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Iconic music magazine The Word has revealed that its July issue will be the last to be published, after nine years on the shelves.

The monthly music magazine said in a post on their website: "We regret to announce that the August issue of The Word will be the last." In the post they explained that "dramatic changes in the media and music business have made it more difficult for a small independent magazine to survive."

The launch of new media technology has given way to more easily accessible media content. The launch and growth of tablets, iPads and Kindles have seen printed magazines struggle; newspapers have now resorted to adapting their pages to an online content, in the form of apps, in addition to the standard media format.

The Word was nominated for ‘Music Magazine Of The Year’ in 2007 and 2008.

The Word founder David Hepworth who helped found Development Hell Ltd, an independent publishing venture that created the magazine, has thanked readers, staff and supporters and said that they will only keep the website up as a form of contact.