So Q is closing. It has been a fantastic magazine under the editorship of @TedKessler1. And its closure is terrible news for a variety of reasons. (A thread.)

First off, of course, the staff of the magazine lose their jobs. Which is terrible. But then think of the ecosystem around a magazine. It's not just the staffers. Dozens of freelancers lose a big chunk of their income. So do photographers.

Scores of bands and artists now lose their chance to get written up in a mainstream music mag – not the cover stars, but the ones who would get an approving album review. The cover stars will be fine.

That has a knock-on effect for small labels, where every piece of press counts in terms of generating a few more sales. And for live venues – a band with some name recognition and a strong album review are more likely to draw a crowd.

It affects music publicists, for whom Q was a vital part of the infrastructure. There are certain kinds of bands who, basically, won't get any press now. And their publicists will lose a chunk of their income, too.

The market is now flooded with freelance music writers, at precisely the time that there is almost no work about, so even those of us who don't work for Q feel a shudder of fear.

So when one magazine closes, a whole little world is filled with anxiety.