43% blogged.
These aren't the droids you're looking for...
posted by Scott Heisel at
5:53 PM
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110 Comments:
I'd prefer it to stay in the magazine. I admit that I'm not on this website very often, but I do read the magazine. It's more convenient for it to be in print, and it's more "classic", in my opinion
keep it in print.
I say keep it in the magazine. I'm not really on the website that often, and the magazine is much more convenient.
so keep it :D
ARE YOU CRAZY TO EVEN THINK ABOUT IT....see i wanna work for ap when i get older...the album reveiws is my fave part....its a part of the magazine....if it was online id have to read the magizine and then go online to see album reveiws....its just to much..dont change just cause of them..i no u wanna be better then them[jk]but u already are...so DONT DO IT
An essential to any MUSIC MAG is a record review section. I carry my AP around with me for a few days and comb through every page, and I read every review for every CD. If the reviews were moved to the website, I honestly would not even read them. I don't have the time to scroll through your website for something that I thought I paid to have sent to me so that I could cart it around with me. To even consider getting rid of a section that is one of the top three features in AP is ludicrous.
AP has been going down the drain over the past year or so, it seems. To go farther really isn't necessary.
i think you should keep the reviews in the magazine. thats one of my favorite parts. speaking of favorites, i think that you really need to bring back steven smith's column. that was my ALL TIME favorite part of the magazine.
i dont think you should remove it. as you said, its one of the most read sections of AP. i personally skip right to it. it would be more of an inconvenience for those who read it all the time and have a subscription. they would have to go more out of their way to get to the reviews.
Keep it in the magazine.
Keep it in the magazine.
It's a lot better in a magazine. I mean we wait a month each and every month to get it. Keep as much in it as you can.
Stay classic.
the internet would definitely be more convenient, however, I'd be less likely to read because I'm hardly on the website. it takes a lot for me to check updates on a website frequently.. unless I'm sent an e-mail or something. I prefer the reviews in the magazine, I'm much more prone to actually read them. I like the exclusivity of getting my info from the physical magazine before everyone else rather than a website that every single person with internet connection has access to in three clicks of the mouse
Keep the reviews in the magazine.
no, don't get rid of it.
Keep it in the magazine!!
It's really convenient.
mostly, i just flip through the section and see if there was a record i was thinking about buying, or that i already bought. hey, i care about your opinion too. but mostly, there aren't really albums that i listen to in that section. the last one i read was the Jack's Manneuqin one. but i think you should have a little box or something that lists the albums and says "go online for the reviews" and have the link to the site and have a big icon on your homepage for it.
you're still keeping it in there, but making a lot more room for another feature and still telling the readers what albums you are reviewing and telling them where to get them.
i think that's quite a logical idea.
and if i see it used, i can brag to my friends saying, "hey, i am an influential part in APs decisions!"
haha hope this helps!
Please, keep it in print! I love reading the reviews section every month, and I really think it will take away from the magazine if you get rid of your reviews section in print.
Keep it in the magazine, por favorrrr.
I'd keep it in the print, I always enjoy reading the review sections in the magazine, it's a lot more effort to read the mag and then jump online to look at the reviews.
Think about it, you might end up being the only music mag left that has reviews in their mag, and I think that's pretty awesome.
Taking it out of the magazine is absolutely crazy. What is a music magazine without a section to let readers know about the cd before making the purchase? I for one would like an opinion on a cd I like or may not like. If it HAS to changed, then take albums that are popular among readers and review some in depth, quality not quantity, right?
I would also prefer for it to be kept in the magazine. I think that a lot of people prefer sitting down and reading a review out of the actual magazine other than going online to do it. Some people aren't very good at keeping up with things if they are on the computer. Its nice to be able to just sit down in a comfy chair and read.
STAY IN THE MAGAZINE. Please. I think definitely more people read the magazine than go online. At least me & everyone I know do. The magazine is so much more easier, you can bring it with you, show it to friends, etc.. You can't always do that with a website if your out somewhere. Definitely keep it in the magazine!
Keep with the magazine,I rarely get to check the site and I constantly read my AP Magazine.
So keep it to the printed pages.
:)
leave it in print, please! i'm rarely online and when i am i have no time for anything other than school related work or a quick myspace check every few days.
personally, i love everything about AP right now. i look forward to the reviews each and every month. It gives me advice on whats good, and whats not. Through some of those columns ive found some of my favorite bands. sure, i am online all the time. But i wont be searching stuff like that, ill be talking to my friends, or looking up something for a project. The best advice would be keep it in the mag, its easier for the readers.
