Q is a music magazine published
monthly in the United
Kingdom
, with a circulation of 130,179 as of June
2007.
Founders
Mark Ellen and
David Hepworth were dismayed by the music
press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of
older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new
technology. Q was first published in 1986, setting itself apart
from much of the other music press with monthly production and
higher standards of
photography and
printing. In the early years, the magazine
was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more". Originally it
was to be called
Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record,
ready to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be
mistaken for a
snooker magazine. Another
reason, cited in
Q's 200th edition, is that a
single-letter title would be more prominent on newsstands.
Content
The magazine has an extensive
review section,
featuring:
new releases (music),
reissues (music), music compilations,
film and
live
concert reviews, as well as
radio and
television reviews.
It uses a star rating
system from one to five stars; indeed, the rating an album receives in Q is often added to print
and television advertising
for the album in the UK
and Ireland
. It also compiles a list of approximately
eight albums, which it classes as the best new releases of the last
three months.
Much of the magazine is devoted to interviews with popular musical
artists.
The magazine is well known for compiling lists. It has created
many, ranging from "The 100 Greatest albums" to the "100 Greatest
'100 Greatest' Lists". The most famous of these is the classic "50
bands to see before you die" . Every other month,
Q - and
its sister magazine,
Mojo
(also owned by Bauer) - have a special edition. These have been
about musical times, genres, or a very important/influential
musician.
Often, promotional gifts are given away, such as cover-mounted
CDs or books. The January, 2006 issue
included a free copy of "The Greatest Rock and Pop Miscellany …
Ever!", modeled on
Schott's Original
Miscellany.
Every issue of
Q has a different message on the spine.
Readers then try to work out what the message has to do with the
contents of the mag. This practice — known as the "spine line" —
has since become commonplace among British lifestyle magazines,
including
Q's movie-centric sister rag,
Empire and the football monthly
FourFourTwo.
Usual features include
The Q50, wherein the magazine lists
the top 50 essential tracks of the month;
Cash for
Questions, in which a famous celeb/band answers question sent
in by readers - who win £25 if their question is printed;
Ten
Commandments, wherein a particular singer creates their very
own
ten commandments by which to
live and
Rewind, in which they take us back in time
through the history of music via archive issues of
Q. On
March 4, 2007, "Q" named Elvis Presley the greatest singer of all
time.
Q is normally published at the beginning of a month but the
September 1997 issue failed to appear until three weeks into the
month. This led to speculation that it originally contained
material likely to be deemed offensive in the context of the death
of Princess Diana.
Q today
Q's current editor is Paul Rees, former editor of the UK
edition of
Kerrang!, another musical Bauer
publication based on heavier rock/metal music.
In 2006,
Q published a readers' survey; the
100 Greatest Songs Ever, won by
Oasis'
Live
Forever.
[58069]
In the April 2007 issue,
Q published an article containing
the
100 Greatest Singers, won
by
Elvis Presley.
[58070]
Q has a history of associating with charitable
organizations, and in 2006 the British anti-poverty charity
War on Want was named its official
charity.
In late 2008
Q revamped its image, with a smaller amount
of text and an increased focus on subjects other than music. This
"
Rolling Stone-isation" has led to
criticism from much of the traditional
Q readership,
though it is yet to be seen if this change in attitude will
dramatically affect sales.
Q Radio
After a few years as a radio
jukebox,
Q Radio launched in June 2008 as a full
service
radio station with a complete
roster. Shows and presenters include QPM with Samanthi,
Russell Kane and
Acid
Jazz founder
Eddie Piller.
The station is transmitted on the
digital television networks in the UK,
across London on
DAB and
online. The programme director is former
Top of the Pops producer
Ric Blaxill.
Coldplay were involved with the launch of
the station by giving an exclusive interview on Q's flagship
programme QPM on the launch day.
It is
based in Birmingham
with Kerrang!
105.2 after moving from London
in
2009
Other Q brands
There is
also a Q TV television channel in the UK.Q also holds a yearly awards
ceremony called the
Q Awards.
Criticism
Some critics and readers of the magazine have believed it to have
lost its edge, and is now opting to play 'safe' with who and what
it covers, focusing more on the popularity of the band rather than
the actual music itself. The award of five stars to the Oasis album
Be Here Now (widely criticised
elsewhere and subsequently dismissed as self-indulgent by
Noel Gallagher himself) has been seen as a
turning point.
Other criticism comes from the magazine being "far too generous to
British musicians" with its ratings. Also the recent trend of
continuously publishing 'top 100' lists (which largely feature the
same "approved" canon of favoured artists) has attracted
accusations of lazy journalism.
References
External links
Wikis
Quiz
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