Support act

While the relationship between musicians and music journalists is often antagonistic, in some instances the genuine fandom and passion of writers does help to win wider approval and larger audiences for bands. Recent proof that some musicians recognise that fact, rather than merely viewing journos with suspicion as frequently self-interested leeches, comes in the form of the JustGiving campaign set up by Orange Goblin frontman Ben Ward in support of the members of staff - more than 70 in total - who instantly lost their jobs without any compensation as a result of Team Rock going into administration on Tuesday.

Team Rock titles included Metal Hammer and Classic Rock, bought from Future Publishing in 2013. If the former goes the way of the dodo, then it'll be another significant nail in the coffin of the old-school music press - no bad thing, you might argue, but it was an occasional read for me back in the day so I'd be sorry to see it go.

Joint administrator Tom MacLennan did his best to sound positive, claiming that the situation "presents an excellent opportunity to acquire high-profile rock music titles, products and brands that have a substantial global following", but I have rather less faith that the titles will survive.