It’s been reported this evening that Kruger Magazine has folded. Columnist Huw Stephens and New Bands Editor Jen Long tweeted its demise earlier today:
huwstephens‎: sad news about Kruger magazine ending, but other Kruger projects on the go. Always a great read
jenlong: It’s true. Kruger Magazine RIP.
Kruger Magazine was established in Cardiff in 2004. It was a well-designed free music magazine that pulled in good writers and photographers, eventually moving its base to London and holding its own on a national scale. It was also creative. Each issue was written (and, in its first issues, designed) around a particular topic. It became an influential voice in music criticism and required reading for anybody interested in the South Wales scene. In the 2009 music industry Record of the Day awards it came runner-up to The Stool Pigeon in the category of Best Free Magazine, and editor Mike Williams scooped the coveted Editor of the Year award, beating editors at far weightier publications, such as NME’s Krissi Murison.
// UPDATE //
Kruger have now issued a statement on their their website confirming their closure. This sentence pretty much sums it up: ‘The magazine may have been brilliant, but our business model was rubbish, so without any sign of long- or short-term financial improvement, we are unable to continue bearing the burden.’