NME Magazine will be free from September

Photo: NME 13th June

NME Magazine is set to boost its circulation from 15,000 to 300,000 following the move to become a free paper from September. The iconic magazine has seen poor sales over the last decade, dropping an average of 20% annually over the past ten years.

Publisher Time Inc will be giving NME the same treatment as ShortList, Time Out and Sport, which are handed out at train stations and in selected retailers - expanding to a much bigger audience as the role of printed media continues to evolve. Their website too is due a revamp to coincide with the brand's revamp.

Editor of NME, Mike Williams said this “NME is already a major player and massive influencer in the music space, but with this transformation we’ll be bigger, stronger and more influential than ever before.”

“Every media brand is on a journey into a digital future. That doesn’t mean leaving print behind, but it does mean that print has to change, so I’m incredibly excited by the role it will now play as part of the new NME.”

[Source:The Guardian]