Music magazines (1 Viewer)

[ddmurph]

oh yeah, bananafish wiped the floor with all other music mags in my books ... best mag of the past 20 years. pity it's stopped now though. i only finally got a copy a few weeks back. almost cried at what i'd been missing out on. the last 7 or 8 issues are still in print though so still have some catching up to look forward to

 

[spuded]

have you heard this? ...

sounds like you'd be into it ... it's amazing. devil on 45 is easily the best music-related (maga)zine i've read in the past year or so. next one looks great. i was wondering when joe meek would appear alright!

yup downloaded it off the wfmu blog I think, they had a special on cult related music, had some stuff the head of the cult that spread the Sarin Gas on the Japanese underground had recorded too! Thanks for the positive comments about the zine, 'best you've read in the past year'. Y'hear that the rest of you ? now you gotta buy it

Just got the final edit of the joe meek article and the accompanying artwork and indeed its a fuckin joy to read

 

[Dead Man]

Personally I find it a bit sad that in 11 pages of a thread about music magazines there's very little mention of quality writing. I don't think any new music magazine can survive in Ireland just out of the sheer amount of apathy.

 

[cunt]

plan b seems like its WRITTEN BY TEENAGERS ON CRACK WHILE JUMPING ON A THINGS KINDA LIKE GREENDAY ON BIG ORANGE DRUGS WHILE SNURFING UP ALONGSIDE JIMI.

IT'S JUST A TAD TOO EXCITED FOR MY LIKING. TOO MUCH SIMILE

Indeed, its predecessor Careless Talk Costs Lives was worse. Frequently finished reading reviews thinking...ehh, yeah.... is it any use though?

I sometimes by NME when the 24 hour is out of Andrex.

 

[Jonny Tiernan]

The problem I have with Plan B (which is the same problem I had with CTCL) is that the writers spend far too much time talking about themselves.

I know some people like this approach, but for me it comes across as a little self-indulgent and fanziney. As has been stated above, I find this kind of talk gets in the way of just communicating what the album/artist they is actually like, and is it/they any good.

 

[Unknown Convict]

oh yeah, bananafish wiped the floor with all other music mags in my books ... best mag of the past 20 years. pity it's stopped now though. i only finally got a copy a few weeks back. almost cried at what i'd been missing out on. the last 7 or 8 issues are still in print though so still have some catching up to look forward to

amen. great 7' and cd comps too. also badaboom gramophone, chunklet, chemical imbalance (& yeti), halana mag (issues 1-4 - did 5 ever see the light of day? supposed to have an eliane radigue 2cd with it...), cool beans, etc. all had good comps.

popwatch (from boston) always had quality writing, catholic tastes and a huge reviews section...

anyone got any old issues of forced exposure (mag)?

 

[Unknown Convict]

Originally Posted by Unknown Convict
... david keenan ... nicely and politely put in his place by nihilist spasm band this issue

what did they say? plus their sun city girls tirade and the pathetic deal they made of the oblivia smegma cover turned me off a lot

I am compelled to take issue with one item in Mr. Keenan's article... which is a complete fabrication originating in his own misguided imagination: that Greg Curnoe "encouraged... freaks to... smoke dope" at his studio. Contrary to Keenan's fabricated and defamatory allegation, I can state categorically that no one ever smoked dope at Greg Curnoe's studio. Not one person. Not ever. [Greg's wife] told me that Greg didn't want to be around people who used drugs, because they were deprived of the ability to carry on an intelligent conversation, something that Greg prized very highly.

agreed on the s.c.g. - i was there.

