NME Institution Research

• New Musical Express, has been publishing since 1952 and started in the UK.
• During the 1960s the paper focused on upcoming British bands of the time.
• In the 1970s it became the best-selling British music newspaper. During the period 1972 to 1976 it was particularly associated with gonzo journalism, then became closely associated with punk rock.
• By the early 1970s NME had lost ground to the Melody Maker as its coverage of music had failed to keep pace with the development of rock music, particularly during the early years of psychedelia and progressive rock. It almost faced closure in 1972 due to owners IPC.
• By the mid 1980s NME had hit a rough patch and was in danger of closure again. This was due to the riding popularity of hip-hop in the UK where the magazine still wanted to write about British rock.

• The start of 1990 saw the paper in the thick of the Madchester scene, and covering the new British indie bands and shoegazers.
• By the end of 1990, the Madchester scene was dying off, it was from here that they began to write about US bands. These bands would form a new movement called Grunge and by far the most popular bands were Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
• 2000 saw the closure of the Melody Maker (which officially merged with the NME) and many speculated the NME be the next to go - the monthly magazine Select, which had thrived especially during Britpop, was closed down within a week of Melody Maker.