Oh NME Magazine...We Will Miss You!

After 66 years and many issues featuring iconic musicians, the news broke recently that the NME was to cease releasing its print edition.  Among many other music fans I'm sure, I felt a mix of shock and sadness. With that in mind, I thought I would delve into why.

I have to be honest, I didn't always read the NME...yes I liked music but I didn't used to like the type of bands that NME would have put on the cover...I was more into bands like Steps, Spice Girls and Take That (OK...I still like Take That). Having said that, I did used to sing along to the albums of Oasis and Manic Street Preachers when I was four, due to my Dad having them in his car but that was the closest I was going to get being interested in bands the NME would have had on the cover. Also, due to being four, it's safe to say I was probably too young to read the NME!

It was only when I went to University that I became more interested in bands that were/would be on the cover of the NME, such as Arctic Monkeys, Bastille, Blossoms and The Last Shadow Puppets. It started out by reading articles on the website and me liking the NME facebook page so I can keep up with the latest music news.  It then ended up with me finally bringing the magazine home.

For many people, whose comments I have seen in various articles and on Twitter, it was the sheer joy of going every week with their pocket money and buying the NME to catch up on the goings on regarding their favourite musicians and oh there were so many cover stars! Cover stars included stars from yesteryear, including The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Cliff Richard, 80s legends, such as David Bowie and Prince, Britpop icons, including Oasis, Blur and Radiohead, notably for running a cover story dedicated to Oasis vs Blur regarding the UK singles chart, and finally more recent stars, such as Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Coldplay and Muse.  Of course, other times, the NME would make their issues tribute issues when someone had sadly died, including Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and most recently, David Bowie and Prince. This showed that music truly mattered to the NME and that, quite rightly so, these musicians will never be forgotten.

Unfortunately, to many people (not me), it seemed to them that the end was nigh for the NME when it started to release free publications. Not only that, it also emerged that the editor, Mike Williams was to leave, shortly after the 2018 NME awards. Oh...and not to mention that these days, everyone can reach news with the tap of a button, thanks to technology.

Despite this, #RIPNME still became the trending hashtag on Twitter on the day that the news broke about the end of the print edition. However, we have been told that this is the start of a new and exciting time for NME, and the actual product, news about musicians, has not ended itself. Therefore, I am excited for the future of the NME and I can't wait to see what happens. However, that's not to say that I am not upset about the publication ending. 

Oh NME magazine...we will miss you! Thank you Mike Williams and your team for creating a fab magazine!

Em x