Things look a little different in NME magazine this week. You could call it a redesign, but we prefer to think of it as a reinvention. And in the spirit of reinvention, only one artist could grace this week’s cover: David Bowie.
David Bowie is the cosmic umbilical cord that connects the past, present and future of music. He’s a shape-shifting, omnipotent, otherworldly presence capable of imbuing every note he sings and every ear he penetrates with a life and soul beyond the limits of average artists. He’s a control freak who understands that true art requires unrelenting focus and total control, whose image and output remains as inspirational as ever.
But David Bowie’s not the only thing to get excited about in the new NME. Here are five more reasons why our latest reinvention matters:
The new NME will set the weekly music agenda
Every week we’ll ensure that we’re not only reflecting the biggest talking points in music, but also setting the agenda for the next seven days. Whether that’s through insightful opinion pieces (this week, MIA reacts to being sued by the NFL), or exclusive stories and photos, NME magazine is everything that matters in music, every week.
No-one wants to pick up a magazine and get the feeling that they’re reading regurgitated guff from Wikipedia. That’s not our thing, and it’s important to us that you know that. We’ll make sure that everything you read in the new NME is thoughtful, insightful and properly curated, whether you’re reading about the 20 most essential tracks of the week in our enhanced On Repeat section, a classic album in our new Anatomy Of An Album feature, or the songs that changed someone’s life in Soundtrack Of My Life.
It’s never been more important to us that you feel you can trust our knowledge and opinions, and the only way we can achieve that is by being credible. That means believing in the artists we champion – and the way we champion them. Each week, we’ll write passionately about the best emerging artists in our bigger and improved Radar section, give you honest and informed verdicts on next week’s most important albums and last week’s vital gigs, and take you into our archive for classic features from the past 60 years of NME that highlight how deep this passion and knowledge runs.
We know that you all love music just as much as we do, and are all incredibly knowledgeable too, and therefore we’ll never be patronising and never talk down to you. Every word we write will be open to all. Whether you’re the expert looking for that extra bit of insight, or the rookie discovering an artist for the first time, we’ll make sure that you can take something meaningful away from the page.
We’re not naïve. The world is full of choice, and in order to remain relevant today, music magazines need to adapt. At NME we’re incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made as a brand, creating the world’s biggest music website, continuing to innovate on mobile and tablet, and putting out some of the most exciting live shows of the year, every year, and NME magazine remains an absolutely vital part of our plan. If we deliver on everything we’ve promised, continue to get the best access to the artists you care about, share the passion that you all have for a whole world’s worth of music and capture it with insightful words and iconic photography, we’ll be the essential music magazine for everyone who shares our belief in the power of amazing music and brilliant music journalism.
We hope you like the new NME. Write in and let us know what you think: letters@nme.com