With the oppulent car-crash that is the Brits lingering long in the memory like the stench of a shared student bathroom, it seems appropriate that the ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation) average monthly circulation figures for the UK's rock mags should just be released (courtesy of Blabbermouth).
So which of the rock tribes reigns supreme? Which rag attracts the readers? Well, looks like £50 Man is currently ruling the roost with Emap's Q the market leader at 168,547, an increase of 5.2% in the period June till December 2005. £50 Man's more discerning cousins, Prog Man and Americana Man put in a good showing at 2 and 3, with Mojo (Emap) up 5.2% to 120,530, and Uncut (IPC), at 110,052. But only a 37 copy increase; come on Uncut readers, get busy and buy two copies next month.
However the real battle lies with the weeklies: NME and Kerrang! Is this a case of the Mods v the Rockers rearing its ugly head once again? NME currently rests on a comfortable 4.3% increase to 76,792. Kerrang! trails by 600 odd at 76,165 but a rocktastic circulation increase of 18%. It's also worth noting that Kerrang! is boasting a year on year increase of 23.2%, meaning that within the decade Helloween will be the next Arctic Minkeys. Weird huh?
Strong showings from the player's mags indicate a fairly symbiotic circle with the next round of cover stars already working hard in their bedrooms perfecting that troublesome C chord.
Here's the full list although titles such as Zero, Big Cheese, Zero Tolerance and Terrorizer aren't members of the ABC so don't appear on the list.
01. Q - 168,547
02. Mojo - 120,530
03. Uncut - 110,052
04. NME - 76,792 (average weekly)
05. Kerrang! - 76,165 (average weekly)
06. Total Guitar - 52,183
07. Classic Rock - 50,027
08. Metal Hammer - 44,047
09. The Word - 34,753
10. Guitarist - 29,152
11. Rock Sound - 23,027
12. Guitar Techniques - 20,561
13. Rhythm - 10,434