I have been playing music my entire life MUSIC IN GENERAL is my life and when I pick up AP, my favorite part is the album reviews I make tons of my decisions revolving whether or not to give the time a day to a band off of what you guys say. I am going to be super bummed, if you take it out.
STAY IN MAGAZINE
i say leave it as it is! PRINT! you cannot give in to this digital era!!!! things are more special when they are concrete, physical. if you were to change to digital i am certain not that many people will be into reading them, they just forget. keep it in print. please.
Taking the album reviews out of a music magazine is complete blasphemy! I just can't even fathom how that thought floats around you music aficianado's heads.
I understand that everything, EVERYTHING, these days is going digital but I also know a few good kids who love music and dont have a computer. Those kids still need to know what records are worth their nickels and dimes. To put all the reviews on the internet would just cut off those kids chances of getting a fair critique. Plus even I would never get on the internet to comb through the album reviews, I prefer them in black and white ink on glossy paper.
AP is following the crowd way too often these days and its ticking me off. If Vibe jumps off a bridge, will AP follow? I hope not. If the next issue I get has no album reviews and some two-bit, no talent band like The Maine on the cover, Im definitely sending my cancelation of subscription.
PLEASE keep it in print.
I look forward to it with every new issue.
don't take anything out of the printed version....I just started reading AP a few months ago and have fallen in love with every article and page in the mag. I never have even been on this site until now! so...please do not take anything out of AP!!!
I wouldn't remind some of the review section being removed. I'd like to see the main reviews stay (the ones that have full page or large reviews) just because they seem to be more relevant to most people and I don't really get much out of the blurb sort of style to the smaller interviews, they don't have very many details.
As for what I'd like to see, I'm all for bring Stevens Untitled Rock Column back. I miss it dearly. But seeing as that's only one page, I wouldn't mind a section on B-Sides, Rare Tracks, etc.
leave it in the magazine, it's much more convenient for everybody i think. and why would you guys want to do what some other magazine is doing anyways? :)
oh and also, i agree with suchanawfulmessX. bring back Steven's Untitled Rock column. because of the time change of the show this summer, i never get to watch it anymore and i miss seeing Steven, haha.
Dude, you gotta keep it in the magazine. I always read the reviews, and always check out the bands that you guys review well. I have always wanted to see my band's album reviewed in your magazine, and so removing it would not be fair to my dream..... lol
Matthew Hagelberger
Guitarist
Terra Terra Terra
please leave the review section in your magazine!
i always read the ap reviews!
i really love your magazine and, like ronnielover999, i want to work for you when i get older.
if youre ever wanting interns hit us up.
;D
jacob d! turner
scott, AP is my bible. the reviews are the first thing i flip to and often the only thing i read twice. you haev a staff full of talented writers who are open minded and fair when it comes to reviews, and that's why AP weighs in so heavily when it comes time to decide whetehr or not to buy a cd (i still buy cd's, weird huh?). We rely on AP, we trust AP, please, please keep the reviews in print. The fate of the cosmos hangs in the balance.
please keep it in the magazine. it's definitely one of my fav sections of the mag cuz it hits all the sub-genres of this music scene and is very convenient to have it right in my hand rather than having to look it up online whenever i get the spare time to do so.
Keep it in print! Rebel! :P
I would honestly prefer to keep the reviews section of the magazine. If anything, I do like the idea of reviewing fewer records but making the reviews longer. The review section of the magazine is a huge part of the reading experience for me. Not many magazines will review the artists that AP does and I feel that moving the reviews online would almost be as if you had never written about them. Moving the reviews online forces a very unnecessary extra step for readers to hear about their favorite artists new album rather than read about it in the music magazine they just purchased. Removing the reviews only leaves the door open for fluff to fill out the rest of the magazine which no one really wants to read anyway.
To be honest when I get to the review section I probably read about half of them. Mostly bands I already know about, and specific genres( Yes to Rock, Metal, and sometimes the punk.) I think trimming some of the fat might be a good idea, and elaborating farther on certain CDs. I am afraid though, that when this happens Ill only see reviews for the most popular bands and never again will ap review, say, a Greeley Estates or Classic Crime CD. So an online review section, maybe in addition to the blogs where each reviewer has their own, would be neat.
