Yesterday NME online announced their 'major brand transformation', part of which sees the 63 year old magazine be given away for free.
NME in the last few years, more than ever has become a staple in my life.
With front pages adorned with Mumford & Sons, Palma Violets, the Arctic Monkeys, Foals, the Vaccines, Kings Of Leon and more recently with Noel Gallagher, Catfish and the Bottlemen, and even Kurt Cobain, NME is a collection of the past, future and present music talent, kept safe in its thin pages.
In this 'major brand transformation', NME (New Musical Express) will include technology, fashion and politics which seems to take away the magazines main focus of music, however in a statement to the media NME confirm music is "firmly at the heart of the brand".
Its a sad thing to see NME go free because it changes everything. Web publishing shows to be more popular and the decline of printed editions means other publications may follow suit. Why are people becoming so dependant on the internet and websites ? Maybe the publication going free will allow the brand to reach more people, at the expense of profits and reliance of online publication.
Below, linked, is the whole article released by NME discussing the upcoming changes.