Select was a United Kingdom music magazine of the 1990s. It was known for covering the indie rock and Britpop genres,[2] but featured a wide array of music.[3] In 2003, The Guardian called Select "the magazine that not only coined the word Britpop, but soon came to define it."[4]
The magazine was launched under United Consumer Magazines in July 1990,[5] intending to be a rival to Q magazine.[6] Its first cover star was Prince.[6][7] Its first issue sold 100,000 copies.[6] Between July and December 1990, its circulation hovered around 75,000.[8] In April 1991, Spotlight sold SelecttoEMAP Metro.[6][9] Under the editorship of Mark Ellen, the magazine began focusing on the baggy and Madchester scenes.[6] The magazine soon became known for its coverage of Britpop, a term coined in the magazine by Stuart Maconie in its April 1993 "Yanks Go Home" edition,[10] featuring The Auteurs, Denim, Saint Etienne, Pulp and Suede's Brett Anderson on the cover in front of a Union Flag. 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.[11][12]
Later, John Harris stepped down as editor, and was replaced by former Mixmag editor Alexis Petridis.[13] Under Petridis, the magazine's image moved back towards its coverage on an eclectic array of music, aiming to reach what Petridis described as "a wide range of music fans".[3] The magazine folded in late 2000, amid competition on the internet.[14] Periditis later stated of its closure: "No matter how many features we did on Destiny's Child, people still thought we were a magazine about Oasis. We were forever associated with a music [genre] in decline."[6]