I've been reading Alternative Press since I was eleven years old and one of the things I look forward to every issue is the album reviews. After all, it's a music magazine and those reviews are a key factor in keeping to its forte. Also, AP is one of the only print magazines I continue to read, whereas a good majority of my other monthly reads are via the internet. Print's dying, we all know that, and I think by minimizing the content in the magazine, it would be sending print further into death.
I do have a proposal. Since "Vibe" strongly stands by the importance of singles and the such being reviewed, maybe AP can add an internet feature where there are weekly reviews instead of monthly, which would include rarities, singles and possibly even videos? You guys could have a lot of fun with the idea.
i think you should like another magazine i read has done this year...they don't put their entire review section in the magazine, they put it all online though, but they highlight the best 5 or 6 albums each month...it's kind of a middle ground. I think it's beter, because all the 20 or so reviews are too much and i usually won't read them all...but this is only 5 or 6 and then you can also make the review more thorough if you would like....
no PLEASE PLEASE leave it in the magazine, i think it is so much more convenient and I think it is perfect the way it is!!!
Please leave it in the magazine! It's one of my favorite sections and it would be an inconvience if it were moved to the website. Don't change anything about it. The amount of albums reviewed and the lengths of the reviews are fine!
I really want it to stay in the magazine. I'm a AP subscribe, and even if the article sucks in my opnion, I'm always intrested to see what you say about the albums. Even if i disagree, i find it intresting to read others opnions. I mean, what was Vibe thinking? Album reviews are essential, and I love them, Keep it in print!
<3
definatly keep it in print, one of the awesome things about the alt-punk genre is how albums are ment to be a peice of artwork and not just a compilation of singles
for the love of god, don't do it!! i had a much better comment about this issue, but my browser wasn't cooperating and i lost it.
what i want to get across the most is that i don't think you should waste the review section. who gives a shit what the other magazines are doing! you're AP!! kids, teenagers, adults, musicians, big wigs, etc. all value what is printed and said about albums. to pull it from the actual magazine and put it online would definitely decrease the value and the effectiveness of the reviews themselves. i know that more than a few times the reviews have either nudged me closer to a new album or pushed me away from it and i know i am not the only person to be influenced by what has been said in AP.
stick to your roots, continue being a music magazine and staying involved in giving opinions people have on what's new. it's so rare to find something good these days, and AP usually helps point you in the right direction.
PLEASE keep it IN the magazine. maybe i'm alone, but i read when i don't have the internet readily available to me.
i mean, sure, i guess i could just read AP sans-reviews and then go online later, but that already seems like a pain!
AP with reviews in it has worked so far! why changed it now? just because VIBE did it? BAH! i read AP because it is how it is, and i love AP magazine.
also, i think "43% blogged" is hilarious, as are most of your blog titles. kudos :P
I would love to keep it in the magazine. I love carrying my mags around with me and when I'm in a heated disussion about music I like to pop out a review to prove a point. However I see the other side. It would probably save a lot of money in printing which could be used to maximize the magazine. In it's place I would love to see a lot more human interest stories in regards to music. Perhaps increase involvement of contributing writers. But if it came down to it. Keep it in the magazine. Just because the way we recieve our information is changing doesn't mean we have to follow every aspect of it. Well..until EVERYTHING IS POSTED ONLINE!
AP STANDS OUT ABOVE THE REST!
lets keep it awesome :)
don't take it out. That is one of the things I get really excited about every issue. I always wonder what professionals say about some of my favorite bands new albums, which in turn helps decide how instantly i need it :)
The decision is unanimous. LEAVE IT.
I am totally against moving the reviews section to the AP website. It's getting harder to hold music related things in my hands, and if I REALLY like something, that's what I want to do. Please don't leave my hands empty!
i look at the magazine more than the website, keep it in the magazine, please.
