Free weekly music magazine NME is to give away 80,000 Google Cardboard virtual reality viewers.
The viewers normally cost £15 and are used in conjunction with a smartphone screen to create an immersive 3D viewing experience
Google is using the tie-up to promote its Inside Abbey Road app, which offers viewers a tour of the famous London recording studios using the Google Cardboard viewer.
Music producer Giles Martin was involved in developing the app. He said: “The decision to work with Google was all about embracing this new technology, but it was also a great opportunity to let people see what happens there.
“Abbey Road is like the Tardis, and most people have no idea what goes on behind the front door. It’s a working studio, so you can’t really show people around, but there are so many fans who make the pilgrimage there, and it’s always seemed a bit unfair that they can’t have a look inside.
“Modern technology now allows you to step through that doorway into a three-dimensional world – and in a funny way, that’s very Abbey Road.”
The NME went free in September 2015 and now has an ABC-audited distribution of just over 300,000. The Google Cardboard cover mount will be available at selected NME distribution outlets.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
