''Select'' was a United Kingdom music magazine of the 1990s. It was known for covering the
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
and
Britpop
Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...
genres, but featured a wide array of music. In 2003, ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' called ''Select'' "the magazine that not only coined the word Britpop, but soon came to define it."
History
The magazine was launched under United Consumer Magazines in July 1990, intending to be a rival to '' Q'' magazine. Its first cover star was
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. Its first issue sold 100,000 copies. Between July and December 1990, its circulation hovered around 75,000. In April 1991, Spotlight sold ''Select'' to EMAP Metro. Under the editorship of Mark Ellen, the magazine began focusing on the baggy and Madchester scenes. The magazine soon became known for its coverage of
Britpop
Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...
Union Flag
The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags.
It is sometimes a ...
. Several publications have called the April 1993 cover an important impetus in defining the movement's tone and opposition to American genres such as
grunge
Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...
.
Later, John Harris stepped down as editor, and was replaced by former '' Mixmag'' editor Alexis Petridis. Under Petridis, the magazine's image moved back towards its coverage of an eclectic array of music, aiming to reach what Petridis described as "a wide range of music fans". The magazine folded in late 2000, amid competition on the
internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
. Periditis later stated of its closure: "No matter how many features we did on
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
Miranda Sawyer
Miranda Caroline Sawyer (born 7 January 1967) is an English author, journalist and broadcaster.
Education and early life
Sawyer was born in Bristol and grew up in Wilmslow, Cheshire with her brother Toby, who is an actor.
Sawyer was educated ...
*Cass Spencer, art editor
* Roy Wilkinson, reviews editor