International Musician and Recording World

International Musician and Recording World was a magazine in production from 1974 to 1991. It was jointly created by Ray Hammond and Richard Desmond and published by Northern & Shell. As it expanded, separate editions were created for the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. The magazine eventually folded due to lack of advertising funds.

In 1974 Ray Hammond founded Cover Publications Ltd in London, UK and launched a monthly magazine International Musician and Recording World. With an additional partner, Malcolm Green, the trio expanded the magazine's coverage to include both American and German editions, opening offices in New York City, USA and Frankfurt, Germany. The American edition was established in 1975 with U.S. offices based at the Gulf & Western Building, in New York City. The initial General Manager of the U.S. Edition, during the mid-to-late 1970s was Julius Graifman. Gary S. Graifman served as the initial United States Editor of the magazine during the period 1975-1979. Thereafter, Steven Dupler, a highly regarded director, writer and producer of documentary films, and former Senior Editor of Billboard magazine, served as Editor-in-Chief of the U.S. edition of IM&RW for three years in the 1980s, overseeing a complete graphic and editorial redesign of the magazine as well as a 25% increase in its circulation during his tenure. During the 1970s, the Magazine contained extensive interviews with well-known recording artists, such as George Harrison, George Benson, Jaco Pastorius, Frank Zappa and a host of others. Interviews focused on the recording techniques, recording equipment and instrumentation favored by the artists interviewed. The German Edition was launched in 1979, editor-in-chief was Wolfgang Bongertz, formerly with German magazine Spotlight. Initially intended to be working from the Frankfurt office, all staff moved to the Drury Lane office in London only a few months later. Using interviews and reviews provided by British and American magazines, the German edition also contributed being translated to English like one of the extremely rare interviews with synthesizer pioneers Kraftwerk. The German edition went through several editorial changes and eventually was stopped due to lacking advertising funds and decreasing sales. Continuing the general editorial concept, the last German sales and editorial team founded Soundcheck Magazine which still is one of the main magazines of PPV publishers based close to Munich.

As the business developed, Ray Hammond and Richard Desmond diversified into advertising and founded The Advertising Practice, a full service advertising agency based in London and New York.

In 1980 Ray sold his entire shareholdings in the British, German and American magazines and in the advertising agency to Richard Desmond, his partner. Cover Publications also subsequently acquired the Daily Express newspaper group and OK! magazine.

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