Is Print for the Music Journalism Scene officially dead?

A fate all publications may eventually face.

The New Musical Express — NME, an established music publication, killed its print for good after 66 years.

With the magazine’s owner declaring to reside solely to an online publication, we can only expect other similar publications to follow in its trailblazing footsteps.

It’s no surprise that music journalism is shifting ever more to an online basis. And there’s nothing like a worldwide pandemic to help shift things along. According to Bank My Cell, the number of smartphone users increased by an immense rate of of 49.89% between 2017 and 2022.

The death of Print

It has become increasingly obvious print is no longer a necessity. Are there still benefits to the publication medium? Maybe. It certainly holds a loyal fanbase, and there is something satisfying in receiving a tangible form of your favourite magazine. But do these ‘benefits’ hold enough weight to pursue a continuation of print? Probably not.

In 2015, the magazine’s popularity dropped to just 15,000 subscriptions, and the publication made the decision to continue its circulation for free. This may have prolonged its eventual death, but certainly did not prevent the inevitable altogether.

With the magazine’s target audience being young adult music lovers and artists, it stands to reason that the majority would focus on the online publication over the print.

At the end of the day, a publication can only survive with the sufficient funds, and if you can still build an online fanbase to an incredibly high volume, with the sacrifice of a few loyal print buyers, there deems not only wisdom, but necessity to their actions.

Digital Marketing

With digital marketing being the most efficient, and cheapest method available to us, it seems to be overthrowing the need for paid ads in print form. This would have had a detrimental affect on the support the magazine received from sponsors and collaborative brands.

Such a stance is also held by music artists themselves too, with less need for publications such as NME to share the artists’ newest releases and endeavours. Instagram has become a hotspot for musicians, and according to John Paul Titlow:

“of Instagram’s 800 million users worldwide, about 350 million follow 10 or more verified musicians”.

Simply put, Instagram, and other relevant artistry platforms are doing their job for them.

Following footsteps

So are there signs of other music publications heading in the same fateful direction any time soon? Other publications have been dropping off the magazine stands like flies. Music titles such as NME’s primary rival ‘Melody Maker’ ceasing in 2000, and the iconic ‘Rolling Stone’ print revenue falling by 50% between 2015 and 2020.

It’s no secret that these once celebrated print titles are walking toward the same fate. Only time will tell of the severity of such shifts in the past few years, and digital social sphere will, too, affect the online presence of publications just as drastically.