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Kerrang!

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Kerrang!
File:K!1732 - Kerrang Magazine featuring Slipknot 2018.jpg
Cover of 28 July 2018 issue of Kerrang! Featuring Slipknot
EditorSam Coare
Staff writersNick Ruskell, David McLaughlin, Emily Carter, Tom Shepherd, Ethan Fixell, Luke Morton, Christopher Krovatin, Cat Jones
FrequencyWeekly
PublisherWasted Talent Ltd
FounderAlan Lewis
First issue6 June 1981 (1981-06-06)
CountryUnited Kingdom
Based inLondon
LanguageEnglish
Websitekerrang.com
ISSN0262-6624

Kerrang! is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock and metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent[1] (the same company that owns electronic music publication Mixmag). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper. Named after the onomatopoeic word that derives from the sound made when playing a power chord on a distorted electric guitar, Kerrang! was initially devoted to the new wave of British heavy metal and the rise of hard rock acts.[2] In the early 2000s it became the best-selling British music weekly.[3]

History

Kerrang! was founded in 1981.[4] The magazine commenced publication on 6 June 1981 and was edited by Geoff Barton, initially as a one-time supplement in the Sounds newspaper, which focused on the new wave of British heavy metal phenomenon and on the rise of other hard rock acts.[5] Angus Young of AC/DC appeared on Kerrang!'s first cover. Launched as a monthly magazine, Kerrang! began to appear on a fortnightly basis later, and in 1987 it went weekly. The original owner was United Newspapers who then sold it to EMAP in 1991.

During the 1980s and early 1990s the magazine placed many thrash and glam metal acts on the cover (like Mötley Crüe, Slayer, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Poison, and Venom) but later discarded them when grunge acts such as Nirvana rose to fame. Readers often criticise the magazine for repeating this process every time a new musical subgenre becomes trendy.

The term "thrash metal" was first coined in the music press by Kerrang! journalist Malcolm Dome, in reference to the Anthrax song "Metal Thrashing Mad".[6] Prior to this Metallica's James Hetfield had referred to their sound as "power metal".[7]

Kerrang!'s popularity rose again with the hiring of editor Paul Rees circa 2000 when the nu metal genre, featuring bands including Limp Bizkit and Slipknot, was becoming more popular.[8] Rees went on to edit Q magazine and former Kerrang! reviews editor Ashley Bird[9] was appointed editor from 2003 to 2005. Following his departure, Paul Brannigan took over as editor in May 2005.[10]

With the emergence of emo and metalcore during the mid to late-2000s, Kerrang! began to heavily feature this musical trend. The revamp was not welcomed by all readers and many complaints were received about Kerrang!'s sudden emphasis on emo and metalcore music. However, following this change, Brannigan took the magazine into its most commercially successful period with a record ever ABC for the title of 80,186 copies.[11]

In 2008, EMAP sold its consumer magazines to Bauer Media Group. Brannigan left Kerrang! in 2009 and Nichola Browne was appointed editor.[12] She later stepped down in April 2011. Former NME features editor and GamesMaster deputy editor James McMahon was appointed as editor on 6 June 2011.[13]

In April 2017, Kerrang! magazine, its website, and the K! Awards were purchased by Mixmag Media, publisher of dance monthly Mixmag, along with assets related to defunct style magazine The Face. Mixmag has since formed parent company Wasted Talent, which relaunched Kerrang! as a digital-first title, while continuing to publish a weekly print edition. Former Editor-in-Chief Phil Alexander was appointed Global Creative Director on 3 August 2017.[14] Bauer retained ownership of Kerrang! Radio and the Box Plus Network will continue to operate Kerrang! TV as before.[15][1]

The magazine received a logo change in mid-2017 before receiving a complete redesign during 2018. This change saw several of the magazine's long-running features dropped, including the Ultimate Rockstar Test, while new features were added in their place.

