Years ago I was talking with a radio host who had been in the field for decades. I made a joke about how you used to be able to fax in a video request to Much Music (remember?!) and he told me a story about how exciting it was when the station first got a fax machine.
Back then people would fight for the NME magazine, waiting for the station copy to come in – tearing out pages and hand copying bits of band info and news, looking for great reviews to help them pick albums they would spend their hard earned money on. With the fax machine, they didn’t have to wait so long, as people began faxing in reviews, press releases and more.
Music mags and fanzines were a hugely important part of the scene. Now, they’re seen as another example of old media dying a slow death.
Last week, after 26 years as a monthly music magazine, Spin announced it will scale back publication to one issue every two months. Though reducing their frequency, the new magazine will be larger (9½ inches by 12 inches), printed on higher quality paper to showcase their photography, and longer features. The magazine already launched an iPad app, and now plan to increase their online content, and add new digital features.
Do you read music magazines?
Which ones?
When was the last time you bought one?
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