The nu-metal title Kerrang! dropped again, while the dance music monthly Mixmag continued its decline. Q, the market leader, dropped more than 10 per cent year on year. The magazine has repositioned itself with Beyonce and Christina Aguilera gracing its cover.
NME remained stable but Uncut is the clear winner - along with Mojo, it has benefited by targeting a more mature fanbase. Uncut rose by 5.1 per cent period on period and now has a clear lead over Emap's Mojo, which has added 4 per cent to its year-on-year circulation.
Neil Robinson, the publishing director of IPC's music titles, says: "Most magazine publishers have spent their lives attracting 18- to 25-year-olds and never thought it was sexy to be old. But people are not growing old as they get old."
Dave Henderson, the managing director of rock at Emap Performance, echoes Robinson's views: "People have huge embarrassing record collections, so Uncut and Mojo have done well." He described the results as "business as usual".
Uncut's combination of music and film content with a covermounted CD every month is an attractive lure for readers.
Verdict While it is an exciting time for music, this has not translated into sales for all music titles. As consumers access music in new ways, magazines need to keep their eye on the ball: newspaper supplements and digital media could encroach on their territory.
FILM AND MUSIC
TITLE PUBLISHER Total ABC Period Year
on period on year
% change % change
Empire Emap 190,659 4.90 15.90
Q Emap 161,634 -6.30 -10.30
Uncut IPC 111,167 5.10 21.90
Mojo Emap 104,437 0.80 4.00
Total Film Future 90,580 0.10 5.40
NME IPC 72,557 0.20 -1.10
Kerrang! Emap 69,261 -1.60 -17.70
Mixmag IPC 50,182 -5.70 -16.50
Source: Audit Bureau of Circulations, July - December 2003.
