EMAP's Q magazine is set for a relaunch next month, with a considerable redesign and an editorial shift to bring the magazine into the download age. That means a magazine traditionally focused primarily on album releases will take a much bigger interest in individual tracks - based on the fact people tend to download tracks more than albums. That will be demonstrated at launch with a list of the '1010 songs you must own'.
Confirming the revamp, editor Paul Rees told reporters: "There's been a change in the market since Q launched, when it was essentially the CD buyer's guide. We were the first in the market but now loads of magazines are covering music, from the Observer supplement to the men's mags."
In terms of what Q hopes to achieve with the revamp Rees continued: "Firstly, we want the ABC to go up, which is not easy in a market down 30%. The ABC will be down in August, which we're expecting, but we want to increase it by the end of the year. Secondly, we want to get Q's sense of authority back. There's been too much worrying about what other magazines are doing. We want a return of confidence. It's a magazine with a proud history and the challenge is to make people follow us."