NME pushes on with cover disc.

Following the success of NME's White Stripes freebie, the rock mag persuades Parlophone to agree to Babyshambles seven-inch giveaway

Media

Don't tell Prince, but NME may have hit upon a covermount blueprint that works for labels, retailers and the media.

Having already road-tested the formula in June with the White Stripes, the weekly will give away a Babyshambles seven-inch single with its September 11 issue in a promotion with Parlophone. The tie-up is expected to lift NME's circulation for that week, help the record company's marketing efforts for the group's forthcoming album and also generate in-store traffic - the seven-inch is designed to slot into a double-gatefold single package being commercially released the following week.

IPC Music senior marketing manager Nick New says that, in the current market, both labels and magazines need to be creative and forward- thinking to survive.

"Traditional formats don't enjoy the easy success that they used to," he says. "The single has gone from being a profit-making thing to being a marketing tool, which means we all have to work harder for our successes. As part of that, we have to go out and talk to record labels about innovative ideas."

The NME single will carry an exclusive acoustic demo of the track Delivery on the A-side, with an interview with the band discussing forthcoming album Shotter's Nation on the B-side and artwork containing an exclusive blood painting by Doherty. The accompanying commercially- released seven-inch of Delivery - out on September 17 - will be on coloured vinyl, with the gatefold sleeve designed to accommodate the NME covermount. The single ...