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Death of Music Magazines? Nooooo!

Posted on | July 30, 2009 | No Comments

No Depression CoverI have always loved music magazines, with their photos, stories, interviews and reviews, all nicely organized and placed on the page, enticing the reader to pore slowly over the contents, page by page, until that last satisfying (sometimes best) article on the very last page. I equate them with a relaxed afternoon, cool breeze, day at home sort of feeling.

If I’m reading a magazine, I am most likely enjoying a bit of down-time, away from work, away from the computer, probably kicking back on the couch with a cup of something nearby…just relaxing. DISCLOSURE: I do tend to read magazines on the treadmill, but that’s a different post.

Paste CoverThe problem with this picture is this: print magazines are dropping like flies! Seriously. Some of the very best have stopped printing their publications and others are dangling at death’s door. This is no surprise right? We’ve been hearing about the death of the print industry for years, so what’s the problem? Now it’s affecting me! Two of the music magazines that I have followed for years (No Depression and Skyscraper) are no longer circulating, and another (Paste) is hanging by a thread, begging and bribing fans and readers to give them money to keep them going. I know there are tons of magazines, music and otherwise, that are in the same boat, but these were my magazines.

Skyscraper CoverMost magazines are able to easily maintain an online presence, which is great, and I know that less paper is good for the environment, of which I’m a huge fan, and “new media” is amazingly cool, but…it’s just not the same as the simple thrill of a brand new issue.

So pick up or subscribe to magazines when you can, if you want to see them stick around. As advertiser dollars are getting funneled online, and the music and media industries are changing dramatically before our very eyes,  the tactile joy of flipping through a crisp new magazine is in danger of being lost.

Category: Culture, Music
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