Independent magazines, as the name would suggest, are without large funding and aid from a major organisation and are rather a small organisation who publishes magazines. These small organisations are usually led by journalists with a genuine passion and devotion for their art and craft. The independence these publications have allows for a level of freedom and creativity which may be stifled by the large media conglomerates which dominate the industry such as Bauer and Future. This field of opportunity leads to a range of niche and specialist topics to emerge within the independent magazine industry and in terms of the music magazine industry this can be seen in the specialisation of genre or artist. These magazines provide another viewpoint and perspective to the world and some almost act as a rebellion towards the conglomerates who control the industry.
One feature of Independent magazines which shapes the way in which they are produced is the lack of funding which places profit and revenue as a critical factor in their production in order to stay profitable. This is essential to the very distribution and circulation of these magazines as they are usually quite highly priced and therefore a lucrative craft to purchase. Furthermore, Independent magazines maintain their presence in the industry is by harnessing multiple forms of media such as online media, social media and radio as well as their publication. This allows them to be closer to the forefront of the media and present themselves to a much greater audience in order to gain a greater mass of consumers who will generate them revenue. As has been seen across the entire magazine industry, Independent magazines utilise subscriptions in order to generate revenue with loyal customers receiving greater rewards and extras for their money.
The Wire
'The Wire' is a London based music magazine which covers a range of global alternative, underground and experimental musics. They pride themselves on challenging the 'mundane and mediocre'. 'The Wire' "celebrates and interrogates the most visionary and inspiring, subversive and radical, marginalised and undervalued musicians on the planet, past and present." according to the publication itself. The magazine is run by a full time team of 6 as of December 2000 when it was purchased in a worker's buy out. They also have a large group of international freelance writers and photographers.
As expected for an independent magazine, 'The Wire' subverts the usual expectations of mainstream music magazines choosing to focus on seeking out the most engaging music in all genres past and present. Moreover, they have a monthly issued priced at £6.50 which is costly yet they have a high level of availability being at all newsagents and records store in UK, large US retailers and other countries e.g Canada and Australia. They also have a subscription service with a 6 month, 1 year, 2 year and digital 1 year options. The 1 year option contains 12 editions for a price of £65 delivered directly to the recipient every month 3-5 days after the magazine is published. This also allows for full access to the digital archives of all editions.
The idea of cross-media convergence which being an independent magazine requires is emphasised by 'The Wire's use of playlists/Cds compiled for subscribers ( 'Below the Radar' and 'The Wire Tapper') as well as their weekly radio show on Resonance FM. This shows a utilisation of other media forms in order to promote their publication which is necessary for them to gain the revenue to remain profitable
RnR
'RnR' is a bi-monthly music magazine previously Rock'N'Reel and R2 which covers a broad range of music from mainstream to roots, rock, folk, singer-songwriter, blues, world, country and beyond. They rely on a "small and enthusiastic, hard-working team striving to alert you to some of the great sounds that may otherwise slip through the cracks and escape your attention" according to the publication themselves. 'RnR' reviews CDs sent to them by artists and per issue review 300 releases although they don't guarantee a review upon being sent a CD.
Similarly to 'The Wire' the magazine is priced at £6.50 and can be purchased from many newsagents, record stores and bookshops in the UK with distributors across the world giving their magazine a presence in many areas of the world. They also use a subscription server with a £35 subscription, which can also be gifted for the same price, and allows a consumer all 6 copies of the magazine.
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