Feedback/Ideas for New Magazine?

Arthur,

Thank you for your opinion and for your thoughtful comments.
In order to be successful I think you have to offer your visitors something(s) unique of value, that they can't find anywhere else. I've been reading some books on web marketing and I have a lot of interesting ideas for ways to attract and hold my reader's interest. I'm presently putting together a marketing plan/blueprint for my initial foray into the e-zine business. Getting up to a some higher-priced gear is a good suggestion and I know I will do that. But I may shy away from $12k amplifiers and $25k+ speaker systems that only the very rich could ever hope to afford.

I have heard and reviewed a wide cross-section of audio products over the past 7 years and any writers that I add to my masthead will have to demonstrate considerable knowledge and experience, as well as excellent writing/communication skills. Above all, they will have a responsibiliy to the magazine and to my readers to be completely honest in their comments and testing procedures.

How about some real hot women draped all over the Rowland Amplifiers?

just kiddin... well.. maybe not.

I think it would be nice to get a magazine that doesent seem so Biased.

I'd like to see a magazine with no "Advertisements" only reviews and the real deal on audio gear.

I would like to have people with different personalities and tastes review each piece of gear.

I would like the opinion about a gear from the perspective by a hip-hop fan, a metal head, a classical afficianado, a blues fan, a country fan, etc etc. instead the apparent 45 year old wine tasting super-sucessful gentleman "clone"

Have each one of thm review the same piece of gear, get the different perspectives.

Not all audiophiles like fine wine and listen to classical, not all audiophiles wear dockers, wingtips and button up shirts. Some of us like to crank Metallica and wear jeans and a tshirt while chugging back Budweiser. Itt doesent mean my money is any less green, and it doesent mean i dont enjoy the same satisfaction of a high end system

Maybe if they would encorperate different types of persona and personalities on audio gear it would reduce the whole "Snobbery" and "Elitism" that seems to surround the whole audio hobby. Make it something everyone can enjoy.

I know this whole debate has raged before about what is music and what is crap, but remember, people who listen to opera, classical, jazz, blues, are far far far in the minority of tastes in america. There is a whole world of possible audiophiles that remains untapped, simply because the elitist snobbery has somewhat of a "club" mentality and all decide to trash the music of the masses.

You know WHY bose does so well? because it markets to EVERYONE, not just upper class white males who would rather sip fine scotch than work on a car engine.

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Ahem, I meant no offence in my remark, i hope i dont spark anyones anger because that is not my intent. I have come to know many audiophiles on this board and i DO realise there are not many snobs on here, there are not many "Elitists" and alot of people hear listen to more than just classical than opera, there are rockers on here, "Goths" ive seen some poeple talking about Punk music, everything. This is definatly a cesspool of personalities, tastes, and viewpoints which High-end audio is not marketed to.

once again, i mean no offence!

-Chris

Hey Chris,

No offense taken (at least by me) and thanks for your viewpoint. I think people should listen to whatever kind of music they like whether it be metal, rap (well, maybe not rap :) pop, classical, jazz or blues, etc.

Personally, I would never restrict myself to just one genre of music because there are so many enjoyable types and styles out there. I admire people who go to the audio shows and play the music that they actually listen to at home. Music you are the most familiar with is always your best reference.

Having multiple reviews of the same piece to provide different perspectives is something I favor. I used to enjoy when PHD and HP of The Absolute Sound used to argue back and forth over a component's relative merits or lack thereof -- back in the days before TAS started taking advertising.

One of my goals will be to make my site more interactive than most other audio mags, giving my readers chances to actively participate, registering their opinions on certain issues and products. I think it will be more fun and will also let me know if I'm on track and serving the interests of my readers.

Thanks!

You were chuggin' back some Bud's when you wrote that weren't you Slappy!? I don't know if I fall into any of your categories, but I am white, live on the edge of our continent, enjoy red wine, don't like scotch at all, like all kinds of music, will refrain from putting myself in a 'class' (upper/middle/lower). I like your idea....maybe Plato could do a "Trailer Trash" column (no offense intended whatsoever).....seriously, you are quite right; all kinds of folks enjoy music. Where I differ in opinion is why Bose does so well. It is certainly not because it markets to everyone, it is simply because it MARKETS BIG TIME, putting a huge emphasis on advertising and marketing and cutting corners when it comes to the final product. It is clearly not targeting the high-end market, as it is simply not a high-end product. The majority of white, middle-American, Bud-swilling males buy into that advertising shit BIG TIME! Advertising moves Widgets in America, no ifs ands or buts about it! The other primary component of their success is they make an inexpensive product that the common-man can afford that does the job at hand. Lets face it, most folks simply don't give a rats-ass about soundstage, bloom and transient decay (whatever that is)! They just wanna listen to the music they like, have it sound reasonably well, and they don't want to pay a lot of money and they don't want to spend any time researching their purchase... They've got TV shows to watch, Bud to chug down, and 87 Billion in aid to Iraq to pay off!!! The challenge with smaller manufacturers who are doing it from the heart, as you are clearly aspiring to with your speaker-building idea, is that as soon as they have to start paying for marketing and advertising space it means the price of their product will need to go up in order to pay for it. You can then have the choice of becoming good at doing just that (marketing) and passing on the marketing costs to the consumer (as they must be in order to stay in business), or you can start to cut corners in your products to make a better profit to try to juggle the mark-up/marketing costs. That's why some of the best bargains in the high end are small manufacturers, doing it for the passion they have for it, and not putting a lot into advertising (i.e. Quicksilver, Homegrown, DH Labs, etc.). It is the beauty of Plato's idea, as it was the beauty of Listener magazine. Plato knows better than anyone whether it is realistic from an insiders perspective. I'd buy it and support it as I have Motorcycle Consumer News (no advertising there either though I'm not liking the direction that publication has been headed lately). So can it work Plato? I think it's a great idea, but what are the numbers you're talking about and how do you think you can make it work? It's a noble undertaking for sure. I already know way more than I need to about $30K turntables and DAC's, but I'm sure that even if I had that kind of money where it didn't mean that much to me, I don't think I'd spend it that way, as much as I do LOVE to listen to music at home, the margins of improvement I've heard in systems like that just don't justify the costs when I think of how much good that money could do elsewhere. I also know that, per what I responded to you Chris, that the vast majority of Americans would say the exact same thing and put that price tag a whole lot lower inclusive of some of the prices I've paid for components. It's all relative. So the short answer is, yes Plato, I'd be part of your target market that would be willing to support such an effort.

Marco

Bound for Sound is a mag that I read that I feel is somewhat true to the point and no advertising. Your idea is OK but you will not make a living at it and getting in equipment is difficult unless you have connections. I personally know many of the well known reviewers. Do not beleive for a second that the on-line mags do not have their favorites. Post a bad review and you may be out of business from getting more products to review for any manufacturer. IMHO, there are too many reasons why things sound the way they do so even an unbiased review can basically mean nothing, just your opinion.

It all comes back to you hae to hear it for yourself in your system in your home.

Anyway, I wish you well and Happy Listening.