In a return to its roots, in some ways, Gramophone has been sold by Haymarket Media Group to London-based Mark Allen Publishing (Full disclosure: I was editor of Gramophone for some six years). The classical music magazine, one of the most respected and influential brands in classical music, will be leaving one of Britain's highest-profile media owners (where sister titles included What Car, Stuff and What Hi-Fi) to one that is, if hardly small, smaller and with fewer household name publications (the only one with obvious synergy is Jazzwise). But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Gramophone started, back in 1923, with a small company--the brainchild of one man, in fact, even if that one man was the acclaimed author Compton Mackenzie. And Mark Allen, where it will be regarded as a crown jewel, will--it is to be hoped--lavish concentrated care, attention and resources on Gramophone.
They will inherit a very different animal from the one that Haymarket bought from its previous owners, the Pollard family (the small business which owned the magazine for much of its life). The Haymarket years saw rapid and large development of Gramophone's web offerings--now they have a Sunday Times Top 500 app, a well-staffed website with bespoke audio and video player, a digital edition with integrated audio and visual links and a number of popular e-newsletters. The publishing world has moved on, and in many ways Haymarket has equipped Gramophone well. Mark Allen Publishing can now take advantage.
One thing is for sure. The classical music world, particularly its recordings industry, needs Gramophone to prosper. It's one of a small clutch of dedicated outlets that have measurable impact on CD and download sales, on labels' fortunes and on artists' careers. It's important for classical music that Mark Allen give Gramophone a good new home.
