write forQ,while Lamacq would joinMelody Makerin 1997. Kelly, Collins, Maconie, Lamacq and Hobbs would all subsequently become prominent broadcasters withBBC Radio 1as it reinvented itself underMatthew Bannister.

In April 1994, Nirvana frontmanKurt Cobainwas found dead, a story which affected not only his fans and readers of theNME,but would see a massive change in British music. Grunge was about to be replaced byBritpop,a new genre influenced by 1960s British music and culture. The term was coined byNMEafter the bandBlurreleased their albumParklifein the month of Cobain's death. Britpop began to fill the musical and cultural void left after Cobain's demise, and with Blur's success and the rise of a new group from Manchester calledOasis,Britpop would continue its rise for the rest of 1994. By the end of the year, Blur and Oasis were the two biggest bands in the UK, and sales of theNMEwere increasing thanks to the Britpop effect. In 1995,NMEcovered these new bands, many of whom played theNME Stageat that year'sGlastonbury Festival,where the paper had been sponsoring the second stage at the festival since 1993. This would be its last year sponsoring the stage; subsequently, the stage would be known as the 'Other Stage'.

In August 1995, Blur and Oasis planned to release singles on the same day in a mass of media publicity. Steve Sutherland put the story on the front page of the paper, and was criticised for playing up the duel between the bands. Blur won the "race" for the top of the charts, and the resulting fallout from the publicity led to the paper enjoying increased sales during the 1990s as Britpop became the dominant genre. After this peak, the paper experienced a slow decline as Britpop burned itself out fairly rapidly over the next few years. This left the paper directionless again, and attempts to embrace the rise of DJ culture in the late 1990s only led to the paper being criticised for not supporting rock or indie music. The paper did attempt to return to its highly politicised 1980s incarnation by running a cover story in March 1998 condemningTony Blair,who had previously associated himself with Britpop bands such as Oasis, and this received a certain level of attention in the wider media.

Sutherland did attempt to cover newer bands, but a 1998 cover feature on the Canadianpost-rockbandGodspeed You! Black Emperorsaw the paper dip to a sales low, and Sutherland later stated in his weekly editorial that he regretted putting them on the cover. For many, this was seen as an affront to the principles of the paper, and sales reached a low point at the turn of the millennium. From the issue of 21 March 1999, the paper was no longer printed on newsprint, and more recently, it has shifted to tabloid size with glossy colour covers.

2000s

In 2000, Steve Sutherland left to become brand director of theNME,and was replaced as editor by 26-year-oldMelody Makerwriter Ben Knowles. In the same year,Melody Makerofficially merged with theNME,and many speculated theNMEwould be next to close, as the weekly music-magazine market was shrinking - the monthly magazineSelect,which had thrived especially during the Britpop era, was closed down within a week ofMelody Maker.In the early 2000s, theNMEalso attempted somewhat to broaden its coverage again, running cover stories on hip-hop acts such asJay-ZandMissy Elliott,electronic musicianAphex Twin,PopstarswinnersHear'say,and R&B groups such asDestiny's Child.However, as in the 1980s, these proved unpopular with much of the paper's readership, and were soon dropped. In 2001, theNMEreasserted its position as an influence in new music, and helped to introduce bands includingthe Strokes,the Vines,andthe White Stripes.

In 2002,Conor McNicholaswas appointed editor, with a new wave of photographers includingDean Chalkley,Andrew Kendall, James Looker, and Pieter Van Hattem, and a high turnover of young writers. It focused on new British bands such asthe Libertines,Franz Ferdinand,Bloc Party,and theKaiser Chiefs,which had emerged as indie music continued to grow in commercial success. Later,Arctic Monkeysbecame the standard-bearers of the post-Libertines crop of indie bands, being both successfully championed by theNMEand receiving widespread commercial and critical success.

In December 2005, accusations were made that theNMEend-of-year poll had been edited for commercial and political reasons.These criticisms were rebutted by McNicholas, who claimed that webzine Londonist had got hold of an early draft of the poll.

In October 2006,NMElaunched an Irish version of the magazine calledNME Ireland.This coincided with the launch of Club NME inDublin.Dublin-based bandHumanziwas first to appear on the cover of NME Ireland. The Irish edition of the magazine could not compete with local competitors such asHot Presstherefore it was discontinued after its fourth issue in February 2007.

After the 2008 NME Award nominations, Caroline Sullivan ofThe Guardiancriticised the magazine's lack of diversity, saying:

"NME bands" fall within very narrow parameters. In the 80s, the paper prided itself on its coverage of hip hop,R&Band the emerging dance scene which it took seriously and featured prominently – alongside the usual Peel-endorsed indie fare. Now, though, its range of approved bands has dramatically shrunk to a strand embodied by the [Arctic] Monkeys, Babyshambles and Muse – bands who you don't need specialist knowledge to write about and who are just "indie" enough to make readers feel they're part of a club. Like everything else in publishing, this particular direction must be in response to reader demand, but it doesn't half make for a self-limiting magazine.