You must most definitely KEEP REVIEWS IN THE MAG because i truly visit the website maybe once every two months if that. I really like the reviews because i discover ALOT of music that way. I think if you added other things such as- e.p.'s and downloads or leaked songs and things like that- it should be with the albums and you shouldn't just have one or the other. Thats what rolling stone does and i really like that. I love your magazine and if anything you should add to it but i WOULDNT WANT YOU TO TAKE ANYTHING OUT. thanks for asking:)
you gotta leave the reviews in the magazines. It is one of my favorite parts and i love seeing what you all have to say about albums and it influences what i buy and listen to
i really think it should stay in the magazine. I think that you should keep it just the way it is, and definitely don't review less CDs but make the reviews longer. I like reading short things, but maybe that's just me! I agree with some others, I always read the reviews in the magazine but will probably never read them if they move to the website.
reading the reviews is a MAJOR part in my buying the magazine each month. dont get rid of them
Keep it in the magazine. Honestly I probably wouldn't go out of my way to research cd reviews on the website, but I definitely read through them when I get the magazine in the mail every month.
Leave it in print, please. What's the point in buying a music magazine when half the purpose is removed? The review section is the first thing I read in AP when I get it in the mail. I may like to think that if you posted the reviews online only, I'd check them out on a regular basis... But that's fairly inconvenient. I'm certain I wouldn't keep up with it all...
aww man, keep it in the magazine. just.. just leave it. please.
AP is a music magazine, and so i feel that such a big part of music (album reviews) should be a crucial part of the publication. removing them seems completely senseless and against the heart of the magazine to me
I feel like I can sympathize with you a little bit. As someone who currently works on Indiana University's culture/music magazine and blog (and someone who has wanted a job like yours since age 12), I know that reviews, despite their popularity amongst readers, are often the first thing to get relegated to a website and kicked out of print. But...I really hate that.
Like many people have already said, I don't think the section should be fully removed from AP. It's quintessential for AP and for ANY music magazine. Although my taste in music has changed a bit since I started reading AP many years ago, it's the one section that I've consistently been impressed with because of it's breadth and diversity of coverage--you cover all bands/genres, both well-known and underground, and I think that's great.
If you're dealing with space issues, you could potentially cut the numbers a little bit, but like another person mentioned, you could always move some online and then include a box on a page in the mag that has a list of those reviews so that readers know they can check them out elsewhere.
I'm glad I finally discovered this blog because I've admired your work for years and years. Keep up the awesome.
-Kelsey McArdle
I think removing it is a wise choice. Especially based on the reader base your magazine is directed towards and the types of bands featured. For the most part, it seams to me that most of the readers are teenagers. That being said, the readers are heavily influenced by what is written in the mag. For example, say there is a band who after years of hard work, just got their big break and got signed to a label such as Kung Fu records. Not a huge label but to them its big. They release their first CD on the label and get noticed by someone at AP. This particular person doesn't like it, writes a bad review and hundreds of thousands of kids don't take a chance on their CD because the dude at AP didn't like it. The album may have been great but because of one mans opinion, case closed for that band...
As a subscriber to AP magazine I really enjoy to read the reviews section. I do not usually go on the website, I do on occasion but I do not think i would remember when I am online to go look that up. So for convenience reasons I say keep it in the magazine. I personally skip right to the reviews and other sections before i even read the issue cover stories.
I hope this helps.
Keep It,
Carissa.
It should deffs stay in the Magazine, Sure I mean we evolve as new tech becomes available. But I mean, Wasn't that the staple of a music mag in the first place? Besides, I can't carry an online album review around in my backpack to worship for a month till the next one.
However I'm not really sure that we should be so against online reviews. The Magazine has limited space and if AP had the manpower, or will to, I think they could do extra reviews online. Maybe honorable mentions that didn't quite make the magazine. Or like you said longer reviews, maybe critiques.
Oh...and if you get to looking for someone to do this online reviews you could hit a brother up...lol
Ugh, I lost my other comment.
Online only reviews feel like the magazine cares less about the music, because they didn't go through the effort/or feel that it was important enough to go in the magazine.
CDs are apart of the experience of music that this magazine is based on, and should be reviewed IN the magazine.
The chances of stumbling across a cool new band are lessened if the review is online only
I say to definitely keep album reviews in the magazine. Though it would be nice to have that section re-vamped. I like the idea of having information as to where to download it and how, upcoming singles to keep an eye for, ect. But all in all, I really enjoy all the album reviews because it's the only thing that still really works as far as selling the actual music. Yeah, pictures, tour dates, bright colors catch your attention because that's what Ads intend to do, but when a trusted, third-party source such as AP reviews/critiques the album, it seems more sincere because AP isn't working directly with the artist. AP is judging the album at face value and I don't feel as if they are trying to "sell" me the music. I like that I'm just getting the information I need and I am the one who decides whether or not I should make that purchase. AP has always been one of my top to-go sources to find great music. I sometimes don't have time to listen to albums and songs and decide what I like or not. I hope my opinion helps:)
I would do both for now. It would definitely be a lot easier to find and sort through the reviews online. You could even have an archive of older reviews and what-not. But, it is the norm (for now) to have a review section in a magazine dedicated to music. I would put up lots of review online, and less in the magazine (maybe just the major releases). That would make room for a new section.
