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

[Pete Niedermayr]

What do you mean ? I thought this was a magazine. I've printed out every
email I received from the list since I subscribed. Because of that, the
landscape in my neck of the woods in the ol' peoples republic of Minnesota,
is starting to look like them pictures from Mars for lack of trees.

But anyways, I have tons of old magazines in storage and don't subscribe to
any magazines for that reason. I would love to have all that information at
my fingertips on my pc but don't plan to scan  my library and I hate .pdf's

Maybe the Synth     Gods, Saints, Mortals, Wannabe's, Lurkers and
Journalists could together or by themselves make "articles" like in our
favorite magazines (well, not the one's with the glossy color fold outs )
and post them on Synth-Diy.com or somewhere and post a link here.

I think I know what you mean about  magazine type "articles" a little design
philosophy , a schematic,  PCB art work, mathematical equations, etc. Maybe
a magazine site could be set to accept "plugins" in the form of say, MS Word
docs.

Lets just keep it digital or I'll kill you (just kiddin')

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "rdrake" <rdrake at data2action.com>
To: <synth at charlielamm.com>; <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 11:24 AM
Subject: RE: [sdiy] Audio (and synth) DIY printed magazine idea


> 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?
>