Rock ‘n’ Roll magazines will never die

Future Publishing has secured the future of hard rock and heavy metal magazines Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog Magazine following the collapse of their publisher TeamRock days before Christmas.

Future has paid £800,000 for the magazine titles, associated websites, events (including The Golden Gods Awards and The Classic Rock Awards) and the TeamRock online radio station.

Future Publishing  is no stranger to the hard rock brands as the magazines were once part of the publisher’s stable of music titles before being sold to TeamRock, headed up by former GMG GMG Radio chief executive John Myers, in 2013 as part of a £10.2 million deal.

At the time, Future Publishing’s former chief executive Mark Wood told journalists: “Classic Rock and Metal Hammer are highly successful and well-managed parts of Future, but they have not been centre stage in our current growth strategy.

Clearly a lot has changed at Future and their new chief executive, Zillah Byng-Thorne, isn’t afraid to “rock out” a little.

Byng-Thorne told journalists: “The acquisition of these classic rock brands with their associated magazines, events and websites marks a further step in our buy and build strategy.”

She continued: ““It further reinforces our creation of a leading global specialist media platform with data at its heart, which we are monetising through diversified revenue streams. We look forward to developing further these iconic and much-loved brands and to continuing to serve their communities of dedicated enthusiasts around the world.”

The collapse of TeamRock hit the headlines following the launch of a crowdfunding campaign to help the 70 employees who lost their jobs days before Christmas.

At time of writing, only a handful of former TeamRock staffers have been guaranteed work in the transition period, although it is hoped negotiations will enable more to move into the employment of Future Publishing soon.