Music news as we know it right now developed out of the early magazines that caught onto the growth of the popular music business early on in the 20th Century. Melody Maker was 1 of the 1st, introducing itself in 1926 (around the exact same time that the very first electric guitars and amplifiers began to emerge) and targeting musicians. However, as music became much more and more well-liked the music magazines of the day began to target the general public and the introduction of new, rival magazines hit the shelves.
The 1950s is when the real battle started with Melody Maker going head to head with the new kids in town, the NME, an amalgamation of previous titles Musical Express and Accordion Weekly by new owner and music promoter Maurice Kinn. Previously far more interested in jazz, Melody Maker was a late convert to the advent of rock and roll, but as the sixties swung in favour of bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, the ground was set for large readership figures for both publications.

February 19th, 2012
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