Before Spotify playlists, YouTube algorithms, and social media feeds, there was the music press — and at the centre of it, for decades, was the New Musical Express. The NME was not just a magazine. It was a cultural institution, a taste-maker, a community, and for several generations of music fans, the primary means by which they discovered new artists, formed opinions, and understood where music was going.
We stock over 220 NME back issues, primarily from the 2006–2012 period — a rich era that covered the post-Britpop landscape, the rise of indie rock, the Arctic Monkeys phenomenon, and the last years of the weekly music press as a genuinely influential cultural force. This piece is about why these issues are worth collecting, and what makes the NME's archive so remarkable.
What the NME Was
The New Musical Express was founded in 1952 and published weekly until 2018, when it moved to a free monthly format before ceasing print publication entirely. At its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, it sold over 300,000 copies a week and was the most influential music publication in the world. Its writers — Nick Kent, Charles Shaar Murray, Julie Burchill, Tony Parsons, Paul Morley — were as famous as many of the artists they covered, and their prose was as much a part of the NME's identity as the music it championed.
The NME broke punk to a mainstream audience, championed post-punk and new wave, launched the careers of countless artists through its coverage, and maintained a combative, opinionated editorial voice that was unlike anything in mainstream publishing. It was also, at its best, genuinely funny — the letters pages, the Thrills section, the Brat Awards — and it understood that music journalism should be entertaining as well as informative.
The 2006–2012 Era: What We Stock
Our collection focuses on the 2006–2012 period — a fascinating chapter in both music and media history. This was the era of:
- The Arctic Monkeys — The Sheffield band's rise from MySpace phenomenon to NME cover stars to genuine rock superstars is documented in real time across multiple issues. Their early NME coverage is a remarkable document of how a band could break in the pre-streaming era.
- The Libertines and their aftermath — Pete Doherty's post-Libertines career, Babyshambles, and the ongoing soap opera of one of the most compelling figures in British rock were NME staples throughout this period.
- The indie landfill era — Not all of it has aged well, but the NME's championing of bands like Razorlight, The Kooks, and Editors is a fascinating document of the mid-2000s indie moment.
- The rise of new American rock — The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, and their successors received extensive NME coverage during this period.
- The last years of genuine influence — By 2012, the NME's circulation had declined significantly from its peak, but it remained a genuine cultural force. The issues from this period capture a publication still operating with confidence and authority.
Why Collect Music Press?
The case for collecting music press back issues is stronger than it might initially appear. A few reasons:
Primary Sources
An NME interview from 2007 is a primary source document — an artist speaking in their own words, in their own time, without the retrospective gloss that later interviews and documentaries inevitably apply. The Arctic Monkeys talking about Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not in the weeks after its release is a different thing from any subsequent account of that moment. These issues capture artists at specific points in their careers, unmediated by hindsight.
Photography
The NME employed some of the finest music photographers of their generation, and the print format allowed their work to be reproduced at a quality that websites rarely match. A full-page NME cover shoot from this era is a genuinely impressive piece of photography, and the magazine's design — bold, graphic, and consistently well-executed — makes individual issues attractive as objects.
Reviews and Context
Reading a contemporary review of an album you know well is a different experience from reading a retrospective assessment. The NME's reviews — sometimes brilliant, sometimes infuriating, always opinionated — capture how music was received in the moment, which is historically valuable in a way that later reassessments are not.
Advertising and Ephemera
The adverts in a 2007 NME are as historically interesting as the editorial content — tour dates for bands that no longer exist, record shop adverts, mail order catalogues. These issues are time capsules of a specific moment in music culture.
Condition and Storage
Magazine collecting requires some thought about condition and storage. A few practical points:
- Condition grades — We grade our issues carefully. VG+ copies have minimal wear, no significant creasing, and intact covers. VG copies may show some reading wear but remain complete and presentable.
- Storage — Magazines should be stored flat or upright in acid-free bags, away from direct light and moisture. Stacking too many horizontally can cause spine damage over time.
- Completeness — Check that any free covermounts (CDs, posters, supplements) are present if they're listed. Their absence affects both completeness and value.
Building a Collection
There are several approaches to collecting NME back issues, and the right one depends on what you're after:
- Artist-focused — Collect every issue featuring a specific artist on the cover or in a major feature. Arctic Monkeys, Oasis, The Strokes, and Radiohead are the most popular subjects for this approach.
- Era-focused — Build a complete run of issues from a specific year or period. A complete year of NME from 2007 or 2008 is a remarkable document of that moment in music.
- Cover art — Some NME covers are genuinely iconic pieces of graphic design. Collecting the strongest covers regardless of era is a valid and visually rewarding approach.
- Completist — For the dedicated, building the most complete possible run of a given period is the ultimate goal. Our stock of 220+ issues from 2006–2012 gives you a strong foundation.
We stock over 220 NME back issues from the 2006–2012 period, all carefully graded and described. Whether you're after a specific issue, building a run, or just want to spend an afternoon with a piece of music history, our collection is worth exploring.