Kerrang! is a British rock music magazine that was first published in 1981. It covers various subgenres of rock music and is published weekly by Bauer Media Group. The magazine was originally focused on new wave of British heavy metal bands but expanded its coverage over time. It also operates a website, radio station, TV channel, and annual music tour and awards show.

1. Kerrang!
Case Study

2. Kerrang! is a rock music magazine based in the UK. It’s
published by Bauer Media Group, and was first published
on the 6th of June 1981 as a one-off in the Sounds
newspaper. It is named after the onomatopoeic word that
comes from the sound which is made when playing a power
chord on an electric guitar and was initially devoted to the
new wave of British heavy metal and the rise of hard rock
bands and musicians. The magazine is now devoted to
almost all sub-genres of rock music.
What is Kerrang!?

3. • Editor James McMahon
• Frequency Weekly
• Circulation 42,077
• Publisher Bauer Media Group
• Founder Geoff Barton
• First issue 6 June 1981
• Country United Kingdom
• Based in London
• Language English
• Website kerrang.com
Facts

4. The first issue of Kerrang! was released on the 6th of June 1981, and was only meant to be a
one-off for the Sounds Newspaper. Angus Young of AC/DC appeared on Kerrang!’s first cover.
It was first launched as a monthly magazine, but then later began to appear on a fortnightly
basis, and it 1987 it went weekly. The original owner was United Newspapers but they sold it to
EMAP in 1991.
During the 1980s and early 1990s ‘glam metal’ acts appeared on the cover (Metallica and Bon
Jovi for example) but this changed when ‘grunge’ acts like Nirvana rose to fame.
Kerrang! became popular again in around 2000 when they hired Paul Rees as editor, when the
‘nu metal’ genre became popular along with bands like Slipknot and Limp Bizkit. Ashley Bird
took over as editor from 2003 to 2005, but in 2003 the magazine’s sales quickly went down and
Paul Brannigan took over as editor in May 2005.
When the ‘emo’ and ‘metalcore’ trends came around, Kerrang! began to primarily feature these,
however not all the readers were pleased with this and many complaints were received about the
sudden emphasis on the new trends. Paul Brannigan sold the most copies of the magazine ever
however, with a record of 80,186 copies.
In 2008, EMAP sold the magazine to Bauer Media Group and Paul Brannigan left in 2009,
leaving Nichola Browne to be the new editor until April 2011. Former NME features editor
James McMahon was then appointed as editor on the 6th June 2011.
History

5. Kerrang! has it’s own website which is dedicated to finding out
more information to do with the magazine and also the latest
information regarding current bands and musicians and
upcoming music events. Also on the website is an online shop,
podcasts, message board and TV which gives even more
opportunities to sell merchandise and products which are
associated with bands/musicians featured in the magazine.
The website proved popular at the beginning, with around 100
people online at a time but in around 2005 the average number of
people online at a time dropped to 10.
Website

6. Since 1993, Kerrang! have held an annual awards ceremony
which marks the most successful bands of the year. This
ceremony became one of Britain’s most recognised award
events, and is always presented by major music celebrities.
Kerrang! Awards

7. In 2000, EMAP launched Kerrang! as a radio station across
the UK. To begin with it just played back-to-back tracks of
rock and alternative music. On the 10th of June 2004,
Kerrang! 105.2 was launched as a regional radio station in
Birmingham and has various programmes dedicated to
various subgenres of rock music.
Kerrang! Radio

8. In 2001, EMAP launched Kerrang! TV. The television
channel covers the more mainstream side of rock music,
just like the radio station does. It also features classic rock
bands such as Aerosmith and AC/DC, and classic heavy
metal bands such as Guns N’ Roses and Metallica. The TV
channel is now owned by Bauer Media Group and Channel
4.
Kerrang! TV

9. Throughout one January, Kerrang! held a tour of rock music
concerts around the UK. The tour featured many different
bands such as Bullet For My Valentine, Sum 41 and Good
Charlotte amongst other big names. In 2012, New Found
Glory and While She Sleeps played, whilst Sum 41 were
meant to play but due to injuries, The Blackout had to
replace them.
Kerrang! Tour