''British Bandsman'' was a magazine published weekly devoted to
British brass band
In Britain, a brass band (known regionally as a silver band or colliery band) is a musical ensemble comprising a standardized range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 1 ...
music. It was founded in 1887 by Sam Cope (1856–1948) and acquired by
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
in 2004, before being sold in April 2015 to KGC Media Ltd., a company formed by the publication's then managing editor. In August 2014, it was confirmed by
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
as the world's oldest weekly music magazine.
''British Bandsman'' first appeared in September 1887 as ''The British Bandsman: A monthly magazine for Bandmasters and members of Military and Brass Bands''. The magazine was printed monthly until circulation increased to weekly in 1902 after
John Henry Iles
John Henry Iles (17 September 1871 – 29 May 1951) was an English entrepreneur, and cricketer. He played for Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswo ...
purchased the publishing company Richard Smith & Co.
Production ceased for two weeks during the
1926 United Kingdom general strike
The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 to 12 May 1926. It was called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British governm ...
in May 1926, and other than four editions that never appeared during Christmas closures in the 1970s, plus a period from September 1975 to September 1976 when it was published fortnightly, the magazine appeared weekly until 1 October 2016, when it was announced that it was to become a monthly publication. In September 2018, British Bandsman was bought by IBB Media Ltd and it was announced that it was to become an online publication, in addition to returning to being weekly.
On June 9th 2022 the last issue of The British Bandsman Magazine was published, the British Bandsman name will continue as online only, Rob Tompkins purchased the Domain name, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts from IBB Media and will continue bringing banding news.
Editors
References
{{reflist
External links
Official Website''British Bandsman'' set for new ownership 4bar 19-Feb-2015
Music magazines published in the United Kingdom
Weekly magazines published in the United Kingdom
Brass bands
Magazines established in 1887