Has The NME Got Good?

Mark Sutherland - a pompey fan - well that is suprising.

Definitely the editor, after feedback in editorial meetings, with pressure from upstairs. Yes, the freelancers do often laugh themselves sick at the choices made by the above. I actually don't think they're focus groupies at the NME (and anyway, no focus group I've ever been privy to asks for specifics about content, more general areas or should the spine be book-bound rather than stapled, yada yada). That's Emap's department: a pal of mine who once edited one of their music mags was rung on Boxing Day by the big cheese to be told if his cover choice didn't pan out, heads would roll.

Also, access is controlled by PR's who grant exclusives based on the promise of A Cover ('my client will not get out of bed for less than 5000 words') and how arsey the paper's tone has been to the other artists they represent. NME will generally be in the same queue for coverage as Mixmag, The Face, Q, Mojo. Dazed and Confused. i-D and Sleazenation choose who to cover based on sneakier means; getting early access to photographs because one of their people, say Wolfgang Tillmans or Juergen Teller or Corinne Day, has done a shoot (photographers have much, much better phone books than most editors). If style mags have the photos, then they have a powerful bargaining tool with the PRs who represent the artiste. No PR company would get angry at a 'cool' photographer for this kind of scoop, as they lend the artiste cred and in many cases get commissions from the record company direct.

Hate to be all insider/media ho' about this, but I think it's my duty, after 10 years' experience of these matters, to put that to use demystifying the media's methods.

That was the eye-opening thing inside books like _Powder_ - not the "Oh my god, rock stars are perverted, and singer/songwriters are ego-ridden gits" bit of it, but the insider (manager) information on how things like "cover articles" get handed out.

Then again, I suppose knowing too much can really leave a distaste in the mouth. If someone chose to do a Popstars style expose on how even the "indie"s are completely mechanised, I think I would move to Alaska with ProTools and never leave the house again.

BTW my first job in London was, you guessed it, NME freelancer. I ran away to join the Riot Grrrls, as any sensible female would.

Anjali

I would be interested in hearing your experiences of Riot Grrl, and whether you think it and its daughters have accomplished anything, but that's probably another thread.

Funny thing about "The Press" is... most musicians are unable to separate "The Press" (a faceless, corporate entity controlled by Brand Directors in IPC Towers) from the individual, badly paid, often cynical freelancers that are sent to review and/or interview them. Remember that musicians have been as badly burned by the Suits Upstairs as the freelancers have been, they just don't know it. (And vice versa)

ht tp://news.independent.co.uk/uk/media/story.jsp?story=80594

It's all games.

Anyone got anything on David Lister? Name = familiar. Every time I read that Zappa quote (always quoted by eeevil sold-out pea- brains like Simon Hoggart) I find I despise FZ more.

http://www.mediaguardian.co.uk/presspublishing/story/ 0,7495,513257,00.html

Circulation is dropping, but the website is increasing... so why the heck don't they take advantage of the nature of the internet to increase it even further beyond just a print version of the reviews, and a live news feed? Oh, I'm going to start ranting again, see remarks on the "what do you want from the press" thread.

NME's editor Ben Knowles will be online to answer your questions from 4pm next Thursday. Should be interesting. So if you want to know why Elbow haven't been on the cover yet or why he persists with a bobbed hairdo log on and all will be revealed!

thats Thursday 19h July @ 4pm - if you want to grill Ben Knowles.

One still gets the feeling that this is the usual stage in the NME cycle when nothing much is happening in whiteboy guitar land and black music and non-music issues get reasonably good cover until the next Roses/Mondays/Oasis comes along.
-- Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 4 April 2001 00:00 (6 years ago) Bookmark Link

This dude knows what's popping

I'm still wondering why he persisted with a bobbed hair log on!

(Ben Knowles, that is, not Marcello)

If I had 50p for every sneering comment I've had off the recording artists I know re. The Press I'd be very wealthy indeed.

Suzy gives good wealthy.

I love how Dom is now grinding Suzy's axe six years on.

guys, how do i meet "cougars"?

I AM NOT DOM'S SOCK-PUPPET

right

I love how Dom is now grinding Suzy's axe six years on.

-- Matt DC, Wednesday, 12 December 2007 11:58 (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

guys, how do i meet "cougars"?

-- Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 12 December 2007 11:58 (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

^^^this is the funniest ilm post in a while

I love how Dom is now grinding Suzy's axe six years on.

http://images.wikia.com/uncyclopedia/images/thumb/3/32/KennethWilliams.jpg/300px-KennethWilliams.jpg

NME doesn't get good until it gives up trying to appeal to the kids and instead starts writing about the same kind of stuff that Mojo does.

The Beano doesn't get good until it gives up trying to appeal to the kids and instead starts writing about the same kind of stuff that Angling Times does.

http://pics.amres.com/p_thm/w4317.jpg

Hey, "Dingbod"!

Hey, "Norm"!

This just in from the NME EOY poll compilers:
"Kylie doesn't get good until it gives up trying to appeal to the kids and instead starts writing about the same kind of stuff that Biffy Clyro does."

^^^Marcy, right?

He was a martyr, you know. Gave his life so that Biffy Clyro might live.

For people really in tune with "The Kids", NME should cover: Zed Bias, DJ Dee Kline, Stanton Warriors, Life Without Buildings, Timbaland, Swizz Beats, Leaf and Strut Records, and Ty and the whole Big Dada stable in greater depth.

-- Izzie, Wednesday, 4 April 2001 00:00 (6 years ago) Bookmark Link

Man, it's a shame she doesn't post anymore, she has some awesome taste in music.

Any freelance who doesn't sign does not get any more work from the paper/website. They are paid something like 15p a word for work they do, which is a lot less than you can get for selling interviews to the American market or a British newspaper, and they have none of the benefits of being on staff, usually no retainer even. It's patently unfair to ask those without job security to agree to such terms, and 20 writers are looking into a potential case against IPC for restraint of trade/intellectual property rights etc. If you want to know more, Tom, ask Angus Batey to fill you in. I think he was the one who went to the Guardian in the first place.

does this still apply?

When I (was) stopped (from) writing for Uncut in 2004 it had gone up to 25p a word and if you didn't sign you didn't necessarily stop getting work - you just didn't get paid for it until you had signed. It isn't necessarily beneficial to IPC since freelancers are naturally encouraged just to write any old hack rubbish rather than give away their best stuff. From scanning of recent issues this appears to have been the preferred path for writers to take. Oh yes, and the first person singular was ruthlessly excluded from any IPC writing but not for socialist reasons.

Oh that's something that always hated. "Kele bought the NME a drink", "Beth gave the NME a lift home" all that.

Mind you, it did lead to "the NME wrote this article from an interview by Tim Jonze" etc...

Ha ha ha yes.

Don't forget "your reporter" for when you're really writing from the heart

So, do NME reporters go on to greater things thesedays?

(Greater being: better paid and/or more prestige within the journalism genre, or media careers in general)

(Thesedays = since 2004)

You know all those who went on to Nationals, Word, Mojo, Wire, TV/Comedy and the like, back in the day, but have any notable NME 'name' writers from circa 2004 ever been seen since?

as morrissey said, no.

<i>does this still apply?</i>

The per-word rate's about half that now, isn't it?

They had notable writers in 2004?

it was a random year choice.

Oh, the NME has had a redesign.

It's much better, mmm... (shrugs)