NME staff told talks have been held on going free

NME staff are understood to have been told that discussions have been held with promoters and partners about the prospect of the magazine going free.

Following reports on Tuesday that NME was planning to stop charging for print copies, senior editors moved to reassure staff about the magazine’s future.

It is understood that staff were told at an editorial meeting on Wednesday that nothing is set in stone about the future of the magazine but that it will continue.

It is thought that there have been talks with retailers such as Topshop and Urban Outfitters about possible partnerships.

Despite speculation, it is understood that an announcement will not be made at the NME Awards on Wednesday evening.

The news comes as it emerged that a separate meeting was held on Wednesday about the future of the brands in the Time Inc UK stable, with the company in a state of flux following it being spun off as a separate publishing business from Time Warner in June.

Staff were told that the group – which was created after IPC was bought by Time Inc, the publishing subsidiary of Time Warner, in 2001 – is discussing the future of its brands and all avenues are being explored.

NME’s print circulation fell by 23% year on year to just 13,995 in the second half of 2014, according to the latest ABC circulation figures published last week. Its digital edition was up 6.3% on the previous year to 1,389, giving it a combined circulation of 15,384.

Time Inc UK said that NME’s total weekly brand reach across print, online, social media and live events has grown to a record 3.9m.

A spokesperson for Time UK said: “Tonight is the NME Awards, the biggest day on NME’s calendar, and that’s where the focus of staff has been today.”