The History of Music Magazines

The History of Music Magazines

Billboard issued its first magazine in 1894 but only received popularity after 1936. It contained different genres of music and was originally aimed at professionals in the music business however was also available to the general public. They were very popular in the UK, with the NME at the top of the sales since 1952.

Notable Music Magazines

• New Music Express-Briths, first published in 1952, associated with rock, alternative and Indie music.
• Melody Maker- Focuses on pop and rock, founded in 1926.
• Billboard
•  Kerrang!- Devoted to rock music and first published in 1981
• Mojo- Classic rock, first published in 1993
• Rolling Stone- US, pop culture, published in 1967.

Back then
Music magazines started off simple, containing information about the charts and the latest music with pages on bands and singers. Their presentation was also simplistic with the colours changing from plain and quiet to loud, bright and often contrasting colours. They have always featured a famous singer or band on the front cover however, with the majority being a portrait from the shoulders up.

TodayNowadays, music magazines are less popular as the Internet provides people with easier, quicker and free access to information that would otherwise be found in magazines. Information on everyone's favourite artists can be found on websites and news feeds, with the celebrities also sharing things on social media. Music can be easily accessed through Youtube and Spotify, and whole albums of music can be downloaded from websites like iTunes or Amazon.