Disappearing Music Magazines

It could also be, that when the level of knowledge and skills of the reader increases, it's harder to find a magazine that keeps up with that development. Also, the way I see it..the last big change in recording / DAWs / home recording was introduced in the form of VST's and soft synths in the late 90's. Even though the power of the computers has improved radically, the things we discuss in these magazines are very much the same as ten years ago. Multitouch screens and such aren't as fundamental improvements or inventions from the music making/recording point of view.

I'm sure anyone starting with DAWs now, finds those magazines a fantastic source
of knowledge. Had we Alzeimers we'd be repeatedly impressed by the mags.

ORIGINAL: Marah

Print mags are getting hit. I don't happen to read any of the music/recording mags, but it's not just them. The March issue of Vogue 510 pages. Sounds like a lot, but it's easily 200 fewer than last year's March ish. Last September's was 840 pages. The March ELLE is only 422.

It's the economy.

The March issue of Vogue 510 pages. Sounds like a lot, but it's easily 200 fewer than last year's March ish. Last September's was 840 pages. The March ELLE is only 422.

ORIGINAL: AT

All print is going down - except books. Online subscription to them kinda defeats the point - I can't lay down on the couch to read an lcd. But that may change with the younger generation.

The print industry is no longer timely. Back in NYC in the 80s I was always out late and would pick up the early (in the morning after midnight) first print editions of the Times or Post when I came home. Read the news before it happened, I use to like to say. With the internet, you can read the news as it happens. Same with the mags. You can read about the release of a new music product before the mag is printed and shipped from the company itself or one of the clearing houses like Harmony Central.

The only purpose left to the mags has far as product is to coallate the releases (there is too much info available to keep up with it all unless you are full time) or to give it a thorough work out to help the consumer decide to buy it. Then you have to pick your consumer, which for the most part is a part-time music performer or recordist. The pros get their hands on the real things or have buddies in the system whose opinion they know and sometimes respect. So the mags need to publish for the part timer to begginer, so in-depth review is hard to balance - and expensive to produce and ship. SOS is about the only magazine left that does it. Most of tape ops reviews are short, tho they are a bunch of them, but sometime they do go a bit farther. The Juggernaut preamp is one that jumps to mind as a longer review. Pretty deep tho there is not that much to say about a preamp - one has to depend upon opinion of the sound on what it is used for. Anyway, it had me lusting.

Em still has how-to articles, tho they are getting shorter, too. EQ has some interesting small bands interviews. Keyboard used to be like SOS back in the last century, but has tended (I don't get it anymore) to revert back to keyboard players - pianos and such. Mix is a good way for the professional (live or studio) to keep up with equipement but business and you will find it in many pro studios (the publisher gives it away to them, along with EM and Remix). And most of the mags point to more online content, too - hard copy costs are just to high to support. except for Tape Op, which is free, cheap to produce (not glossy, no pics) and full of insider info interviews (I haven't heard of most of the bands they talk about) and more a labor of love.

SOS and tape op are the only publishing models left in this niche world - expensive, good and extensive or cheap and more niche oriented. There is probabably only room for one glossy - SOS, maybe Mix for pros only. Tape Op is a good model, but not much money in it, but it could be a good model for Hard Rock, or a punk or techno mag with a few macro reviews and localized info. And there is room for a begginers mag like Home Recording or CM, probably. Basic stuff that after a couple of years on gets tired or reading (How to hook up a keyboard to your Audigy!).

If you like hard copy, get a subscription so the mag can know it has a steady stream of money. I read last century somewheres that the entire market for recording audio gear did less volume of money than a large super market. That ain't a lot, seeing how many people depend on that small revenue stream (large manufactorers, botique guys, stores and mags).