About Louder

Louder Logo 2022
(Image credit: Future)

Louder is the ultimate resource for alternative music coverage and the home of iconic rock brands Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. With a combined reach of over five million followers across social media, we're the largest and most influential alternative music website in the world. 

Since the first issues of Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog magazine were published in 1986, 1998 and 2009 respectively, they have served as the definitive authorities on rock music. In 2017, Future bought all three brands, relaunching them under the new parent brand of Louder and ensuring that everything under the banner of rock, metal, prog, punk, grunge, indie, alt.rock, blues, emo and everything in-between were covered, courtesy of journalists with decades of experience across the industry. 

Louder brings you the latest news in rock and alternative music, original interviews and exclusive access, and we'll tell the stories and share the opinions that matter. We host expert reviews of the essential latest releases you need to know about, as well as curating the ultimate guides to the artists that have defined rock music over the last 60+ years.

We operate under Future's 20-year-old policy of a cast-iron guarantee of editorial independence.


Jump to: Contact Details // Who We Are // Why Trust Louder? // Privacy Policy

Contact Details

Email: 

louder@futurenet.com

classicrock@futurenet.com

metalhammer@futurenet.com

prog@futurenet.com

Subscription Queries:

Contact Magazines Direct

Future PLC Addresses:

London, UK
Address: 121 - 141 Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, London W2 6JR
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7042 4000

Bath, UK
Address: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA
Telephone: +44 (0)1225 442244

New York City, USA
Address: Entire 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036
Telephone: +1 212 378 0448

Sydney, Australia
Address: Level 10, 89 York Street, Sydney 2000
Telephone: (02) 9955 2677


Who We Are: Louder

Scott Rowley bio pic
Scott Rowley

Scott is the Content Director of Music at Future plc, which means he’s responsible for the editorial strategy for online and print brands like Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, Guitarist, Guitar World, Guitar Player, Total Guitar etc. He was Editor in Chief of Classic Rock magazine for 10 years and Editor of Total Guitar for 4 years and has contributed to The Big Issue, Esquire and more. Scott wrote chapters for two of legendary sleeve designer Storm Thorgerson's books (For The Love Of Vinyl, 2009, and Gathering Storm, 2015). He regularly appears on Classic Rock’s podcast, The 20 Million Club, and was the writer/researcher on 2017’s Mick Ronson documentary Beside Bowie

A photograph of Briony Edwards
Briony Edwards

Briony is the Editor in Chief of Louder and is in charge of sorting out who and what you see covered on the site. She started working with Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Prog magazines back in 2015 and has been writing about music and entertainment in many guises since 2009. Her career highlights include interviewing The Breeders and Billy Corgan, and she is a big fan of cats, Husker Du and pizza.

Merlin Alderslade Louder
Merlin Alderslade

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and many more. 

Paul Brannigan
Paul Brannigan

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.

Pic of Lizzie
Liz Scarlett

As well as managing the social media accounts across all our Louder brands, Liz works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music. '10 bands that rip off Black Sabbath but get away with it' is her favourite article she's written with Louder so far. When not writing, Liz enjoys various creative endeavours such as graphic design, as well as reading about rock’n’roll history, art and magic.  

Scott Munro
Scott Munro

Scott looks after and updates Louder’s online buyer’s guides and also scouts out the best deals for music fans from every corner of the internet. He's spent more than 28 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014, where he wrote extensively about rock, metal, prog and more, before moving to the eCommerce team full-time in 2020. Scott has previous written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky.

Who We Are: Classic Rock

Sian Llewellyn
Siân Llewellyn

Siân has been an obsessive music nerd for as long as she can remember. Has a pathological hatred of people turning the rock canon into jukebox musicals.

Polly Glass
Polly Glass

Editor, organiser and writer of regular pieces and longer reads (including new band coverage). Loves cooking, southern rock, Steven Wilson, and reading about unusual people.

