Editing NME (section)

===Free title===
In February 2015, it was reported that the ''NME'' was in discussions about removing the cover price and becoming a free publication.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/feb/18/nme-free-time-inc-uk-marie-claire?CMP=share_btn_tw|title = The Guardian|website = [[TheGuardian.com]]|date = 18 February 2015|access-date = 19 February 2015}}</ref> This was confirmed in July 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/06/nme-to-go-free-with-larger-circulation|title=NME to go free with larger circulation|first=Mark|last=Sweney|date=6 July 2015|access-date=2 January 2018|website=The Guardian}}</ref>

The free NME launched on 18 September 2015, with [[Rihanna]] on the cover.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-34290035|title=New free NME draws mixed reaction|date=18 September 2015|access-date=2 January 2018|website=Bbc.com}}</ref> Distributed nationwide via universities, retail stores and the transport network, the first circulation numbers published in February 2016 of 307, 217 copies per week were the highest in the brand's history. Since relaunch the magazine has featured a number of high-profile international pop stars on the cover such as [[Coldplay]], [[Taylor Swift]], [[Lana Del Rey]], [[Kanye West]] and [[Green Day]] alongside emerging talent like [[Zara Larsson]], [[Years & Years]], [[Lady Leshurr]] and [[Christine and the Queens]].{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

The free, pop-oriented ''NME'' magazine was praised for reconnecting NME with its target audience,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.musicweek.com/brands/read/how-nme-went-free-inside-its-post-pricetag-success/064080|title=How NME went free - inside its post-pricetag success|date=20 November 2016|website=Musicweek.com|access-date=2 January 2018}}</ref> and was awarded a silver at the 2016 [[Professional Publishers Association]] Awards for its historic first-ever cover as a free title, featuring Rihanna.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.inpublishing.co.uk/news/articles/ppa_awards__the_winners_10219.aspx|title=PPA Awards – the winners|website=Inpublishing.co.uk|access-date=20 November 2016}}</ref> Editor in Chief Mike Williams received the Editor Of The Year Award at the [[BSME]] Awards 2016, the judges stating that under Williams' leadership, NME had "bounced back from an uncertain future and established itself confidently and creatively in a new market."

By December 2017, according to the [[Audit Bureau of Circulations (UK)|Audit Bureau of Circulations]], average distribution of ''NME'' had fallen to 289,432 copies a week,<ref>[https://www.abc.org.uk/Certificates/48765202.pdf "NME average circulation"]. ''Audit Bureau of Circulations Ltd'', 15 February 2018.</ref> although its then-publisher [[Time Inc. UK]] claimed to have more than 13 million global unique users per month, including 3 million in the UK.<ref>[http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/nme-faced-ongoing-losses-prior-to-print-closure-with-staff-facing-threat-of-redundancy/ "NME faced "ongoing losses""]. ''Press Gazette'', 8 March 2018.</ref>

In March 2018, ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that the NME was to cease publication in print after 66 years.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/mar/07/nme-ceases-print-edition-weekly-music-magazine|title=NME to close print edition after 66 years|date = 7 March 2018|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date = 6 November 2018}}</ref> The online publication would continue.

In 2019, TI Media, the successor to IPC, sold ''NME'' and ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' to Singaporean company [[BandLab Technologies]].<ref>{{Cite web| title = TI Media sells music titles NME and Uncut to music platform Bandlab| access-date = 15 July 2019| url = https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/ti-media-sells-music-titles-nme-and-uncut-to-social-music-platform-company-bandlab/|website=Pressgazette.co.uk| date = 17 May 2019}}</ref>