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Classic Pop (magazine)

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Classic Pop
EditorSteve Harnell
Editor-at-largeIan Peel
Former editorsIan Peel, Rik Flynn
CategoriesMusic magazine
FrequencyBi-monthly
PublisherAnthem Publishing
FounderIan Peel
First issueOctober 2012
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Websiteclassicpopmag.com

Classic Pop is a bi-monthly British music magazine published by Anthem Publishing. It launched in October 2012 with a primary focus on 1980s pop music, and carries regular features such as news, interviews and reviews. Content from the magazine has been reprinted by major news and entertainment outlets including BBC News, the New York Times and Rolling Stone.

Classic Pop was founded by music journalist Ian Peel, who was its original editor. Steve Harnell now serves as editor, although Peel remains involved as editor-at-large. The magazine has also featured regular contributions from veteran music critics such as John Earls, Paul Lester and Annie Zaleski.

The magazine has published special one-off editions, titled Classic Pop Presents, which are dedicated to a specific career or movement/time period in pop music.

Background and content

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Classic Pop was created by music journalist Ian Peel, who felt that 1980s pop music was not receiving the recognition it deserved.[1] Anthem Publishing helped to develop the title, believing there was a gap in the market for a magazine that treated pop seriously.[2] Peel served as editor for the first 20 issues before being succeeded by Rik Flynn, but remains involved with the magazine as editor-at-large.[1][3] Steve Harnell now occupies the position of editor.[4]

Classic Pop launched in October 2012, with the tagline, "Eighties, Electronic, Eclectic".[5][6] Aimed at "grownup" pop fans, the magazine is published every two months.[5][7] Regular features include news, artist interviews, career overviews, reviews, and analyses of classic albums.[8][9] According to Jenny Valentish of the Sydney Morning Herald, Classic Pop is "based in the UK for a global audience hungry for the nitty-gritty details they weren't given first time around, or were too young to appreciate. Want to read about Alannah Currie from the Thompson Twins storming Parliament in New Zealand in her bra as an anti-GM activist? No problem."[10] Kevin Foakes, leader of electronic band DJ Food, felt that Classic Pop would appeal to "those who remember Smash Hits from back in the day and yearn to break free of the endless rehashing of the Beatles/Stones/Who/Dylan/Zeppelin pop/rock mafia in the other music [periodicals]."[11] The magazine reported a circulation of 35,000 as of May 2015.[7]

Classic Pop has also published special one-off editions, titled Classic Pop Presents, which are dedicated to a specific career or movement/time period in pop music.[12] Subjects have included David Bowie,[13] the Pet Shop Boys,[4] Gary Numan,[14] and the New Romantic phase.[15] A Dusty Groove writer commended the Classic Pop Presents series for featuring "really no ads at all – just a heck of a lot of great images and plenty of articles."[15]

Classic Pop content has been reprinted by major news and entertainment outlets including BBC News,[16] the New York Times,[17] Rolling Stone,[18] the Independent[19] and the NME.[20]

Writers

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Along with Peel, contributors to Classic Pop have included Mark Frith,[21] Paul Lester,[22] Ian Ravendale,[23] Matthew Rudd[24] and Annie Zaleski.[25] Critic John Earls won "Best Writer – Specialist" at the 2022 British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, for his work on the magazine.[26] Music journalist Ian Wade has also contributed to Classic Pop, covering queer culture and its links to pop music.[27]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Meet the Founder and Editor-at-Large of Classic Pop Magazine". iSubscribe.co.uk. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  2. ^ Sinclair, Paul (19 October 2012). "Classic Pop Magazine: New Launch". SuperDeluxeEdition. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  3. ^ "PPA Independent Publisher Awards – Shortlist". InPublishing. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b Levine, Nick (21 January 2020). "Why Pet Shop Boys Are Still the Cleverest Men in Pop". BBC. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b Pakinkis, Tom (12 October 2012). "Classic Pop Aims for 25k Readership: Guitar & Bass Publisher Predicts Big Future for New Magazine". Music Week. p. 4.
  6. ^ Perrone, Pierre (3 October 2013). "Now That's What I Call Music..." The Independent. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b Harris, John (10 May 2015). "'It Was a Classic Case of Naive Creatives, Not Protecting What They'd Got'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Two New Music Titles, Classic Pop and Vintage Rock, Join Exact Editions". Exact Editions. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Introductions: Classic Pop". Writing Magazine. April 2019. p. 85.
  10. ^ Valentish, Jenny (19 September 2017). "The Neuroscience Behind How the Brain Reacts to Nostalgic Music". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
  11. ^ Foakes, Kevin (9 June 2014). "'Giant' 12″ Plug and 'Soul Mining' Q&A". DJ Food. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Classic Pop Presents". Anthem Publishing. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Latest Volume of The Vinyl Buyer's Bible Takes a Look at Bowie". Professional Publishers Association. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Gary Numan Used to Think His Voice Was 'Letting His Career Down'". Music-News. 8 February 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Classic Pop Presents The New Romantics – Special Edition". Dusty Groove. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
  16. ^ Savage, Mark (25 June 2023). "Elton John Brings Glastonbury 2023 to a Close with Huge Crowd". BBC News. p. 4. Archived from the original on 1 May 2025. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  17. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (22 December 2021). "Steve Bronski, of Pioneering Gay Band Bronski Beat, Dies at 61". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  18. ^ Newman, Jason (18 October 2024). "He Sang Kool & the Gang's Biggest Hits. Now He's Ready for a Hall of Fame Celebration". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 18 October 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  19. ^ Power, Ed (7 February 2024). "West End Thrills: Why Nobody Does Poker-Faced Pop Better than the Pet Shop Boys". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  20. ^ Britton, Luke Morgan (1 December 2014). "Chvrches to Start Work on New Album in January 2015". NME. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  21. ^ Bradley, Steve (4 April 2013). "When Brum Was Top of the Pops". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 8 April 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  22. ^ "De Lux – More Disco Songs About Love Review". Classic Pop. 24 March 2018. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  23. ^ "Ian Ravendale". Louder Sound. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  24. ^ "Matthew Rudd, Author". Classic Pop. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  25. ^ "Annie Zaleski: About". Oxford American. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  26. ^ "BSME Talent Awards 2022 Winners". British Society of Magazine Editors. 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  27. ^ Talwar, Shikhar (29 June 2024). "Ipswich Origin Writer Publishes Book on Queer and Pop Music". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
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