Ian Fortnam
Ian Fortnam

Classic Rock’s Reviews Editor for the last 19 years, Ian stapled his first fanzine in 1977. Since misspending his youth by way of ‘research’ his work has also appeared in such publications as Metal Hammer, Prog, NME, Uncut, Kerrang!, VOX, The Face, The Guardian, Total Guitar, Guitarist, Electronic Sound, Record Collector and across the internet. Permanently buried under mountains of recorded media, ears ringing from a lifetime of gigs, he enjoys nothing more than recreationally throttling a guitar and following a baptism of punk fire has played in bands for 45 years, releasing recordings via Esoteric Antenna and Cleopatra Records. 

Fraser Lewry
Fraser Lewry

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.  

Who We Are: Metal Hammer

Eleanor Goodman
Eleanor Goodman

Eleanor joined Metal Hammer in 2015 as Features Editor, before being promoted to Deputy Editor in 2018 and, finally, Editor in 2022. She has worked within music and entertainment journalism for over 15 years, having previously worked as Production Editor at Kerrang! and Deputy Editor at Bizarre magazine, amongst other roles.

Dave Everley
Dave Everley

An editor and writer with over 20 years' frontline experience on music and culture magazines, Dave has worked across some of the biggest titles in music and entertainment publishing, including Q, Kerrang!, Classic Rock, Raw and more.

Jonathan Selzer
Jonathan Selzer

Having freelanced regularly for the Melody Maker and Kerrang!, and edited the extreme metal monthly, Terrorizer, for seven years, Jonathan is now the overseer of all the album and live reviews in Metal Hammer. Bemoans his obsolete superpower of being invisible to Routemaster bus conductors, finds men without sideburns slightly circumspect, and thinks songs that aren’t about Satan, swords or witches are a bit silly.

Rich Hobson
Rich Hobson

Writer for Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Louder, Rich has never met a feature he didn't fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online. Passionate about seeing the spread of metal on a global scale, Rich has spent the last decade seeking out emerging acts from around the world, covering everyone from Alien Weaponry and The Hu to Kaoteon, Nine Treasures and Jinjer, whilst also re-examining rock and metal history with bands like Faith No More, Sepultura and Ozzy Osbourne, alongside legendary events like Rock in Rio and the 1991 Clash Of The Titans tour. 

Who We Are: Prog

Jerry Ewing
Jerry Ewing

Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock, as well as sleevenotes for many major record labels. He lives in North London and happily indulges a passion for AC/DC, Chelsea Football Club and Sydney Roosters.

Natasha Scharf
Natasha Scharf

Dark prog (and chocolate) fan Natasha has been a Prog regular since 2009. News Editor between 2014 and 2019, she is the only member of the team to have appeared on Prog's cover. 

Jo Kendall
Jo Kendall

Embracing weird, wild and wonderful sounds, Prog's Associate Editor Jo's also a Classic Rock columnist, an avid tea-drinker and cupcake fancier.

Why Trust Louder?

No outside party determines which artists we cover or the content of our reviews, interviews, news pieces or buyer's guides. Our journalists have decades of experience across many of the most trusted and respected outlets in the music industry.

Affiliate & Advertising Disclosure

We always aim to provide unbiased editorial created by our journalists and writers. We also need to pay our teams and website costs so we make money in a number of ways. We sometimes use affiliate links to products and services on retailer sites for which we can receive compensation if you click on those links or make purchases through them. Find out how we test and rate products at Louder.

From time to time we also publish advertorials (paid-for editorial content) and sponsored content on the site. When this is the case the content is clearly marked as sponsored or promoted, so you’ll always know which content is editorial and which is not. Future PLC is our parent company and has an in-depth terms and conditions page with a lot more information that you can read right here


Louder is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK’s magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism.

If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact louder@futurenet.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk

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Privacy Policy

Louder is part of Future PLC. We are both fiercely committed to protecting your privacy. Please take a look at our in-depth privacy policy to find out more.