Q is a music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 130,179 as of June 2007.

Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology.

Q was first published in 1986, setting itself apart from much of the other music press with monthly production and higher standards of photography and printing.

In the early years, the magazine was sub-titled "The modern guide to music and more".

Originally it was to be called Cue (as in the sense of cueing a record, ready to play), but the name was changed so that it wouldn't be mistaken for a snooker magazine.

Another reason, cited in Q's 200th edition, is that a single -letter title would be more prominent on newsstands.

Q's current editor is Paul Rees, former editor of the UK edition of Kerrang!, another musical Bauer publication based on heavier rock/metal music.

In 2006, Q published a readers' survey; the 100 Greatest Songs Ever, won by Oasis' Live Forever.

In the April 2007 issue, Q published an article containing the100 Greatest Singers, won by Elvis Presley.

Q has a history of associating with charitable organizations, and in 2006 the British anti-poverty charity War on Want was named its official charity.In late 2008 Q revamped its image, with a smaller amount of text and an increased focus on subjects other than music. This "Rolling Stone-isation" has led to criticism from much of the traditional Q readership, though it is yet to be seen if this change in attitude will dramatically affect sales.

There is also a Q TV television channel in the UK showing convergence.

Q also holds a yearly awards ceremony called the Q Awards.

Criticisms:

Criticism comes from the magazine being "far too generous to British musicians" with its ratings. Also the recent trend of continuously publishing 'top 100' lists (which largely feature the same "approved" canon of favoured artists) has attracted accusations of lazy journalism.

At the 2006 Q Awards, Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner criticised the magazine’s choice of boy band Take That for their “Idol” award. Commenting on the winners of the night, he said:A lot of people make jokes about having awards for no reason just for the sake of having awards, and pretending they were good when they weren't. I'm not old enough to know a lot of them, but even I know Take That were bollocks.