IPC Ignite Pulls The Plug On Muzik Magazine

IPC Ignite is to close its monthly Muzik magazine following a drop in circulation and a decline in the popularity of dance music in the charts.

The publishing company claims that falling advertising and copy sale revenues at the title, in conjunction with the decline of this section of the music market have meant that the magazine is no longer commercially viable.

The latest ABC results for the period ending December 2002 brought bad news to Muzik, which saw its circulation drop 11% year on year to 36,089, down from 10,550 in the same period in 2001.

The fickle nature of the music magazine market has also hit other titles and Ministry Of Sound’s Ministry magazine folded at the end of last year. Emap Performance’s specialist dance title, Mixmag, has also experienced a rough ride, with circulation dropping by 34.7% year on year to 60,070 in the second half of 2002.

Commenting on the decision, Tim Brooks, managing director of IPC Ignite, said: “We have a very talented and dedicated team on Muzik and I want to thank them for all their hard work and grace under pressure. Sadly, nothing they do in isolation was going to turn around this sector of the music market. Just like the broader music industry of which we are proud to be a part, we have to channel our resources to where the consumers are.”

IPC recently secured a three year sponsorship deal with a range of the UK’s largest festival promoters to ensure that the NME brand is at the forefront of some of the season’s key live music events (see NME Secures Festival Sponsorship Deal).

IPC Media: 0870 4445000 www.ipc.co.uk

Recent Press Stories from NewsLine Times Launches New Weekly Guide To London Life Red Hots Up With Summer Ad Campaign Daily Telegraph Proves Its Worth To Financial Advertisers

Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left