Melody Maker has revealed its promised new format as a full-colour
A4 magazine - a move aimed at arresting declining circulation and
attracting new advertising categories.
It will also further differentiate the title from its IPC stablemate
NME, following efforts to reposition Melody Maker to attract a younger
readership.
’Melody Maker should be the next step after Top of the Pops and Smash
Hits but the format was wrong and it did not reflect the editorial
personality,’ explained publishing director Robert Tame.
’Young people have been weaned on colourful, glossy magazines and view a
cold-set newsprint product as a trade down,’ he added.
Advertisers - who were previously limited to a few colour slots - are
now to be offered colour on every page.
The magazine hopes to attract more female readers and is targeting youth
brands such as fashion, CDs, ’designer’ beer and mobile telephones. ’We
will also have better visibility on the newsagents’ shelves with -
hopefully - more trial purchase,’ said Tame.
The new format will launch on 30 October with a covermounted CD, Radio 1
Sound City, and a 5p price increase to pounds 1. The print run is being
increased to 80,000. The 80-page first issue will carry 27 pages of ads,
including the new accounts, HP Sauce, Nescafe and Peoplesound.com.
Melody Maker had an ABC of 34,068 in January-June, with a year-on-year
decline of 15 per cent. Meanwhile NME’s ABC declined by 2 per cent to
90,763 over the same period.
One million copies of a 24-page sampler of the new format are to be
distributed through Virgin, HMV and WH Smith, independent newsagents,
sixth form colleges and universities, also inserted in the other IPC
titles NME, 19 and Loaded.
The second issue, out on 6 November, will also have a covermounted CD,
compiling the best from Radio 1’s Evening Session with Steve Lamacq. The
next two issues will carry competitions, with prizes of pounds
5,000-worth of free CDs and 12 one-year passes to the top 12 indie
venues.
’It’s a high-profile relaunch which should guarantee maximum impact for
us,’ said Tame.
