Mission statement

Symbal is the fresh and unique new magazine that is designed to celebrate artists of the indie rock genre, both old and new, in a way that has never been done before. Essentially, what separates Symbal from other standard indie rock magazines – NME, Q, Mojo – is that it focuses not only on one particular aspect of the genre, but of the entire genre in all its differing forms. One is able to discern that magazines tend to generally focus on one specific feature, or aspect, of the genre, as can be seen in the idolisation of British post-millenium indie rock in NME magazine or the more 70s rock based approach of Mojo, and this is where Symbal diverges significantly. Symbal will focus on the entire world of indie rock music, both past, present, and future, while providing a label for all promising new bands of the genre all across the developing world and consequently acts as a celebration of the entire genre itself.

Despite the evolution of pop and hip hop throughout the course of the last decade, it’s evident that indie rock still remains one of the most prominent and popular genres of music in the modern world. Furthermore, it’s been that way since the late 60s/early 70s, where the emergence of numerous genre-defining bands such as the Velvet Underground helped substantiate indie rock as one of the most important and commercially beneficial styles of music to ever grace the industry. And what’s astonishing is that it’s held that reputation even as numerous other genres have emerged over the years – and Symbal’s primary aim is to ensure that it maintains its level of significance in the changing world, by promoting exciting new bands and embellishing the bands that helped shape the music world. This explains the reasoning behind the name, as it acts as a symbol of all forms of indie rock music of the past, present, and future.

Symbal will be distributed monthly at the extremely reasonable starting cost of £3, so those who subscribe early will be able to keep this price fixed even as the magazine becomes more established and, therefore, slightly more expensive. Initially, it will be available in most local newsagents, but as it becomes more popular, expect expansion to large supermarkets and major retailers such as WHSmith. As previously mentioned, subscriptions will be available from the very first issue, with a fixed discounted price rate for all first time subscribers, and this readership will also be able to access further content from the magazine via the magazine’s website, www.symbal.co.uk.

In terms of the content of the magazine itself, there are many features within the 75 pages of this magazine, some of which will be familiar and some of which will stand out as innovative new ideas. The cover story can usually be found within the first 15 pages of the magazine and tends to be an article spanning a maximum of 7 pages depending on the nature of the content itself. Throughout the first half of the magazine, Symbal will focus primarily on tour dates of prominent bands for the next two months ahead, with reviews of these bands previous live shows and comments from fans about their live performance in general. Small, usually unnoticed venues will be reviewed, with a recommendation of what live acts to discover there and a comparison to other artists (‘If you like The Killers, you’ll love these guys..’). Evidently, there will be exclusive interviews and fun facts about bands that all fans will be familiar with, and profiles on each band member and their interests and hobbies in order to ensure that the readers can relate to them on a personal level. However, a unique feature of Symbal is the APILAW (All’s Pairs in Love and War) scheme, where a randomly selected unknown band/artist will be paired with one of their idol bands for two weeks, under the

management of the magazine company itself. These two bands are able to do live shows together, do interviews together, and generally, this will provide an opportunity for all struggling new artists across the world as well as a form of education and entertainment for the reader – as they are able to recognise the new talent as well as being entertained by the familiarity of the established artist/band they are paired with.

In the latter part of the magazine, one can find further interviews and articles on special events across the world – for example, the arrival of the latest Reading and Leeds festival and a reflection on the highlights of the previous years festival – and a miscellaneous section where a differently themed article is present every month. Reviews of both popular and underground alternative rock/indie rock albums and singles will be featured near the back of the magazine, alongside general news on what is occurring in the music industry. There will be a small fashion section where one artist/band talks and recommends particular brands or styles of clothing, and there will also be a section where the reader is able to place an advertisement for a local band they’re in/they know of in order to gain some publicity for their venues and style. Furthermore, there will be a ‘playlist’ section on the back page, where one of the contributors to the magazine create a monthly playlist to fit a particular mood or seasonal event using a combination of known and unknown artists, and artists themselves may feature in guest appearances of their own and share their favourite playlist with the readership. Concerning interactivity, readers are encouraged to submit their opinions on any potential improvements that could be made to the magazine, and are able to enter various competitions and submit their own playlists to the playlist section at the back. It is necessary to note that advertising will only take up 15% of the magazine upon initial release – it’s all about the music.

In addition to celebrating and promoting the genre of indie rock music, the magazine will ensure that the reader is inducted into the Symbal ‘family’, as it were; whether they are a first time reader or a long time subscriber is irrelevant. It will forge a form of companionship within the reader through its specified, casual mode of address, and consistent reference to subjects that the reader is genuinely interested in, thus ensuring that a relationship is built between the reader and the magazine. Moreover, as can be seen from aforementioned points, Symbal is also directed largely to those who are in bands themselves and are struggling to find commercial success, as one of the main policies of the magazine is to celebrate all bands of the genre that bear a unique sound and have a potential to rise to fame. Symbal will attempt to provide these particular readers with opportunities to get noticed via their own advertisements or the APILAW scheme, thus enhancing this idea of a readership ‘family’ and giving hope to all those that are struggling in the music industry through the prompting of their creativity and individuality. Indeed, the success of these previously unknown bands appearing in the magazine alongside major artists/bands such as David Bowie or Jack White will inspire musicians everywhere into working at their greatest potential.

Ultimately, it can clearly be stated that Symbal is a one of a kind music magazine. Despite this emphasis on inspiring those in bands themselves, the main fact remains: this is a music magazine primarily aimed for all fans of the indie rock genre, and all that it entails. Readers will find it edgy, bold, brash and stylish in its address, with an inviting nature and a great tendency to relate to the readers themselves.