ORR
put up staff reviews online and some select reader reviews in print. (or vice versa)
I'd prefer it in the magazine. For one thing if it's online I'm more likely not to read it but in the magazine I can sit down anywhere and read the reviews, which I like because they turn me onto new bands. Although I do like the idea of reviewing vinyl only release
leave it in the magazine
leave it in the magazine!
Please keep them. I wish you could add more. I trust the writing altogether.
(I like the Dillinger reference.)
i think the reviews should stay in print and definitely not go digital. i believe the quality would go down and people would not take the trouble to read them. i like your suggestion about fewer but longer reviews, however.
definintly print.
it's more likely for me to read because i can simply just turn to the page. i have to admit that i'm not on your website often, but i read the magazine all the time, considering it appears directly in my mailbox.
No, don't move it. I think it's the most important part of a magazine. I read the magazine more than I read the site so its very convenient for me.
well from reading most of the comments i'm guessing that it will stay in. i hope this as well!
I'd prefer them to stay in print because except for blogs, I don't do much reading on my computer {Mostly because it doesn't stay on long enough for me to read anything...i had to open this page three different times to read the whole thing and post this XP}
Ugh, is this a joke? All this internet business is ridiculous. Music magazines are known for their reviews. What would you even replace it with anyways? A page with a website address? Get real AP.
Yeah, stay punk and don't conform. Keep it in the mag.
keep it in the magazine.
Cause, see, in the magazine it's there, saying "READ ME!" and there's not much I can do... I can't pretend that section doesn't exist. If the reviews were online, chances are I wouldn't even know where the section was and I'd never read reviews for anything anymore.
Hot damn that's a ton of comments! And I agree with them. KEEP IT IN THE MAGAZINE!
-Monica
This post has been removed by the author.
Why would you move it? it makes no sense to do so. screw vibe. I read AP mainly for the reviews. the other stuff in there is just an added bonus. what good is a music magazine without any reviews?
keep it in the magazine, please.
I deffs think you guys should keep it in the magazine.
not as many people come on this site compared to how many people read the magazine just because its more convenient. i also think that you guys should stick to keeping it in print because not all of us like followers, we like leaders to, dont become like other magazines!
Keep it in the magazine. I never go to the website unless directed from your bulletins. I would hate to not read them in the magazine, since that is the only place I do read the reviews.
PRINT
[I am proud of my pile of AP Magazines I have acumulated over the years!]
I LOVE IT!
Well I say keep in in print as well, BUT add to the website. I find it hard to track down old reviews of records to see how well you reviewed a band in the past, so I'd say make a review section more prominent on the site and do a weekly feature of under the radar stuff and all that. I love seeing a 4.5 star review for an unheard of band, and realizing that said band rules.
So yeah keep it in the mag, but add more to the site version for 7inches eps and all that jazz.
1.) It's a music magazine; stick with your guns and review music.
2.) In regards to extra space, with or without the reviews section... Bring back Steven Smith, please? Thank you.
the reviews are pretty much the best part of the magazine. expecially if the main articles are about some band you dont care about. atleast the reviews gives you something to read and maybe helps discover something new. honestly if it were on the website i would never even read it. and its not like im some old fart who doesnt like the internet (im only 16) but it seems and online review blog would just not be worth it.
i'd prefer you leave the magaizine as it is. AP has always had great review section on the magazine. I always enjoy flipping the pages to this section to check up on what is new. So when it comes to thinking about moving the review section on-line i would point my opinion towards disagreement. I seldomly get on-line. People can carry a magazine where ever, may it be on a mountain in a desert city while watching a sunset or on the beach in southern California hearing the tides climb the shore and watching the golden ball sink beneath the sea.
