The New Musical Express (NME) was a British music journalism magazine published since 1952 and was largely associated with rock, alternative and indie music.
beginning in October, 1946 this magazine's 'ancestor' was published as 'Musical Express' eventually changing it's name to The "Accordion Times and Musical Express". This publication was bought by London music promoter Maurice Kinn, for the sum of £1,000, just 15 minutes before it was due to be officially closed. It was relaunched as the New Musical Express, and was initially published in a non-glossy tabloid format on standard newsprint.
On 14th November 1952, taking its cue from the US magazine Billboard, it created the first UK Singles Chart, a list of the Top Twelve best-selling singles. The first of these was, in contrast to more recent charts, a top twelve sourced by the magazine itself from sales in regional stores around the UK. The first number one was "Here in My Heart" by Al Martino.
In the 1970's it became the best-selling British music newspaper. During the period 1972 to 1976, it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism (self-involved reporting), then became closely associated with punk rock through the writings of Julie Burchill, Paul Morley and Tony Parsons. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s and 1990s, changing from newsprint in 1998.
In February 2015 it was reported that the NME was in discussions about removing the cover price and becoming a free publication. The magazine's paid circulation in the first half of 2014 was 15,830, and had been in long-term decline. Due to continuing poor sales, the magazine became a free publication on the 18th September 2015 with Rihanna on the cover.
The free NME includes broader coverage of film, video games and fashion alongside music.
An online version of NME, NME.com, was launched in 1996. It became the world's biggest standalone music site, with over seven million users per month.
In March 2018 the publisher announced that the print edition of NME would cease publication after 66 years, leaving it as an online-only title