Anyone Else Disenchanted with Bass Player Magazine?

[ArtechnikA]

FYI page counts for paper publications are often based upon advertising revenue, either directly or indirectly.

When I worked at a small daily paper, we didn't know how many pages we were going to have available for the next day's paper until we came into the office in the morning and got word from advertising.

Of course. Obviously the income comes from the advertisers - the price of the subscription barely covers the administrative overhead to maintain the account and mail the product.

It's a little more complicated with publications that qualify for 2nd-class mailing because there's a maximum percentage of advertising allowed under the terms of the 2nd-class license.

And there's the factor that pagecounts come in multiples - often big numbers like 16. So you can't just add a couple of pages - the next jump is big.

So I agree - they're not selling the advertising needed to make a decent size magazine with enough editorial content to interest buyers. And it's the buyers that interest advertisers.

Yet every month I see fat guitar player magazines on racks everywhere. If it were all about the death of the amateur musician, seems like those would be struggling too.

 

[Lichtaffen]

I used to grab a copy to peruse through while waiting in line at Guitar Center (which takes forever). It always went back on the shelf when it came my turn to talk to a sales "associate".

TB is my source for anything bass related. Maybe they should abandon the magazine concept and adopt this type of format.

 

[MCS4]

Of course. Obviously the income comes from the advertisers - the price of the subscription barely covers the administrative overhead to maintain the account and mail the product.

It's a little more complicated with publications that qualify for 2nd-class mailing because there's a maximum percentage of advertising allowed under the terms of the 2nd-class license.

And there's the factor that pagecounts come in multiples - often big numbers like 16. So you can't just add a couple of pages - the next jump is big.

So I agree - they're not selling the advertising needed to make a decent size magazine with enough editorial content to interest buyers. And it's the buyers that interest advertisers.

Yet every month I see fat guitar player magazines on racks everywhere. If it were all about the death of the amateur musician, seems like those would be struggling too.

I think it's more an issue of the publication as a whole taking big hits, but bigger market publications -- i.e. those marketing to guitarists, rather than bassists -- are able to take those hits better than smaller mags. Stated another way, guitar mags are meatier than bass mags for the same reason that the guitar selection at most music stores is way larger than the bass section.

Another part of it is audience and direction. BP could probably make a lot more money if it devoted less attention to bass virtuosos, session guys, "bassists' bassists," older bassists, etc., in favor of more popular artists... but would we want to read it then? In my opinion guitar mags often do a slightly "better" job of focusing on popular artists and spending less time talking about the same few guitarists, but I think it's an open question whether that makes them better publications.

 

[BluesMan845]

Assuming the above was your question, I think most of us are comparing the current issues (over the last year or so) to 5, 10 and even 20 years ago.

Understood and that is the type of comparison I would expect be made ... the post I was referring to stated they saw a decline after only being exposed to the most recent 6 issues which I hardly consider a fair assessment of a magazines decline.

Then I'd agree - that's a demographic that doesn't deserve the product!
Because I can see it in just a few issues (like 6...). Yes, it's that noticeable - to me anyway. Maybe it's seasonal and the spring/summer issues are always lame, and then they get better in the fall and winter. Too soon for me to tell. The latest issue (which I have here) is 82pp. I'll go back and look at page counts for the past 6 months but I do not think it's my imagination that the magazine is shrinking...

There was considerable uproar when the page count dropped several years. Ago.. and yes, the advertising count seemed to rise as the content, relative to what had been there before, dropped... Page count isn't as important as what's on those pages... I do certainly agree with the general consensus that BP is not as worthy a mag as it once was.

I do have to admit that while I haven't felt ripped off at paying for my subscription, I have certainly considered not renewing in recent years. I suppose after sub'ing since the magazine first came out, it would feel like turning my back on a friend that lost it's way in life if I did end my subscription...

 

[Unprofessional]

I was a BP subscriber back in the 90's. Sure, there was the usual gear BS (never reviewed a piece of gear they didn't like)but there was some useful instructional stuff, too.

