Q magazine
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Q is a music and entertainment magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.
Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time which they felt did not cater for the generation of older music buyers who were buying the then new CD technology from artists other magazines would ignore such as Paul Simon, Level 42, or Dire Straits. Modelled after Rolling Stone, it was first published in 1986 and set itself apart from much of the other music press by being produced monthly and with higher standards of photography and printing. The magazine was billed in the early years by its sub-title, "The modern guide to music and more". Its name was originally intended to be Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play) but was changed to avoid being mistaken for a snooker magazine.
It also has an extensive review section, featuring: new releases (music), reissues (music), music compilations, film and live concert reviews as well as radio and television reviews. It uses a star rating system from one star to the coveted five stars. It is generally the case that a music release, which has been given a four or five star rating, is consistently of a good quality and worth purchasing. Indeed the rating an album receives in Q is often added to print and television advertising for the album in the UK and Ireland. It also compiles a list of approximately eight albums, which it classes as the best new releases of the last three months.
Much of the magazine is devoted to interviews with popular or new musical artists.
The magazine is well known for compiling lists (some say this is displays lazy journalistic tendencies); it has made lists ranging from "The 100 Greatest Albums" to the "100 Greatest Rock Lists". The most famous of these is the classic "50 bands to see before you die". Every other month Q and its sister magazine Mojo have a special edition magazine — these magazines have been about musical times, genres, or very important musicians.
Often promotional gifts are given away with the magazine, such as cover-mounted CDs or books. The January 2006 issue included a free copy of "The Greatest Rock and Pop Miscellany … Ever!", modelled on Schott's Original Miscellany.
Every issue of Q has a different message on the spine. Readers then work out what the message has to do with the contents of the magazine. This practice — known as the "spine line" — has since become commonplace among British lifestyle magazines, including Q's movie-centric sister magazine Empire, and the football monthly FourFourTwo.
Usual features include The Q50, wherein the magazine lists the top 50 essential tracks of the month; Cash for Questions, in which a famous celeb answers question sent in by readers, who win £25 if their question is printed; Ten Commandments, where a particular singer create their very own ten commandments by which to live; and Rewind, in which the magazine takes us back in time through the history of music through archive issue of Q.
Other media
The company behind the magazine, Emap, also produces a digital "radio station" called Q Radio, which is transmitted on the digital television networks in the UK and online. There is also a Q TV television channel in the UK.