In May 2008, the magazine received a redesign aimed at an older readership with a more authoritative tone. The first issue of the redesign featured a free seven-inchColdplayvinyl single.

2010s

Krissi Murison was appointed editor in June 2009, launching a new redesigned NME in April 2010. The issue had 10 different covers, highlighting the broader range of music the magazine would cover, and featuredJack White,Florence and the Machine,LCD Soundsystem,Rihanna,Kasabian,Laura Marling,Foals,M.I.A.,Biffy ClyroandMagnetic Man.

Murison was replaced as editor in July 2012 by Mike Williams, who had previously been the magazine's deputy.Williams is now Editor in Chief, with full responsibility for NME's cross platform output. Under Williams, NME has launched the NME Daily app,a new career focussed event called Lifehacks,and successfully relaunched both theNMEmagazine and NME's website, NME.

In 2013,NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Timewas criticized by the media.The Guardianpointed out that Features Editor Laura Snapes included, in her top 5 "greatest albums of all time", four albums from the same band which wasThe National.Consequence of Soundsimilarly observed that "if Laura Snapes had her wish, the top four would all be The National albums".

Free title

In February 2015, it was reported that theNMEwas in discussions about removing the cover price and becoming a free publication.This was confirmed in July 2015.

The free NME launched on 18 September 2015, withRihannaon the cover.Distributed nationwide via universities, retail stores and the transport network, the first circulation numbers published in February 2016 of 307, 217 copies per week were the highest in the brand's history. Since relaunch the magazine has featured a number of high-profile international pop stars on the cover such asColdplay,Taylor Swift,Lana Del Rey,Kanye WestandGreen Dayalongside emerging talent likeZara Larsson,Years & Years,Lady LeshurrandChristine and the Queens.

The free, pop-orientedNMEmagazine was praised for reconnecting NME with its target audience,and was awarded a silver at the 2016Professional Publishers AssociationAwards for its historic first-ever cover as a free title, featuring Rihanna.Editor in Chief Mike Williams received the Editor Of The Year Award at theBSMEAwards 2016, the judges stating that under Williams' leadership, NME had "bounced back from an uncertain future and established itself confidently and creatively in a new market."

In March 2018,The Guardianreported that the NME was to cease publication in print after 66 years.The online publication would continue.

In 2019, TI Media, the successor to IPC, soldNMEandUncutto Singaporean companyBandLab Technologies.

2020s

In 2021, theNMEbecame the main brand for the music publishing division of Caldecott Music Group, when BandLab Technologies was reorganised. As well as publishing print magazines in the United Kingdom and Australia, NME Networks is responsible for a trio of online music publications and the main NME website, which now also has an areadevoted to the Asian music scene and acts such as The Itchyworms,SEVENTEEN,Voice Of Baceprot,Sponge ColaandI Belong To The Zoofrom countries such as South Korea,the Philippines and Indonesia.

On 20 July 2023,NMEannounced that it would be relaunching its print magazine that summer. Starting with a July/August issue featuringD4vd,each bimonthly issue will showcase a rising musical talent.NME Networks' chief operating and commercial officer Holly Bishop explained that the company was "inspired by the resurgence we've seen in vinyl and cassette tapes" to bring a physical edition back for music fans.

NME Australia

In December 2018, BandLab Technologies announced the launch ofNME Australia.Initially a website only, new interviews were given covers and numbered as issues, withAmyl & The Snifferson the inaugural cover. At the time BandLab announced the Australian edition would not have a local editor, and would instead be controlled by a team in London and Singapore, with content from Australian contributors.

A print edition was announced in April 2020, beginning with issue #5, following their online covers numbering.Tash Sultanabecame the first cover artist for the print edition,which have gone on to feature artists such asThe Avalanches,Jaguar Jonze,Tkay Maidza,andLordeon future covers.

The magazine publishes six issues each year, with new content added to the website regularly.

NME

In 1996, theNMElaunched its website NME under the stewardship of editor Steve Sutherland and publisher Robert Tame. Its first editor was Brendan Fitzgerald. Eewei Chen was the first designer of the website. Later, Anthony Thornton redesigned the site, focusing on music news. In November 1999, the site hosted the UK's first webcast, ofSuede"Live in Japan". In 2001, the site gave away a free MP3 ofthe Strokes' single "Last Nite"a week before its release.

The website was awarded Online Magazine of the Year in 1999 and 2001; Anthony Thornton was awarded Website Editor of the Year on three occasions – 2001 and 2002 (British Society of Magazine Editors) and 2002 (Periodical Publishers Association).

