Mark Sweney 

NME and Q suffer sales declines to the tune of 20% year on year

Magazine ABCs: Monthly music magazine Q is the worst performer in sector, while Mojo holds up well with less than a 3% fall in sales. By Mark Sweney
  
  

Q magazine cover 2012
Bauer-owned Q magazine's recently appointed editor Andrew Harrison is faced with the task of reviving sales. Photograph: Public Domain

NME and Q suffered sales declines of almost 20% year-on-year in a tough first six months of 2012 for the music magazine market.

Q was the worst performer in the music magazine sector, with sales down 16.7% compared to the six months to the end of December and 19.7% year on year, according to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures released on Thursday.

The Bauer-owned music magazine reported sales of 64,596, highlighting the task facing recently appointed editor Andrew Harrison, who took over from the long serving Paul Rees in February.

Bauer stablemates Kerrang! and Mojo fared considerably better. Sales of Kerrang! fell 4.5% period on period and 6.6% year on year to 40,203; Mojo, the best-selling paid for title in the sector, dropped 2.7% period on period and 2.4% year on year to 85,149.

The second biggest faller in the category was IPC Media-owned NME, down 13.5% period on period and 17.6% year on year to 23,924.

Future Plus's free title Odeon Magazine held onto its position as the biggest title in the film market. Odeon Magazine's circulation rose 23.2% period on period and 18.6% year on year to 221,540.

Bauer's Empire magazine remains the biggest selling paid-for film title, with sales remaining flat period on period and just 2.3% down year on year to 167,096.

Empire's rival, Total Film, fell 2.8% period on period and 4.1% year on year to 68,897.

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