The Closure of The Skinny Magazine

That the Parliament notes with sadness the announcement that The Skinny, Scotland’s longest-running independent cultural magazine, is to close after 20 years, with its September 2026 issue being its last; recognises what it sees as the vital role that the Edinburgh-based title, published by Radge Media C.I.C. since its founding in 2005, has played in covering music, art, film, theatre, comedy and literature, with up to 35,000 free copies distributed monthly across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and beyond; considers that The Skinny gave a genuine platform to countless emerging and established artists, musicians, writers, DJs, filmmakers and theatre-makers who might otherwise have gone unheard; notes that The Skinny also published Fest Magazine, which it believes was the essential guide to the Edinburgh and Adelaide festivals, and GNAW, its food and drink title, further embedding itself in Scotland’s cultural fabric; understands that the closure has been attributed to rising costs, funding pressures across the arts sector and the wider economic difficulties facing independent publishing in Scotland; expresses its gratitude to the writers, editors, photographers, illustrators, designers and all staff, past and present, who built its 20-year legacy; believes that this closure represents a significant loss, not only to Scotland’s cultural journalism but to the independent creative economy that relies on such platforms for visibility, critique and community; is concerned that this is not an isolated incident but part of a wider pattern of financial precarity facing independent cultural media and grassroots arts organisations across Scotland, and calls on the Scottish Government to engage urgently with the cultural and independent media sector on sustainable, long-term funding models that reflect the true value of independent cultural journalism to Scotland’s creative life.