Background information on Q magazine

Q is a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 130,179 as of June 2007.

Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology. Q was first published in 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing. In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more". Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine. Another reason, cited in Q's 200th edition, is that a single-letter title would be more prominent on newsstands.

Q are notoriously famous for their own charts, such as ‘the 50 greatest songs of the decade” and “100 bands you have to hear!”

Often, promotional gifts are given away, such as cover-mounted CDs or books. The January, 2006 issue included a free copy of "The Greatest Rock and Pop Miscellany … Ever!".

Every issue of Q has a different message on the spine. Readers then try to work out what the message has to do with the contents of the mag. This practice — known as the "spine line" — has since become commonplace among British lifestyle magazines, including Q's movie-centric sister rag, Empire and the football monthly FourFourTwo.

I believe this is the sort of magazine I want to be modeling myself on, they are a hugely popular music magazine throughout Britain and have been successful for over 3 decades. I will be doing much more research to make sure I know the ins and outs of music magazines to make sure I know just what I need to put on the cover, and what I can expect to find when designing the layout.