 

[ddmurph]

also badaboom gramophone, chunklet, chemical imbalance (& yeti), halana mag (issues 1-4 - did 5 ever see the light of day? supposed to have an eliane radigue 2cd with it...), cool beans, etc. all had good comps.

popwatch (from boston) always had quality writing, catholic tastes and a huge reviews section...

cool ... i've only read chunklet from that list. more catching up to look forward to!

i had a flick through the wire in easons to read that robert mckenzie letter. great letter. kind of refreshing to see him dismiss the "freak" tag

i was at that s.c.g. instal show too and i thought it was great. criticising sun city girls on the grounds of ethnic characterature seems to miss the point somewhat. also, i don't have the review to hand now but i seem to remember them criticising the audience for "lacking critical faculties" or whatever ... that's a bit much in my books

 

[Jim A. Morrish]

State Magazine
Ireland’s Quality National Monthly Is Free!

After a month of rumours and speculation State Magazine is ready to announce its plans for the future. It is set to become the first Quality National Music Monthly available completely free of charge!

After only 6 issues the monthly magazine has already established its credentials as a vibrant and incisive publication with attention to detail, a design that is second to none and impeccable production values. In addition its sister website (www.state.ie) has proved itself constantly on top of its game with breaking news, interviews and reviews that keep it bang up to the moment and ahead of the pack.

With their publication now a recognised brand the minds behind State Magazine are determined to move things forwards, onwards and upwards.

Their first step will be the launch of a newly strengthened and emboldened website hosted at their usual address.

Meanwhile the published magazine will take a one-month break to restructure its production and distribution returning with a November issue at the beginning of October which will be distributed nationally and available free of charge!

“We have produced 6 issues the old fashioned way,” explains publisher Roger Woolman, “and we feel it’s time to make a change and communicate more directly with our current readers as well as making our journalism and photography available to an even wider audience.

“We will still be producing a magazine of the highest quality filled with impeccable journalism, exclusive photography and top-end design but we don’t want to restrict ourselves and our readers by relying on traditional methods of distribution and sales, so we’re going to try something new: a top quality music magazine for free!”

The magazine will initially be instantly available in Ireland’s main towns and cities but will also be available by post for no more than the real price of postage and packing to anyone who subscribes. And in an unprecedented move this subscription service will be available right around the world!

“The fact that our magazine is Irish doesn’t mean that only people living in Ireland want to read it,” Woolman commented. “Our readership will be as big and broad as we allow it to be and we want it to be worldwide!”

 

[nlgbbbblth]

free on an ongoing basis. ! ?

 

[Jim A. Morrish]

that's what it looks like to me

only way to go really

 

[CitySickness]

Interesting.

 

[nlgbbbblth]

from a business perspective (I'm sorry idealists) how will that work?

 

[Jim A. Morrish]

from a business perspective (I'm sorry idealists) how will that work?

ads, presumably

 

[shitepipe]

from a business perspective (I'm sorry idealists) how will that work?

increased readership= increased advertising revenue i guess

i wonder what the breakdown is for a regular magazine in terms of income from advertisement vs. income from selling price. anyone?

 

[nlgbbbblth]

Presuming they charge for advertising ?

Of course they will

 

[CitySickness]

Print costs & on-the-shelf distribution hoovers up your cover price and more besides.

 

[Jim A. Morrish]

Print costs & on-the-shelf distribution hoovers up your cover price and more besides.

not to mention mr vatman taking a chunk

 

[Lolo]

increased readership= increased advertising revenue i guess

i wonder what the breakdown is for a regular magazine in terms of income from advertisement vs. income from selling price. anyone?

I don't know what the percentages were, but XL Magazine (Irish music mag in days of yore) ended because we couldn't sell enough advertising.

But I met my long-term other half while in Smile Records selling them an ad the size of a postage stamp for a fiver, so it wasn't all bad.

 

[Jim A. Morrish]

aye, selling advertising is a total pain in the arse, and even when people commit to taking an ad you can still be waiting 6 months or more to get paid (I think the industry average of ad paying is something like 70 days.... and that's if you're lucky!)

we used to do a fanzine down here and we needed £40 to pay for the print of it so 4 ads at a tenner each, STILL a nightmare to
(a) get 4 ads in each issue and
(b) get paid for those 4 ads