Time for our regular music mag ABC round up - when I tackle the tricky task of reviewing the official circulation figures for the various music magazines, fully knowing that the editors of most of these mags will be reading and will no doubt dispute anything I say. Ah well, here goes anyway.
First up, the last six months of 2006 were not great for EMAP's flagship music monthly Q, which saw its circulation drop 16.8% compared with the same period in 2005, and 11.4% compared with its performance in the first half of last year. Q's average monthly circulation was 168,547 in the latter half of 2005, but it fell to 140,282 in 2006. Q's sister title at EMAP, Mojo, also saw its circulation fall between July and December, down 5.3% compared to the previous year, and 6.2% down on the first half of the year. The average monthly circulation for that period was 114,183.
Despite the declines, in Q and Mojo EMAP does still own the two biggest selling music titles, and in the weeklies market it leads the way also, with rock weekly Kerrang! maintaining its lead over IPC's indie weekly NME. Kerrang! sold an average of 85,377 in the latter half of last year, up 6.5% on the previous ABC period, and 12.1% up on the previous year. NME was down 1.6% on the previous period, to 73,008. IPC's monthly, Uncut, saw its circulation rise based on the previous ABC period, to 93,678, but year on year it was also down, 14.9%.
The third biggest music mag in the UK, after EMAP's Q and Mojo, is Channelfly's free mag The Fly, which increased its circulation to 108,683 in the latter half of 2006.
Increases also over at Future Publishing where Classic Rock increased its sales by a not at all inconsiderable 25.3% compared to the same ABC period in 2005 - to 62,699. Sister title Metal Hammer was also up, to 48,977, an 11.2% rise year on year.