The Fly (magazine)
| Editor | JJ Dunning |
|---|---|
| Staff writers | JJ Dunning, Lisa Durrant, Hariett Gibsone, Iain Moffat, Polly Rappaport, Alex Lee Thomson |
| Categories | Music |
| Frequency | monthly |
| Publisher | MAMA & Company |
| Total circulation (June 2013) | 70,866[1] |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Final issue | 2014 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | mamacolive.com/thefly |
The Fly was a free music magazine owned by MAMA & Company, published monthly in the United Kingdom.
Details
[edit]The magazine started as a listings leaflet in Camden, north London, for the Barfly music venue on Chalk Farm Road. In 1999 it went national.
Contributors also wrote for other publications including The Guardian Guide, Q magazine, NME, Kerrang! and The Huffington Post.
The magazine had a review section featuring new releases (both singles and albums) and live concert reviews. The remainder of the magazine was typically devoted to articles and interviews with artists generally promoting new releases or tours. The Fly also featured new bands alongside more established acts in the pages of its new bands section, "OnesToWatch", which was sponsored by Levi's until 2010.[citation needed]
The Fly was A5-sized, and distributed around record shops, bars and venues around the United Kingdom. In 2008, the magazine revealed its circulation had increased to 105,212 at a time when many other publications had reported a sharp decline in circulation.[2] The magazine had a history for supporting bands early, having given the likes of Razorlight, Muse, Foals, MGMT and Coldplay their first cover features.[citation needed] By mid-2013 its readership had almost halved to 55,580, in the wake of HMV's widespread store closures.[3]
In March 2014, The Fly announced it had ceased publication.[4][5] Former editor JJ Dunning claimed in the aftermath of the closure that he would seek new investment for the brand.[6]
Other media
[edit]The Fly relaunched its website in April 2008 with both a virtual magazine section and an online archive of all previous issues. In Summer 2008, a new feature titled In The Courtyard was launched, in which bands were filmed playing stripped-down versions of songs in the courtyard outside The Fly's office.
The sessions were renamed The Fly Sessions in 2012, when the website was again relaunched.[7]
Bands who have performed so far include Doves, Gaz Coombes, Everything Everything, The Cribs, Noah and the Whale, Warpaint, Black Lips, Dry The River, Badly Drawn Boy, The Kooks, J Mascis, Edwyn Collins, Jake Bugg, Ben Gibbard and Low.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ "Mag ABCs: Full circulation round-up for the first half of 2013". Press Gazette. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- ^ "ABCs: Sour note for music magazines as circulations plummet". The Guardian. London. 14 August 2008.
- ^ ABC Consumer Magazines The Guardian. 15 August 2013.
- ^ The Fly music magazine closes after nearly 15 years The Guardian. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ The Fly
- ^ The Fly magazine set for 'new phase of life' Music Week. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
- ^ "Online relaunch for The Fly". Music Week.
External links
[edit]- 1999 establishments in the United Kingdom
- 2014 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
- Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom
- Music magazines published in the United Kingdom
- Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom
- Free magazines
- Magazines established in 1999
- Magazines disestablished in 2014