With a global music network of over 5.4m monthly users, Future continues to serve loyal communities of music lovers and music makers through print, digital and events.

Damian Fanelli (pictured left) has been promoted to Editor of Guitar World. Fanelli is an established music journalist with more than 20 years’ experience in daily newspapers. He joined Future in 2011, before Guitar World was sold to NewBay Media.

In his role as Online Managing Editor, he drove Guitar World’s Facebook following from 68,000 to 1m-plus in the space of a year, putting the brand on the map socially for musicians.

Fanelli is attuned to the brand with more than seven years’ print and online experience. In his new role as Editor, he wants to push fresher, more diverse content and create more content in-house to align the voice of the brand across all platforms.

“It’s an absolute honour to take over as Editor of Guitar World,” Fanelli said. “The magazine has been part of my DNA for several decades. When I was a teenager, I sent GW a breakdown of one of Ritchie Blackmore’s scales – and they actually published it!

"My big push now – and the thought that drives me each day – is to make GW the number one authority on the guitarists, including (but not limited to) new names and virtual unknowns that we should be listening to and learning from in the 21st century. All this talk about ‘the guitar is dead’ is complete nonsense, and I’m out to prove it – it won’t be too difficult.”

Christopher Scapelliti (pictured right) joins Future as Editor of Guitar Player. An industry veteran with a wealth of experience in the guitar magazine industry, Scapelliti has also been a long-standing editor at Guitar Player online over the years.

Previous to this, he acted as Associate Editor at Guitar for the Practicing Musician before landing at Guitar World magazine, where he served as Executive Editor for nearly 20 years. Upon taking the reins at Guitar Player, Scapelliti will be giving the magazine a bolder look with content rich in artist features, in-depth tutorials and greater exploration of guitar gear.

“I’m thrilled to take the helm of Guitar Player,” Scapelliti commented. “It’s a storied magazine with more than 50 years of history covering the biggest names in guitar and gear. For this next chapter in its life, we’ll focus on the innovative guitarists and manufacturers who are shaping the instrument’s present and future, all while educating our readers about the players and innovators of the past who brought us to where we are today. Guitar remains the single-most influential instrument in music today – and we intend to celebrate its ongoing relevance and evolution.”