In a moment of weakness, I re-subscribed last year. There's just no "there" there. I won't be renewing. So long, BP.

 

[SquierJazz72]

I still like it well enough to buy it, but sometimes I do feel I get less than other times. Just picked up the issue with Geezer on the cover today.

 

[hrodbert696]

The content is thin, but I still subscribe. Wouldn't pay $5 a pop on the newsstand, but at subscription rate it's about $2 an issue. I get more information from TB, but sometimes I just like the feel of a magazine to flip through.

Ultimately, I think the problem is that over the long run music writing just starts to run thin - "dancing about architecture," as Zappa said, or as Billy Joel put it, "There's a new band in town but you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine..."

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I came to this realization when I first subscribed ten years ago, the reviews were always such a verbal BJ it was a joke. I let my last subscription lapse, I did like getting at least a crappy bass related publication each month. Might check out this bass guitar magazine earlier mentioned.

I only recently got some old Bass Player's from the 90's... it used to be quite good.

 

[ma4rk]

I could hardly ever find it down here, then Borders Bookshop had it in each month & it cost $20! Borders went belly up & I'm not going to bother looking for it anymore. Over the last 10 years the content had dropped by a considerable amount each time I did find a copy. The BP website is full of stuff but I find that site to be a bit of a pain to find stuff so makes me wonder if they do this on purpose so people go buy a copy?

 

[gurensan]

I bought a copy each month for the first ten years. In the first decade of the 00's I subbed for three years, then I let it lapse. Nowadays I pick it up at B&N, thumb it, then put it down.

It's not as good. Though in the beginning, Les Claypool had about three times the covers that anyone else did. In those years, I wanted to make the cover of it, too. Then I hurt myself and dreams of pro bass-playin' went down the tubes.

I used to read Bassics, too. That mag was cool, especially because for a while it was the only alternative. I've seen Bass Guitar Magazine, too.

I just don't pick up magazines anymore.

 

[Al T.]

I agree on the lack of content. I let my subscription lapse about 5 years ago and renewed it in 2010. I am going to let it run out for good this time as TB is all I read now anyway.

 

[Baird6869]

Hey, too funny! I just downloaded and read the latest issue (Geezer Butler) and it is the worst ever IMO (and I love Geezer and Sabbath).

Good Geezer article by Blasko, about a half dozen full page Geezer endorsement ads, some boring reviews and a few more pages of filler.

Honestly, if I paid $5.99 plus tax for this 82 page waste of time, I would be pissed.

Seriously terrible effort from the premier bass mag in the world.

 

[Kmonk]

I cancelled my subscription to Bass Player years ago. Too much focus on advertising rather than content.

 

[austentaciousC]

I stopped buying when it got really thin about 5 years ago. Same complaints, repetition, reviews that seemed more like a used car sale, and the same players over and over.

I got to Barnes and Noble (still exists) and can read through the important parts in 5 minutes.

The best thing they can do is what the guitar magazines do and up their transcriptions to 5-6 a month

 

[jerry]

I'm still happy when Bassplayer is in my mailbox every month. I also subscribe to the U.K.'s Bass Guitar magazine, and enjoy it, but it's articles are not much more in depth than Bassplayer. IMHO. I wish somebody would do a bass magazine like Johnathan Mover's Drumhead, now that's the way to interview an artist, and I'm sure he doesn't get the ad revenue that Bassplayer does.
P.s. I still shop at indie Record/CD shops....now get off my lawn.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Yep, the mag took a dive. I miss the monthly transcriptions, ACTUAL MUSIC.

 

[SirMjac28]

Is that magazine owned by Warwick and Carvin?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Is that magazine owned by Warwick and Carvin?

LOL

 

[Commreman]

I still subscribe. The transcriptions and lessons in the mag are more than worth the cost of an $18.00 annual subscription. The magazine, like all publications, needs advertising to survive. You guys are a tough crowd!

 

[mat b]

I loved the Gary Willis article! As well as the Geezer cover! Other than that... Not much, 'cept the ask Jeff Berlin is back! I like that!