U.S. launch

In March 2018, following a magazine redesign, Kerrang! announced it would be expanding to the United States, with an office in New York run by Ethan Fixell. The goal would be to generate US-centric content, events, and brand partnerships.[16]

Website

Kerrang!'s website, www.kerrang.com, was launched in summer 2001 by Dan Silver. Kerrang!'s parent company Emap acquired the domain name from a Norwegian cybersquatter by the name of Steingram Stegane for a token sum of £666.[17]

Kerrang!'s website features news and features on both contemporary and classic rock bands, as well as previewing upcoming events. The website hosts Kerrang!'s online shop, podcasts, message board, TV and radio segments ensuring even more opportunities to sell associated merchandise and products.[18] In 2001, Kerrang! launched its own online forum with the "rants and raves" section taking up most of the traffic. Though initially extremely popular, the number of users began to peter out around 2005 with the number of people online dropping to as low as 10 when previously it had been closer to the 100 figure.

According to Alexa www.kerrang.com is ranked 83,545th globally, and 33,532nd in the U.S.[19]

Kerrang! Awards

Main article: Kerrang! Awards

Since 1993, the magazine has held an annual awards ceremony to mark the most successful bands in the interests of their readers. The awards became one of Britain's most recognised events by the now defunct Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, often listing some of the winners in their annual round-up of the previous year. The event is presented by major music celebrities, with many others outside the industry who attend the event.[20]

After a year hiatus, the Awards were relaunched in 2018, with notable guests that included Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, Tony Iommi, Corey Taylor, and Dave Grohl, among others.[21]

Kerrang! Radio

Main article: Kerrang Radio

In 2000, EMAP launched Kerrang! as a digital radio station, across the United Kingdom. This was principally a 'jukebox' station, playing a back-to-back sequence of rock and alternative music. On 10 June 2004, Kerrang! 105.2 was launched as a regional radio station in Birmingham with an advertising campaign by London-based creative agency ODD.[22] The radio had a number of specialist programmes dedicated to the many subgenres of rock music. The radio output included interviews with those affecting popular culture and society as well as those involved with music. It stopped broadcasting on FM as of 14 June 2013 and once again became a digital station, with listeners able to tune in on DAB or the Kerrang! Radio app. With this broadcasting change came a move in Kerrang! Radio's offices from Birmingham to London. Absolute Radio is now broadcasting on its FM frequency.

Kerrang! TV

Main article: Kerrang! TV

In 2001 EMAP launched Kerrang! TV. As with the radio station, the television channel covers the more mainstream side of the rock music as well as classic rock bands including Aerosmith and AC/DC, and classic heavy metal bands such as Guns N' Roses and Metallica. Kerrang! TV, along with its The Box Plus Network sister channels, is now fully owned by Channel Four Television Corporation.[23]

Kerrang! Tour

The Kerrang! Tour ran from 2006 to 2017. The line-up for each year was usually announced in October of the previous year and was held throughout January and February of the following year.[24] Relentless Energy Drink sponsored the Kerrang! Tour for several years. It is currently unknown if the tour will ever be revived.

The K! Pit

The year after the final Kerrang! Tour, Kerrang! launched a new gig concept known as 'The K! Pit', where the magazine promotes a free gig for a popular band in a tiny London venue. Fans gain access by applying for tickets online and being selected at random in a competition-style draw. Artists featured so far include Parkway Drive, Mastodon, Fever 333, and Neck Deep, the latter performance coinciding with the 2018 Kerrang! Awards where Neck Deep would win 'Best Song'.[30] The brand has since also launched the series in Brooklyn, New York, featuring artists such as Sum 41, Baroness, Knocked Loose, Daughters, Fit For An Autopsy. Performances are also streamed on the Kerrang! Facebook page before being uploaded to YouTube.

The Official Kerrang! Rock Chart

In March 2012, Kerrang! announced a new weekly rock singles chart for the UK based on upon airplay across Kerrang Radio, Kerrang TV, and specialist rock radio stations, as well as sales figures from the Official Charts Company. As of 2019, the chart continues to be printed in the magazine every week, contains twenty tracks, and often features accompanying facts or artist quotes. The official Kerrang Spotify profile also features a playlist of the tracks on the chart and is updated every Wednesday.[31] The chart was formerly announced on Saturday mornings on Kerrang! Radio and could be viewed online every Saturday at midday. The chart would also be shown on Kerrang! TV on Thursdays at 4pm.

