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Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
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Critic's Corner Discuss a review. Provide constructive feedback. Talk to the industry. |
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In Reply to: Rick, why did you delete your reply? posted by robert young on March 22, 2007 at 10:06:54:
"I see no need to turn an enthusiast magazine into a consumer buying guide."I think this is semantics. I see nothing indicating the original poster didn't want the content of S'phile to be entertaining, rather than more cut&dry listings a la CR. But it seems obvious that S'phile's (or another hifi mag's) "audience" is also seeking guidance regarding purchasing decisions. CR's audience ain't looking for entertainment when seeking help determining what the best buy in microwaves is. The original poster was merely suggesting ways to make a hifi mag more helpful regarding purchasing decisions.
Take a look at the list of advertisers in your copy of S'phile. Who else but enthusiasts is the market for companies like Halcro, Classe, JPS Labs, Lamm, Revel etc .? Just as it is with any publication dependent on ad $$ for its existence, if/when readers of mags like S'phile stop *buying* what advertisers in the mags are hawking the mag will die. Why take that *buying* out of the equation and just categorize the readership of hifi mags as enthusiasts? No publication dependent on ad $$ survives merely because its readership is enthusiastic about the subject matter.
The goal both Audi and Wavac share is sales, and to that end they submit products -- including hyper-expensive flagship models -- to enthusiast mags for reviews in order to influence their potential customers. Enthusiasts are the market, the reviews and ads serve as encouragement and enticement to buy, and enthusiasts sure *do* buy what is reviewed and advertised. If a review ain't meant to be a kind of buying guide, then what is it?
Believe me, I didn't seek and get reviews of my cd in "enthusiast magazines" like Jazz Times, Jazz Improv, Cadence, All About Jazz, Jazz Week etc. just to entertain their readers, nor do their subscribers read reviews just for entertainment. Like S'phile, these jazz enthusiast mags have articles on topics of interest to their readers. But the reviews are meant to be helpful and informative *buying guides*, as are the reviews in hifi mags.
Re: music ed/appreciation ..... The point is not that MSM, Julliard, New School etc. are located in NYC and NYC is not representative of the rest of the U.S. Its that every year a new crop of entrants comes here *from all over the country and the rest of the world*. These new students seem to have received at least as good a preparatory education in high school as my generation got, if not quite a bit better. The orchestras/chamber groups/opera at MSM was shockingly good when I was there. Likewise, the constant influx of young jazz/classical/rock players seeking to become pros arrives in NYC at least as well trained as my generation, and they come from all over. It ain't like all the new students and/or budding pros in NYC got their high scholl training in NYC - mecca for music- and therefore don't represent kids who received their high school in Boise.
How does one judge the quality of jr.&sr. high school music training anyway? Go by the level of ability possessed by a young pro in Duluth? Go by what's popular among the masses in the "hinterlands"? Was Frankie Avalon's popularity in 50's symbolic of better music ed than Brittney Spears' popularity now? Dianna Ross's popularity in the '60's/70's indicates better music appreciation than Mariah Carey's popularity now? Rap's popularity shows a lack of music ed compared to the popularity of the Dave Clark Five decades ago?
I'm 59. When I was a teenager I was listening to Duke Ellington, Jackie McClean, Eric Dolphy. My high school peers were listening to Louie, Louie. The only kids I knew who listened to classical music at all played in the high school orchestra. I suspect their interest waned when they grew up and became accountants. They're probably buying Kenny G cd's now.
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Follow Ups
- Robert, I just wanted to refine it. Here it is. - Rick W 10:43:54 03/22/07 (5)
- We're getting closer to discovering the critical points... - robert young 10:24:20 03/24/07 (4)
- Guess we still disagree. - Rick W 23:49:02 03/24/07 (3)
- Yes, that we do. - robert young 08:01:41 03/25/07 (2)
- Maybe not all that far apart. - Rick W 09:54:31 03/25/07 (1)
- Not far at all...How'd that happen??? ;) - robert young 10:19:13 03/25/07 (0)
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