Another one bites the dust: Britain’s Q Magazine will cease publishing this month

At one point not that long ago, I was spending several thousand dollars a year on music books and magazines. Hey, it was all research, you know? And because the best mags–the British ones–were so expensive, it was simply the cost of doing business for me.

I bought them all. Record Collector. Selector. The Word. Mojo. Classic Rock. The occasional NME and Melody Maker. But my favourite for the longest time was Q, a well-written monthly glossy that featured some fabulous interviews, some good short-attention-span columns, and one of the best record review roundups found anywhere.

But like so many music magazines, the economics of publishing periodicals have changed. Once record labels cut way back on their advertising, a fatal revenue shortfall was created. And as more music fans moved online for their news and information, the physical music mags saw their circulation plummet.

Some, like Q, tried to transition to a digital format with a dedicated app. It looked great, but it wasn’t enough.

Then came the pandemic. Q just couldn’t manage the devastation. As a result, the final issue will be published July 28. Crap.

I have some bad news about @QMagazine. The issue that comes out on July 28 will be our last. The pandemic did for us and there was nothing more to it than that. I have attached our final cover and my editor’s letter for context.
On the plus side, we’re all available for work. pic.twitter.com/rm8qOcUBtB

— Ted Kessler (@TedKessler1) July 20, 2020