9 May 2019

Hand Media International, publishers of bi-monthly country music magazine Maverick, are delighted to announce that they have acquired Country Music magazine from Anthem Publishing. Maverick, the leading international independent country music magazine, has a 17-year history and specialises in covering new and upcoming musicians, as well as more established stars. It has recently featured big names such as Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Billy Ray Cyrus and has strong links with many festivals and music organisations, both in Nashville and across Europe. Country Music, launched two-and-a-half years ago by Bath-based Anthem, has a strong heritage in classic country music and the legends that made the genre famous as well as shining a light on the new stars. “We’re very pleased to have been given the opportunity to take on Country Music,” explained David Rossiter, Managing Director of HMI. “We’ve long been friends and admirers of the publication, so we’ll be incorporating as much of its DNA into Maverick as we can over the next few issues. We’ll be keeping its archive alive and trying to make as much of its content available as we can.” Anthem CEO Jon Bickley added, “Country Music magazine has been a wonderful publication for us over the past two and half years allowing us to deal with some brilliant individuals and cover outstanding characters. Although it hasn’t quite worked out for us as a business, we’re pleased that Hand Media International can take it forward and continue to serve our valued readers and advertisers.” For more information please contact Lauren Mitten on 01622 823920 or email lauren.mitten@hand-media.com or for our Managing Editor Chris Maillard, please email chris.maillard@hand-media.com.

The latest Glastonbury announcement has come in the shape of the Acoustic Stage line-up, which will have Catherine McGrath, Lucy Rose and Gabrielle Aplin performing on. In addition to those three, the likes of J.S. Ondara, Madeline Peyroux, Tom Speight and The Mavericks will be performing, with Keane, Hawkwind, Rickie Lee Jones and Nick Lowe’s Quality Rock & Roll Revue starring Los Straitjackets will be headlining the stage. Given how diverse Glastonbury is as a festival, fans of any genre can attend and find something that they like – and country music fans had been eagerly anticipating the release of the Acoustic Stage lineup, which has featured the likes of Kacey Musgraves and The Shires in the past. The Glastonbury Acoustic Stage Lineup is: Friday (headliners in bold) Ryan McMullan, Rob Green, Grace Petrie, Lucy Rose, Julie Felix, Michael Eavis (talk), Gabrielle Aplin, Eric Bibb, The Mavericks, Nick Lowe’s Quality Rock & Roll Revue (starring Los Straitjackets) Saturday Tommy Stewart, Catherine McGrath, Tom Speight, Rodney Branigan, Fun Loving’ Crime Writers (Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone, Val McDermid, Staurt Neville & Luca Veste), John Illsley (The life & times of Dire Straits – “an afternoon of music and memories”), Marti Pellow, Keane, Hawkwind Sunday Marie Winter, Amy Montgomery, J.S. Ondara, Hackney Colliery Band, Dervish, Keb’ Mo, The Bootleg Beatles, Madeleine Peyroux, Albert Hammond, Rickie Lee Jones