'End Of An Era': NME To Shut Down Print Edition After 66 Years!

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) NME has announced that this week's issue (Friday 9 March) will be its final print edition, as it attempts to expand its digital audience. The publisher's parent group Time Inc UK announced today that the weekly publication is "no longer financially viable", and the brand will now focus its attention solely on its online edition.

The iconic magazine entertained and informed music fans ever since launching in 1952, and along with the likes of Melody Maker held huge influence on the industry for decades. Some of the publication's most iconic covers ever put to print, featuring the likes of Morrissey, Amy Winehouse, Daft Punk and Kurt Cobain as well as the first ever cover from 1952.
NME announced back in 2015 that the magazine was going to be released as a free publication. However, the group have now revealed they will now focus their attentions solely on digital content.

Time Inc UK's managing director of music Paul Cheal said: "NME is one of the most iconic brands in British media and our move to free print has helped to propel the brand to its biggest ever audience on NME.COM. The print re-invention has helped us to attract a range of cover stars that the previous paid-for magazine could only have dreamed of.
At the same time, we have also faced increasing production costs and a very tough print advertising market. Unfortunately we have now reached a point where the free weekly magazine is no longer financially viable. It is in the digital space where effort and investment will focus to secure a strong future for this famous brand."