Q (magazine)

Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.

Q was founded in 1986 by Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology. Q was first published by the EMAP media group in October 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing. In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more". Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Another reason, cited in Q's 200th edition, is that a single-letter title would be more prominent on newsstands.

In January 2008 EMAP sold its consumer magazine titles, including Q, to the Bauer Media Group.

Content

The magazine has an extensive review section, featuring: new releases (music), reissues (music), music compilations, film and live concert reviews, as well as radio and television reviews. It uses a star-rating system from one to five stars; indeed, the rating an album receives in Q is often added to print and television advertising for the album in the UK and Ireland.

4Q Magazine

4Q is a free national magazine published in the United Kingdom with a readership of 40,000.

Founded by Andrew Jackson and Michael Smith, and later joined by Rob Pearson, the idea for the magazine had been intended as a university coursework project. After winning a local ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition hosted by the Manchester universities, they set up the business after Jackson had completed his studies. Two years after the 4Q company was established the team announced the magazine will be going fully national, and brought in one of their writers and event organisers, Rob Pearson, as their third director and also head of strategy.

Content

The free published magazine is a premium, or paid for, magazine, an image that has been a feature of 4Q since its first issue.

The magazine features dedicated sections of content such as music, comedy, fashion, gaming & technology, and film & entertainment. The focus of 4Q is much more on searching for and championing new acts as opposed to their view of ‘the stagnant approach of the old media’ some of whom have been criticised for playing it safe and focusing only on popular acts of the time.