Middle 8 Magazine launches today

Today sees the launch of Middle 8 Magazine, a bi-monthly online digital magazine dedicated to all things live music.

As they say: “From the artists to the fans, the crew, the photographers, sound engineers and bus drivers... if it has to do with live music, Middle 8 is interested.”

Issue one is themed ‘memory’, and packed with stories, essays, photos and videos from the likes of author Nick Hornby, Thom Yorke’s Atoms for Peace, Ted Dwane from Mumford & Sons, rapper Danny Brown, The Strypes, American musician Marnie Stern, Dark Dark Dark and more.

“For us,” says editor Erin Spens, who’s also the brains behind the brilliant independent travel title Boat Magazine, “our best memories are tied to live music and so this first issue takes a look back at the role that nostalgia plays in music and how we remember those pivotal, life-changing gigs.”

New avenues for music

Why online? "We wanted to explore the area where traditional music magazines and journalism meet the digital world – not in the form of blogs and quick, daily content but instead taking the essence of a magazine and making it digital," explains Spens.

"We’ve created the magazine for soundhalo, the live music app that allows music fans to watch and download high quality MP4s of gigs virtually as they are happening. Soundhalo is an incredible step forward in the digital world for musicians and their fans, creating a whole new way for musicians to get their live music out to their fans," she continues.

"We were inspired by that, and wanted to push the boundaries of live music journalism as they have for live music events and downloads."

Each issue, Middle 8 promises to feature soundhalo artists and video recordings of the gigs on the platform. "We will also always feature new, up-coming artists and other peripheral live music stories that might not otherwise be told," adds Spens. "We’ve got some exciting names on the roster already, so watch this space!

Middle 8 is compatible on all devices and browsers. Head over to the Middle 8 website to find out more, or check them out on Twitter: @mdl_8.