IPC Media is a large British publishing company formed in 1963 through the merger of several magazine publishers. It publishes over 350 million magazines annually across a wide range of genres, targeting both male and female UK audiences. Notable in IPC's long history are the launch of several popular women's magazines in the 1930s and the acquisition of larger magazine portfolios throughout the 1990s and 2000s, growing the company significantly. However, for a new music magazine, competing against IPC's established NME title would be difficult, so a smaller publisher may be a better choice.