Unlike the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart produced by the Official Charts Company, which is typically dominated by classic rock artists, the Kerrang! Rock Chart focuses primarily on new releases by contemporary rock artists.

International editions

Emap launched Kerrang! Australia in the late 1990s. Unlike its weekly counterpart in the UK, the Australian edition was published monthly due to stiff competition from free local music publications. Kerrang! is also published in Spanish and German. Kerrang announced its aim to expand into the US in March 2018.

References

  1. ^ a b Spanier, Gideon (15 April 2017). "Mixmag buys Kerrang! and plans to revive The Face in double acquisition". Campaign. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  2. ^ Brannigan, Paul (6 June 2006). "25 Most Important Bands of Our Lifetime". Kerrang! (1110).
  3. ^ Baran, Pete (15 February 2002). "Kerrang topples NME as best selling music weekly". Freaky Trigger. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  4. ^ Andy R. Brown (2007). "Everything Louder than Everything Else". Journalism Studies. 8 (4): 642–655. doi:10.1080/14616700701412209.
  5. ^ Ward, Steven. "Geoff Barton, behind the wheel". Rock Critics. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  6. ^ Kerrang!' ', issue 62, page 8,23 February 1984
  7. ^ Dome, Malcolm (23 February 1984). "Anthrax 'Fistful of Metal'". Kerrang!. Vol. 62. London, UK: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 8.
  8. ^ "Kerrang! overtakes NME". BBC News. 15 February 2002. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  9. ^ "MEDIA: Youngest editor ever at Kerrang! to steer revamp". prweek.com.
  10. ^ "ABC report: film and music". Campaign. Haymarket Group. 20 February 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  11. ^ Tryhorn, Chris (17 August 2006). "Kerrang! rocks NME's world". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  12. ^ Brook, Stephen (17 August 2009). "Nichola Browne to edit Kerrang!". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
  13. ^ Cardew, Ben (6 June 2011). "Kerrang! names new editor". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
  14. ^ "Wasted Talent appoint Phil Alexander as global creative director of Kerrang! and Rock Music Media". musicweek.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Mixmag complete purchase of Kerrang! and The Face from Bauer Media". musicweek.com. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  16. ^ "Kerrang! unveils magazine redesign as editorial team expands and US office opens". Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  17. ^ Gibson, Owen (26 August 2001). "New Media Diary". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 June 2017 – via The Guardian.
  18. ^ "Kerrang! Stuff". Kerrang!. Bauer Media Group. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  19. ^ "Site Overview". Alexa. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  20. ^ Ng, Justin (4 May 2011). "Kerrang! Awards Fuelled By Relentless Energy Drink Nominations Announced". Entertainment Focus. Archived from the original on 28 November 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  21. ^ "Dave Grohl dedicates Kerrang! Award to Linkin Park's Chester Bennington - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  22. ^ "About Kerrang! Radio". Kerrang! Radio. Bauer Media Group. 14 March 2002. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
  23. ^ Plunkett, Joe (21 November 2008). "Bauer Radio mulls rebrand of Kerrang! station in West Midlands". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  24. ^ Gregory, Jason (28 September 2011). "New Found Glory, Sum 41, letlive For 2012 UK And Ireland Tour – Tickets". Gigwise.com. Giant Digital. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  25. ^ a b Jon Stickler (30 September 2011). "Kerrang! Tour 2012 with New Found Glory & Sum 41 - Tickets ONSALE 9 am". stereoboard. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  26. ^ "The Kerrang! Tour 2012 sponsored by Relentless Energy Drink featuring New Found Glory and The Blackout". Relentless Energy. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  27. ^ "Kerrang! Tour 2015 Line-Up Completed - Kerrang!". Kerrang!. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  28. ^ "Kerrang! Tour 2016 Headliner and Dates Announced - TICKETS ON SALE NOW!". Kerrang! Radio. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Kerrang! Tour 2016! - Kerrang!". Kerrang!. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  30. ^ "Neck Deep Are Playing The K! Pit For The Kerrang! Awards Week Of Rock — Kerrang!". Kerrang!.
  31. ^ https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/the-kerrang-rock-chart-1/ Kerrang! Rock Chart, 28 November 2018

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