Q Magazine is folding after 34 years, September issue to be its last

Long-running British music monthly Q Magazine is folding after 34 years, and the upcoming September issue will be its last. “The pandemic did for us and there was nothing more to it than that,” wrote editor Ted Kessler on Twitter. Kessler also shared his Letter from the Editor from the final issue, where he says they thought the August issue was going to be the magazine’s last, but then there was enough interest to make a special final issue…and that hits newsstands on July 28. Here’s part of it:

This is the final issue of Q, and eventuality that nobody could’ve predicted as recently as March. We’ve been a lean operation for all of my tenure, employing a variety of ways to help keep our head above water in an extremely challenging print market. COVID-19 wiped all that out.

…We sharpened the focus to Q’s core USP: unbelievable access to musical legends; daredevil interviews at luxurious lengths; intimate photos to order. David Cavanagh on the backseat with Bowie. Phil Sutcliffe head-to-head with Joni Mitchell. Adrian Deevoy flirting with Prince and powdering his nose with the Stone Roses.

You can read Kessler’s whole note, below.

The magazine was probably at its zenith during the Britpop ’90s, but Q covered a wide spectrum of music, from legends to artists on the rise, with the kind of meaty features a monthly allows. As Liam Gallagher recently told Music Week, “It would be a tragedy of Q doesn’t survive. There are no other music publications left that can compare.” It’s unclear if there will be an online edition or archive.

Q, you’ll be missed.