NME through the Years

FIRST EDITION-50s

This was the very first edition of NME produced in 1952. As you can see the format of the magazine is very different to the magazine we all know now. However the feel of the magazine is still the same with the friendly informal language which has helped to build a mutual respect between readers and the magazine over the years.

This double page spread was the first main story to be included in the NME magazine. As you can see its focus was on the new specialized radios that were then available.

Evolution of the 60s- British Groups and Psychedelia

The 60s saw a huge boom in the sales figures of NME with the emergence of British bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The cover of the magazine didnt really change much from then50s apart from less photos were used and instead the magazine just focused on a couple of artists. This double page spread represents NME awards which again attracted readers and made the magazine unique and different to other magazines of the time.

The Movement of the 70s

The 70s was a significant year from The NME with again the emergence of new British bands like the Who. They appeared numerous times throughout the 70s. The 70s was also significant because it saw the emergence of the iconic red initials which were introduced in the latter part of the 70s. Also as you can see the magazine was constantly changing with most covers just solely focusing on one artist.

Furthermore, during the late 70s The NME controversially began publishing stories based on political affairs.

80s Takeover
A tactic that proved very popular with sales figures was the inclusion of free, limited edition cassette's with the magazine through the 80s.

As you can see the magazine cover hasnt changed much since the 70s, as the magazine still includes very few sell lines and still instead focuses solely on one artist.

The 80s still saw the magazine immerse itself in political affairs. However the magazine very controversially at the time decided to switch from its rock roots to hip hop and rap which were a new thing to the UK.

The 90s
The 90s saw very different music been covered year by year. At the beginning of the 90s was covering the madchester scene which fizzled out in 1992. However this didnt effect the magazine because during this time bands like Nirvana and other American bands came to the fore front. But British bands were not to be ignored and in 1994 following the death of Kurt Cobain bands like Oasis and Blur emerged and with it brought sales figures rocketing towards the end of the 90s. Steve Sutherland ( editor at the time ) was criticised for playing the rival up between them by using a very controversial front cover.

As you can see this is the year that really brought to life the NME that we all know now. The 90s saw the emergence of colour and glossy magazine front covers. The year also saw more sell lines on the cover which the magazine more appealable to a wider audience as more artists were been advertised.

NME how we know it today

Throughout the beginning of the new century NME experimented with both a mixture of hip hop artists and rock bands.

However in 2002 Conor McNicholas was appointed editor and the magazine finally started to cover one genre. This is indie music and it is what the magazine usually covers today. It focused on new British bands such as The Libertines, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and the Kaiser Chiefs. Later in the 2000s and still today Artic Monkeys became the bearers for NME magazine with them often appearing on the cover. As you can see the magazine has never lost its authenticity and the constant support and backing of British groups over the years. The Artic Monkeys are just one example of hundreds of bands that the NME has helped to reach global stardom. This emphasises the huge force that The NME magazine is in the music industry.