In 2004, Ben Perreau joined NME as the website's third editor. He relaunched and redeveloped the title in September 2005 and the focus was migrated towards video, audio and the wider music community. It was awarded Best Music Website at the Record of the Day awards in October 2005. In 2006, it was awarded the BT Digital Music Award for Best Music Magazine and the first chairman's Award from the Association of Online Publishers awarded by the chairman Simon Waldman in recognition of its pioneering role in its 10-year history.

In 2007, NME was launched in the US with additional staff.

In October 2007, David Moynihan joined as the website's fourth editor. In 2008, the site won the BT Digital Music Award for Best Music Magazine, plus the Association of Online Publishers' Best Editorial Team Award, the British Society of Magazine Editors Website Editor of the Year and the Record of the Day Award for Best Music Website. In June 2009, NME won the Periodical Publishers Association (PPA) award for Interactive Consumer Magazine of the Year. In 2010, it won both the AOP and PPA website of the year award. That same year, NME expanded its coverage to include movies and TV as well as music.

Luke Lewis took over as editor of NME in March 2011, bringing a new focus on video content and user engagement, bringing comments to the fore and introducing user ratings on reviews. In 2011, NME had over seven million monthly unique users (source: Omniture SiteCatalyst, 2011).

In May 2011, NME launched NMEVideo, a sister site dedicated to video,and released the NME Festivals smartphone app.Sponsored byBlackBerry,it featured line-ups, stage times, photo galleries and backstage video interviews, and was downloaded 30,000 times. The following month, NME launched its first iPad app,dedicated to Jack White.

In September 2011, NME organised and live-blogged a real-timeTwitterlistening party of Nirvana's 1991 albumNevermindto mark that album's 20th anniversary. The site also launched a new series of self-produced band documentary films, entitled The Ultimate Guide.

In October 2011, the site celebrated its 15th birthdayby publishing a list of the 150 best tracks of NME 's lifetime.The number one song wasRadiohead's "Paranoid Android".

In 2015, NME appointed Charlotte Gunn as digital editor,replacing Greg Cochrane. Under Gunn, NME doubled in size and with a focus on social and video built a sustainable future as an online only brand. Gunn was appointed Editor in March 2018, after the closure of the weekly print magazine, and left the post in February 2020.

In 2020, NME began its Gaming channel. NME Networks' Chief Operating and Commercial Officer Holly Bishop stated that it would include "long reads, hero content, franchises, reviews and interactive streams".

NME covers

See also:List of NME covers

NME Awards

Main article:NME Awards

NME Awards is an awards show held every year to celebrate the best new music of the past year. The nominations and eventual winners are voted for by the readers of the magazine. The 2022 ceremony, branded as the BandLab NME Awards 2022, took place on 2 March 2022 at the O2 Academy Brixton.

NME Tours

Main article:NME Tours

NME sponsors a tour of the United Kingdom by up-and-coming bands each year.

NME Originals

In 2002, theNMEstarted publishing a series of themed magazines reprinting vintage articles, interviews and reviews from its archives. The magazine special editions were calledNME Originals,with some featuring articles from other music titles owned by IPC, includingMelody Maker,RaveandUncutmagazines. Notable issues so far have featuredArctic Monkeys,Radiohead,the Beatles,punk rock,gothic rock,Britpop,the Rolling Stones,mod,Nirvana,and the solo years ofthe Beatles.The series has had several editors, the most prominent of whom have been Steve Sutherland andChris Hunt.The most recent issue of NME Originals was published in 2005, as these themed archive magazines have been issued under theUncutassociated titlesThe Ultimate Music GuideandUltimate Genre Guideinstead.

NME Networks

In December 2021, BandLab Technologies became Caldecott Music Group (CMG) with the publisher's former name now being used for CMG's music technology division.TheNMEbrand was put under a new division called NME Networks,which also includes Guitar, andMusicTech.It also formerly includedUncutmagazine, until this was sold in 2023.

In 2022, NME Networks hired Jeremy Abbott as Managing Editor, a role in which he would be "responsible for leading the day-to-day editorial operations for all titles such as NME, NME Asia, NME Australia, Guitar and MusicTech, with the aim of building and maintaining a world-class music and pop culture new media group." He departed NME Networks in 2023.

Editors

1952: Ray Sonin

1957: Andy Gray

1972: Alan Smith

1973:Nick Logan

1978:Neil Spencer

1985: Ian Pye

1987:Alan Lewis

1990:Danny Kelly

1992: Steve Sutherland

2000: Ben Knowles

2002:Conor McNicholas

2009: Krissi Murison

2012:Mike Williams

2018: Charlotte Gunn

See also

• NME Album of the Year
• NME Single of the Year

External links

• Official website
• "New Musical Express: Contents 1953–1969".Skidmore College.
• NMEcritics list from 1974 onwardsat rocklist.net
• Full copy of theNew Musical Express,No 739, 10 March 1961 (PDF)
• "Fraternising with the NME".The Observer.London. 3 July 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 21 July 2005.