NME editor Mike Williams.
As the long-standing music magazine gets ready to go free from September, NME’s final paid-for issue will be a bumper commemorative special, taking a nostalgic look back at the greatest moments from its 63 year history.
The 132-page issue, with a cover date of 01 August, will land on newsstands across the UK on 29 July with a premium cover price of £3.50 and will be available for an extended on-sale period.
“As we move into this exciting next chapter for NME, it’s fitting that we celebrate the first 63 years of this amazing brand with a massive party on the pages of the last paid-for issue,” said editor Mike Williams.
“Across the years we’ve provided a platform to showcase the talents of some of the best artists, photographers and journalists around the world. Their work has inspired the next incarnation of NME, which will reach a bigger audience than at any other time in our history.”
NME currently has a combined print and digital audience of 15,400; however, the title has seen its audience drop steadily over the last few decades, with print circulation alone at almost 105,000 in 1986.
The title announced earlier this month that it will ditch its usual £2.50 cover price and be given away for free as the brand undergoes what publisher Time Inc. UK has described as a “major transformation”.
More than 300,000 copies of the weekly magazine, which launched in 1952, will be distributed nationally through stations, universities and retail partners, as it looks to “dramatically increase” its content output and range.
The move follows in the footsteps of Time Out, Vice and ShortList, which are all freely distributed and have successful business models.
