Brand Story We Love: Uncut Magazine

Call me old school, but if I had the choice between accidentally dropping a magazine or my tablet in the bathtub, well, I’m gonna choose magazine every time.

Contrary to what some believe, newspapers and the journalism they bring to print, mobile, tablet, and the web aren’t dead. Much like video didn’t kill the radio star, it seems the internet hasn’t fully slayed traditional media.

That means for that for the time being, I can still read my favourite music magazine, Uncut.

I won’t get on a plane (or into a bathtub) without it.

Modern Music for Middle-Aged People
Uncut’s editor, Allan Jones, launched the magazine in 1997 when he grew tired of the ‘laddish’ culture of Britpop and sought a way to write about the music – and films – that he was interested in.

Talking about the launch of Uncut to Press Gazette in 2007, Jones said: “The idea for Uncut came from my own disenchantment about what I was doing with Melody Maker. There was a publishing initiative to make the audience younger; I was getting older and they wanted to take the readers further away from me. It seemed like an impassable bridge.”

A Wide Variety of Artists
Jones and his staff of editors have an encyclopedic knowledge of old and new music and the magazine seamlessly bridges the gap between the two.

That means an article about David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs 1973 TV Special can be followed by a feature on The Eagulls, a post punk band from Leeds formed in 2010.

Why We Love It

• Jones is a great story teller and in each issue shares an encounter about his most memorable interviews with music legends
• The magazine comes with a free CD featuring new (and sometimes old) music
• An extensive review section of each month’s new music

Uncut’s Future
IPC Media has confirmed that Allan Jones is stepping down as editor at the end of May and that John Mulvey, current deputy editor, will be stepping up as the magazine’s new editor.

Considering that Jones’ launched the magazine and guided it to it success, what all this means for the magazine’s future, is hard to say.

One thing is certain: I’ll miss Jones and his great stories.