Bauer Media’s Q Magazine - Europe’s biggest music monthly – is set to unveil a stylish redesign with its November issue.
The new look, which will hit the newsstands on September 30th, has been devised by Q’s Editor-in-Chief Paul Rees and will be the first to be designed by new Creative Director Ian Stevens, who joins from award-winning Empire magazine.
AC/DC legend Angus Young will be the first cover star of the new look Q. AC/DC have to date sold over 200 million albums worldwide, their 1980 album Back in Black being the fifth biggest selling album in US history. In a global exclusive for Q, Angus Young has agreed for the first time in decades to be studio photographed in his iconic schoolboy uniform. It is the first major interview the band has given in eight years.
Subscribers to the title will receive their own Collector’s Edition of the issue, which will feature a cover designed exclusively for them.
The redesign will reinforce Q’s market-leading credentials whilst simultaneously setting the magazine apart from any other music offering on the newsstand. Its guiding ethos will be to help people view life through the lens of music, encompassing music and wider forms of entertainment, whilst delivering a level of access and world exclusive interviews that only Q is capable of pulling off.
A number of new features are being introduced which reflect the power and influence which Q commands underpinned with a confidence and humour that is unique to Q. There will be a mix of the serious and not-so-serious as well as contributions from regular columnists David Quantick, John Harris, Dorian Lynskey and Billy Bragg, and a crack team of Contributing Editors that includes Johnny Davis, Michael Odell, Tom Doyle, Sylvia Patterson, William Shaw, Miranda Sawyer, Justin Quirke and Craig McLean.
New regular slots will include:
The Q Challenge: Q puts artists to task. First up, James Morrison is charged with earning more than £20 by busking on the streets of Birmingham.
David Quantick on…… in the first new look issue and to mirror the exclusive front cover, David will experience how people react when he walks the streets of London dressed as a schoolboy a la Angus Young.
The Q Hero: The first profile will be Barack Obama.
Rock ’n’ Roll Travel: How to visit the key music destinations. Beginning with Manhattan’s iconic Chelsea Hotel.
Alternative blue plaques – Q nominates the real sites of national interest. Starting with the place where Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills formally untied the knot.
Must have…. The 10 things you have to see or have each month, from gadgets to viral clips.
My Collection: musicians or celebrities talk about their special collections. Comedian Al Murray is followed by fellow funny guy Frank Skinner.
Cash for questions: Mike Skinner from the Streets is followed by Harry Hill.
A Round With…: down the pub with a band. First in the chair is the Sugababes.
The Diary Of…An unusual look behind the scenes of a celebrity doing out of the ordinary stuff. First up is Travis drummer Neil Primrose and his Le Mans race recollections.
Music remains at the core of the magazine with the Q 50 – the month’s essential 50 tracks - and Q Review delivering the best information across musical genres about new releases and ‘how to buy’ guides around classic albums and artists.
There will also be a new emphasis on other forms of entertainment including films, books, radio and gadgets via an all-new Entertainment section. Included in the first section is the Q view on the new Coen Brothers movie Burn After Reading, the first of Q’s Unsung Movie Masterpieces in the shape of The Killer, an exclusive interview with Oliver Stone, and the 10 worst superheroes.
Paul Rees, Q Editor in Chief, said: “At a time when people have more choice than ever, we have been mindful to give readers not only more of all the things Q’s reputation has been founded upon – outstanding writing and photography, unparalleled access, extensive reviews, etc – but also more in general. In doing so, I believe Q now offers a genuinely different take on music and entertainment in general, befitting its status as a market leading magazine.”
