Muzik magazine, the 44,200-selling IPC Ignite! clubbing and dance
music monthly, is to relaunch early in 2002 to target men in their
twenties.
The new focus reflects Muzik's position as a distant third to Emap
Performance's market leader, Mixmag, which has an ABC of 100,400, and
Ministry of Sound's Ministry, with 75,200.
'We will never be able to do the big numbers that Mixmag does,' editor
Conor McNicholas admitted.
Instead, Muzik will position itself as the serious voice of the sector,
like 'a dance music Q (magazine)', he said.
Muzik's club lifestyle content will take second place to articles about,
and reviews of, the music itself.
Editorial on topics such as fashion and hi-fi equipment will also be
added.
The new-look Muzik will be comprehensively redesigned in a 'root and
branch' change, McNicholas said.
'We will speak (to readers) in a mature and grown-up way. It is a
radical shift. The name will stay, but the logo may not.
'It will feel like a very aspirational magazine but the key is not to
make it cliquey,' he added.
The core reader, who McNicholas described as 'the dance music
trainspotter who is very cool with it', will be retained, he said.
But readers who listen to the music but do not tend to visit clubs are
the real target. 'By improving the product we will get more of them,' he
said.
The move has also been prompted by what McNicholas sees as a
fragmentation of the sector.
'Eighteen months ago there used to be a perception of a mass-market
clubber.
You could not have put a cigarette paper between Mixmag, Ministry and
Muzik,' he said.
The Muzik relaunch has no connection with IPC's proposed youth music
magazine launch, also scheduled for next year, the publisher insisted.
