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In Reply to: RE: "Christian Distributivism" is the "Business Model" posted by John Marks on March 05, 2011 at 08:37:20
If I had a spare million or two, I'd bankroll it myself. Unfortunately, my 747 needs an overhaul.
Has there been piracy of Stereophile and TAS? Of course, with their subscription prices being what they are, they're almost free; a newsletter might be a more tempting target. OTOH, as you point out, an HP newsletter would appeal mostly to us boomers. I'm not sure there are many middle-aged audiophiles out there who are into posting pdf's on torrent sites. I can see people sharing the occasional issue with a friend, but that happens with print, as well.
Anyway, you know far more about the practicalities of magazine publishing than I do. I know that HP started TAS on a shoestring, and marketed it with a classified ad in the back of Audio. But I suspect that sort of bootsrap operation is easier when you're young and not particularly worried about keeping a roof over your head. OTOH, I think HP's name recognition would be a huge advantage. Sure, he'd be appealing to an older demographic, but word spreads quickly in the Internet era and he's a known quantity. And I don't think he'd have to imitate the breadth of coverage of Stereophile and TAS in a new publication. Rather, I was thinking of their underground days as the model. As you pointed out, his demographic -- really, the entire high-end audio demographic -- is fading, at the same time as the Internet is competing with print publications. It's hard to see how HP could start a large, mainstream publication in such a market. This wouldn't be for kids, who I'm increasingly convinced will have to develop their own high end from the technology they use, but rather for established audiophiles.
But, again, you know much more about the practicalities than I do. I'm just someone who wishes he had a better platform than his few pages in TAS.
Follow Ups:
I don't disagree with anything you say, I just have a slightly different perspective.
HP started TAS in 1973 though he might have started publicity in 1972. You must remember that back then it was before: personal computers, video games, portable phones (except for the very wealthy). Videocassettes were three years in the future, and took about 10 years to become widespread. Cable TV had very little of high quality on it, it was mostly for people who had bad TV reception as opposed to an enhancement over broadcast TV in terms of programming.
On Tuesdays, new LPs would hit the store shelves. People listened to FM radio to learn about music they would want to buy. There was not much talk radio, and new acts and non-commercial music still had a chance because mega-networks like Clear Channel didn't exist. College kids wanted to have the best stereo on their dorm corridor.
An important aspect of it was, I am totally serious, social mores about dating and mating and marriage. If a girl went up to a guy's room and all there was was a bed, she might be labelling herself as a girl of easy virtue. But if there was a nice stereo and a Miles Davis or Glenn Gould LP, they were cultured. "Aspirational" magazines such as Playboy, starting in 1959, would run several features a year (main article, Holiday gift guide, Father's Day gift Guide) that implanted the idea that "the good life" included a stereo. Not today. Today, it's the freak-show aspect: look how much that stuff costs.
I attach a link to my Stereophile AWSI that puts forth the notion that the Golden Age of Hi-Fi (1946-circa 1992) was in large part the result of a one-off demographic and social confluence. Things are different now. The largest change being that listening to music used to be a social event (I will try to load an image--yes, from the 78 rpm era),
a shared opportunity to sit down and shut up and pay attention to music, whereas now it is something you do alone while doing something else, like reading your text messages or treadmilling.
Audio magazine, of course, is out of business. But let's say that when HP ran classified ads in Audio, its circulation was 300,000. If he got 2% of those to subscribe (a very high response to a direct-marketing campaign), he had 6,000 subscribers. Let's say TAS has 30,000 subscribers today. 2% of those is 600, which is not enough to make a go of it. All those numbers are total guesses. Perhap a new HP magazine would attract 3,000 subscribers, but I have a lot of trouble believing that it could attract 10,000 subscribers, especially if it was priced high enough to run without ads. Because a lot of people yearn for the TAS of old without ads, but I doubt they want to pay $125 or $150 a year!!!!!
Another factor is that compared to 1973, when startup audio companies were the rule, and computers were only at universities and many of the loudspeaker designs were laughable by today's standards, putting together a good stereo was hit or miss, while today, the sound of entry-level components is good and most high-end equipment is rather wonderful. Lots of people who passionately care about music have bought their "final" stereo. "The hobby" in that regard is a victim of its own success. We don't need a New Moses to lead us out of the wilderness and into the promised land.
All the best,
JM
JM- your understanding of the social piece may be accurate for a limited demographic during the late '40s,'50s and early '60s, , but is sorely inaccurate for the youth/musical culture of the '60s onward. I have no idea about what world you inhabited during the '60s, but it is non representational of the youth culture world inhabited by that piece of the baby boomers.
Yes that is indeed a cool image, you don't see beer glasses like that much anymore... Was that Eico equipment?
"Golden Age of Hi-Fi (1946-circa 1992)"
Exactly, the Hi-Fi boom was congruent with the baby boom so there's a whole glut of us with the same fascination that enjoy chatting about it on AA. Since we were formed by the unusual conjunction of successfully completing a war and the commercialization of the new field of electronics it's probably just hubris to think that subsequent generations should share our tastes.
Even though we haven't done so well in the war department, to this day Electronics continues to be a large driver of culture.
But it's not OUR Electronics and the hard core yet cling to their tubes, records and horn speakers and will be probably be laid to rest with a 6SN7 in each hand and a mint copy of the Dark Side of the Moon on their chests. Boy will the anthropologists have a hay-day with that one. "It's got to be some sort of religious/sex fetish thing, it's just gotta be!".
And of course they're right...
Regards, Rick
The image is from a stock art company, and it is indexed under "Food and Drink."
Yes, I am sure it is Eico, but it was not an Eico ad. It could be cheesecake-free calendar art.
JM
Two white guys in suits, three white women in prom gowns.
Some hack artist's idea of the good life back then in a cheesy Rockwell imitation. Too bad he forgot the loudspeakers...
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