[sdiy] Audio (and synth) DIY printed magazine idea

[rdrake]

potential advertisers are far more important than potential subscribers.  from that perspective, it's kind of a conundrum, since for the most part electronic DIY endeavors compete directly w/ manufacturers (save for the handful of folks selling kits, and a couple of parts suppliers).  i'm sceptical that there'd be enough advertising to make the requisite 50/50 minimum balance between content and ads. 

a model like Tape Op probably isn't so comparable--that audience is making their own music, but buying gear... and pretty highend stuff (= high$$), based on both their articles and advertisers.  in fact, you can subscribe for free, which boosts the circulation number which in turn lures advertisers.

sorry to sound a discouraging note, since i myself would love to see something like this.  but i am speaking from experience, having published a magazine (in a completely different field) for 4 years.  we had the kind of readership numbers you site, but never got the advertising.  i still have a few thousand copies in the attic, although i've since paid off all the losses.

lbd


>----- ------- Original Message ------- -----
>From: synth at charlielamm.com
>To: synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl
>Sent: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 -0800 (PST) 08:10:34
>
>I come from a family of non-fiction writers and we
>are constantly bouncing
>ideas off each other for books and magazines that
>might do a little better
>than break-even (sometime break-even is OK too).
>
>My latest idea is to have a magazine called
>something like "Audio DIY".
>It would be in English, and come out monthly or
>bimonthly, and hopefully
>sell to an International audience.
>
>It would cover what I see to be the 4 "thrusts" of
>the audio DIY biz as I
>see it on the web and usenet
>
>--Synth DIY
>--Stomp DIY
>--Amp DIY
>--Software DIY (Reaktor, Nord modular, roll your
>own plug ins, etc)
>
>My brothers and father don't know anything about
>this "hobby" or "passion"
>or whatever you'd like to call it, so they couldn't
>gauge if it would get
>enough interest to survive or not (to break even,
>the average "special
>interest" publication must see about 30K
>subscribers annually, more if
>potential advertisers stay away).  That's why I am
>posting this here.
>
>So, what does the group think?  Is there a 30K+
>subscriber base,
>worldwide, at say $20USD per year market for this
>(or am I preaching to
>the choir?)  Has it been tried before?  Is it being
>done now, and I just
>have never seen it at the newsstands?	Is this a
>silly question to ask of
>this group?
>
>Some details, of course all to be revised and
>ironed out.
>
>My idea would be to have this represent all levels
>of this odd passion of
>ours, from in depth Magnus-style filter math porn,
>to "how to get started
>building a fatman".  My feeling is that the menches
>read everything, even
>if it's remedial, and the beginners read everything
>too, they just don't
>understand most of it, but hope someday they will.
>
>In general I'd slant it more for the
>beginner/intermediate than the mench,
>mostly to gain subscriber base, but, that's up for
>discussion.
>
>As an advertising base I guess you'd try to get the
>parts suppliers on
>line, as well as some music software mfgr's.  But
>in general I feel this
>potential publication doesn't have the advertising
>potential of say
>"Electronic Musician" or something...since someone
>like Roland has little
>reason to advertise in it....and maybe since that
>keeps things a bit less
>commercial (as I'm sure many of you know, at least
>a few of the music
>publications say everything audio tech is great,
>even if it's not, to keep
>the advertiser bucks flowing) it might be for the
>best.
>
>And there's the rub.  Without a strong advertiser
>base, some publication
>die before they are born.
>
>But it'd be a hell of a fun publication to produce.
> I'd certainly
>subscribe to it.  And it might become a good little
>business, provided you
>could keep enough people subscribing.
>
>Some of the start up ideas:
>
>--A basement publication, hand stapled and
>addressed, along the lines
>of how a specialty publication like "Hemmings Motor
>News" got started.
>
>--A spin off of an existing publication.  I guess
>I'd have to put on a
>suit and go around with my hat in my hands!
>
>--An angel investor (anyone know any?)
>
>--An internet magazine (problematic, since no one
>will ever want to pay a
>dime for the publication once they can get it
>free).
>
>
>Comments?