Kerrang!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kerrang!

Editor	Paul Brannigan
Categories	Music
Frequency	Weekly
First Issue	June 6, 1981
Company	Emap
Country	United Kingdom
Language
Website	kerrang.com
ISSN	unknown

Kerrang! is a weekly music magazine (mainly rock) published by EMAP in the United Kingdom.

1 Origins
2 International Editions
3 Spin-offs
- 3.1 Kerrang! Radio
- 3.2 Kerrang! TV
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Origins

Kerrang! is a British music magazine. The magazine’s title is onomatopoeic and derives from the noise made by playing a power chord on an electric guitar.

Kerrang! began life in June 1981 initially as a one off supplement in the Sounds newspaper devoted to the burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM for short) and the rise of other hard rock acts such as AC/DC, the latter of whom adorned Kerrang!’s first cover.

Kerrang!’s most successful period came under editor Paul Rees at the turn of the millennium, which saw the advent of nu-metal featuring bands such as Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. In 2002, the magazine overtook rival New Musical Express to become the biggest weekly music magazine in the UK. [1] Rees went on to edit Q and Ashley Bird took over as editor from 2003 to 2005. Unfortunately for Bird, the nu-metal bubble burst in 2003 and Kerrang!’s sales went quickly into decline[2] which eventually prompted his sacking.^{[citation needed]}

When Paul Brannigan took over as editor in April 2005, the focus of Kerrang! was restructured to be both more musically diverse and to also draw from the magazine's own rich history. The following months saw such stylistically varied new acts as My Chemical Romance, HIM, Trivium, Mastodon, Rammstein and Bullet For My Valentine sitting alongside old favorites like Iron Maiden, Nirvana, System Of A Down and Green Day.

According to the latest Audit Bureau of Circulations figures published on 17 August 2006, Kerrang! has again overtaken New Musical Express to become the biggest weekly music magazine in the UK, selling over 4,000 more copies per week than its rival. [3]

[edit] 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! Australia was closed in 2004. There is also a Spanish edition of Kerrang! magazine. Published independently of Kerrang!’s parent company Emap, Kerrang! Spain bears little resemblance to the British edition. [4]

[edit] Spin-offs

[edit] Kerrang! Radio

In 2000 Emap launched Kerrang! as a digital radio station, across the UK. On June 10 2004, Kerrang! 105.2 was launched as a regional radio station in the West Midlands. During the day the Kerrang! Radio network broadcasts more accessible acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oasis and Kaiser Chiefs. In the evening and at weekends they have a number of specialist programmes dedicated to the many subgenres of rock music. Also having shows in the evening which predominantly consist of non-music talk and more 'adult' talk. 'Adult' meaning Tim Shaw has been kicked off every commercial radio station he has ever been on.

[edit] Kerrang! TV

In 2001 Emap launched Kerrang! TV. As with the radio station, the TV channel covers the more mainstream side of the rock music as well as classic rock bands like Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses and Whitesnake.