After a series of high-level meetings, the UK arm of German media giant, Bauer, has revealed that one of the few remaining UK music magazines is to close. Planet Rock has had a relatively brief but high profile life covering monthly rock affairs whilst rival title, Kerrang! covered the genre weekly. The decision was made after a review of a handful of titles, including, prepare yourselves, Car Mechanics, Modern Classics, Your Horse and Sea Angler, sound that Planet Rock was no longer financially viable.
An even bigger shock could be on the cards as another Bauer title, Q Magazine, has been put up for tender. One of the most respected glossy titles on magazine stands for the past 35 years, it narrowly survived being scrapped outright but must now fight to survive in a market place which has always been unforgiving but now looks to be on its knees in the wake of COVID-19.
Commenting on the outcome of its portfolio review, Bauer’s CEO of UK publishing, Chris Duncan, said: “In order to protect the long-term health of our publishing business we have had to make tough decisions about the future of some much-loved titles. While some magazines sadly will close, we remain hopeful that a number will continue to publish under new ownership. We remain fully committed and positive about the strength of our remaining portfolio”.