Hammer won't fall: Team Rock saved

Before Christmas, it looked like Metal Hammer and stablemates Classic Rock and Prog had published their last.

Good news for the new year, though, because Future Publishing, the previous owners of the titles, has stepped in to acquire Team Rock, the magazines and the websites:

“The acquisition of these classic rock brands with their associated magazines, events and websites marks a further step in our buy and build strategy,” said Zillah Byng-Thorne, chief executive of Future.

“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.”

Future has scooped the lot - including a radio licence - for just £800,000. Back in 2013, Future had sold just the magazines for £10.2million.

So, not perhaps a totally happy ending, as the business clearly isn't in a great shape - but there's hope, and in 2017, we need all the hope we can get.

Folding magazines: Classic Rock & Metal Hammer

This would be grim news at any time, but just before Christmas amplifies the grimness: Team Rock have Team Rock, who publish Classic Rock and Metal Hammer magazines, have called in the administrators:

Thomas Campbell MacLennan, Alexander Iain Fraser and Jason Daniel Baker of FRP Advisory LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of Team Rock Limited (“the Company”) on 19 December 2016.

The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Joint Administrators, who act as agents of the Company and without personal liability.

The Company is being managed on a care and maintenance basis only whilst a buyer for the assets is sought. Accordingly, the TeamRock website will be unavailable for the foreseeable future.

The administrators are assessing the position regarding publication of magazines. If you are a subscriber to the Company’s publications the administrators can be contacted via email at teamrock.subscribers@frpadvisory.com.

27 people in Scotland and 46 in London have lost their jobs. According to the BBC report, Team Rock had been losing money for quite a while; they're hopeful the brands will find a buyer - and so hopefully some of those staff will be rehired.

Rock mags find new home

Classic Rock and Metal Hammer have changed hands, with the spectacularly named Team Rock purchasing the titles from Future.

Team Rock is led by John Myers:

Myers is executive chairman of the new company, TeamRock, which will create and distribute content to what it describes as the "large but under-served community" of rock music fans.

The new business is expected to announce more acquisitions in the next few days.

Under-served community? With the two titles here, plus a bunch of spin-off sister publications, and Bauer's Kerrang empire, and the Download Festival, and Absolute Classic Rock, I'm not sure I'd identify this as a market segment that is especially neglected, but good luck to anyone trying to build a magazine brand. You... you are interested in the print product, right?

TeamRock describes itself as a "new international multimedia content creation and distribution business" to "provide and create premium content to rock-music fans across the world via digital platforms and through the Classic Rock and Metal Hammer titles".

Oh.

Metal Hammer ratchet up price for Ozzy special

Metal Hammer is hoping to repeat the trick it managed with its Slash special back in April by lobbing out an Ozzy special for a healthy premium price.

The Slash one cost fifteen quid - in effect, it was an album that came with a free magazine - but the Ozzy issue is only going to be eight pounds; for that you get a "music download card".

What's interesting is the quote from Future's Chris Langham. Not that Chris Langham:

"I don't subscribe to the free music model, I don't think it sits very easily with hardcore rock fans," he said. "If people want to steal music online, they will. But there is a hard core group that want products they can touch and they are willing to pay for it."

Perhaps he was speaking in, I don't know, Greek and something got lost in translation? There's the suggestion that somehow liking Black Sabbath means you wouldn't support the idea of music being delivered without having to pay for it is confusing - presumably Kerrang Radio listeners send a cheque off whenever they hear a track?

Then the sudden leap that 'stealing music' is the opposite of having a physical product - what does that mean? That people who buy downloads online are somehow still stealing because they don't have a plastic box? He surely can't mean that? Does he not understand that online music sales are a large market, and there are people who don't want plastic records who also think that artists should get paid?

And, if there is a hardcore of an audience who want something physical, erm, why are you giving away a download card with the Ozzy pack?

The special issue is interesting in its own right, but why try and launch it by suggesting it has something to do with unlicensed filesharing? If anything, isn't this more about people not being as interested in having a physical magazine and finding ways to engage them?

Slightly over-literal magazine stunts

Metal Hammer has just published an issue with a a metal cover, making it the first ever magazine to have more value as scrap than when new.

The idea came after an editorial meeting where someone noticed they were called Metal Hammer, and following four years in which they tried to print reviews of The Rasmus gigs on the side of hammers.

Chinese Democracy: yet another release date

No, no, really, this time. Apparently. Axl has supposedly finished the album, reckons his manager:

Beta Lebeis confirmed to Metal Hammer magazine that the record was "finished before Christmas". Adding that "everybody knows that". Lebeis also insists that Rose is currently "in negotiations" to arrange the album's on-sale date, with the magazine reporting rumours of a possible late summer release.

If he finished it before Christmas, why would they wait until September before pushing it out?

Unless, you know, it's very, very poor.

Hammer of the Gods

Metal Hammer's almost-beyond-parody Hammer of the Gods awards have announced their shortlist for the year:


Best UK Band
Iron Maiden
Bullet For My Valentine
Breed 77
Bring Me The Horizon
Mendeed


Best Live Band

Lamb Of God
In Flames
Gallows
Dragonforce
NIN


Best International Band

Slayer
Velvet Revolver
Lamb of God
Dimmu Borgir
Killswitch Engage


Best Underground Band

Turisas
Job For a Cowboy
The End
Gojira
Municipal Waste


Best Newcomer

Cancer Bats
He Is Legend
Gallows
Abigail Williams
Deathstars


Best Video sponsored by MTV2

My Chemical Romance 'The Black Parade'
Avenged Sevenfold 'Seize The Day'
Slayer 'Eyes Of The Insane'
Dragonforce 'Operation Ground n Pound'
Lamb Of God 'Redneck'

Riff Lord

Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
Robert Flynn and Phil Demmel (Machine Head)
Gers/Smith/Murray (Iron Maiden)
Slash
Tony Iommi (heaven n Hell)


Shredder

Willie Adler and Mark Morton (Lamb Of God)
Heafy and Beaulieu (Trivium)
Herman and Sam (Dragonforce)
Alexi Lahio (Children of Bodom)
Bill Kelliher and Brent Hinds (Mastodon)

Best Metal Label

Nuclear Blast
Roadrunner
Metal Blade
Earache
Century Media
Candlelight

Best Event

Download
Bloodstock
Reading/Leeds
Give It A Name
Unholy Alliance

Best Album

Iron Maiden 'A Matter Of Life And Death'
Lamb Of God 'Sacrament'
Mastodon 'Blood Mountain'
Machine Head 'The Blackening'
My Chemical Romance 'The Black Parade'


We note, though, that the HTML on the voting form seems to be badly mangled, with three categories named "Shredder" for the input. Let's hope there's some sort of Mastere of ye olde IT who can fix that.