I'd rather have it in print. AP tends to have a lot of interesting articles, but honestly the reviews and exposure to new bands is one of the crucial pieces of your magazine. Your reviews are well-written pieces of work that add a lot of value to your magazine. I trust what I read in your mag for the most part, and, as odd as it seems, having it in print is more legit...any hack with an internet connection can post record reviews online.
Besides that, the web is one of those fluid, ever-changing environments where news becomes old very quickly. To put the reviews solely online would add the additional challenge of keeping the information updated and refreshed so people repeatedly visit your site to read them. People tend to spend a nanosecond of time on each webpage they hit, gleaning from it what they need quickly and moving on. I know I won't spend that much time going back to your site to check for new reviews, but I read my new issue of AP throughout the month when I have time to relax and escape from having to be on a computer every damn day at work.
How about keeping the reviews in print with an online component for select albums ... for example, if one of you really loves an album, put a more in-depth track-by-track review online to supplement the printed review.
Seriously, a music mag without reviews is not worth my money.
i say leave that in the magazine. sometimes the internet doesnt work for whatever reason..or i forget to go on the site or whatever.. but the magazine is there 24/7 and i can read it whenever i want instead of turning on the computer logging on going on the website blahblahblah. too much work. just keep it in the magazine for us lazy people :)
You have to keep the reviews in the magazine. Ap is the place I go to find out about new bands and new releases. The reviews in Vibe, Blender and even Rolling Stone are usually crappy ones and are of mainstream artists. I really could care less about a review of Madonnas latest crappy CD or The New Kids on the Block. So for those mags to remove thier reviews it really doesnt bother me. But you need to keep them. Its much easier on the eyes to read a magazine review and its also way more convienient. I go to the web to listen to the bands but I prefer to read the reviews in print.
Scott now wins the AP award for most comments on a blog.
This is pretty much the only section I read in AP anymore, unless I happen to like a band featured in there somewhere.
I'd probably just let my subscription run out...
Artists work to create an ALBUM... and as a music magazine, there's no better way to honor the artists you write about.
True music fans will support artists buy buying the album, not just the singles.
A little off track, but I say keep it in print. If you take it out, what will you take out next?
in accordance with the 40 thousand other people who posted before me, i think you should keep them IN the mag. a music magazine should review music. and who cares what vibe and RS and blender do? AP has always championed marching to your own beat, and i think that you should do that here as well.
Leave it in the magazine! I think one thing that should be added is "Sounds Like:" to every review. If you had to cut down a few reviews to fit it in, I wouldn't have a problem. A lot of the bands I listen to came from the unsigned section just because it says "sounds like: [insert band I like]." I enjoy reading the reviews while my girlfriend watches Grey's Anatomy. What will I do if reviews aren't in print?
Keep the reviews there. Its best that the reader be informed on what albums to pick up and which ones to avoid. As far as the singles/online charts; maybe give them there own section. I mean AP has already got the online reviews taken care of with "Bands to Watch" and other articles that catch the bands before they hit, esp. those who have a large following on the internet.
I'm not always on the site and I carry the mag with me just about everywhere...It's what I do in my downtime and the record review section is my favorite section...so I say keep it in print Scott.
Thanx
keep it in the magazine for sure
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has taken the time out to comment already. I'm completely overwhelmed! Please, keep your thoughts coming, as I'm reading every single word and will be sharing with the rest of the editors tomorrow morning.
Well, most would prefer it to stay in the magazine. Including me.
But some albums, like the less essential ones or the ones that don't make the printing date, could be reviewed online.
Please don't remove them altogether.
I'm going to rant, but to make life easy, the point of all this is keep em in the magazine.
I use the reviews to learn about new music or find out what someone else thinks of an album in an articulate way (which isn't guaranteed on some message board discussion, which is often the only other place to find people talking about music I'm interested in, in writing). I don't necessarily care whether a band is positively or negatively reviewed - I just want to know what they're about, how they sound, etc. etc. I might come by to check them out online, but I rarely check the website other than when I get updates on myspace or when the mag is about to come out and there are Editor's Floor features. I can take the magazine anywhere I want, and when I'm bored and looking for new music, I flip to the reviews section in old issues. I can't imagine doing this with the website. I can't say I'm opposed to the idea of doing fewer reviews in a more critical, in-depth way and maybe putting more shorter reviews on the website. Changes are obviously in the works, and that seems like a good compromise between new and old.
These options - "Roundup coverage of imports, box sets, vinyl-only releases, digital EPs, bonus tracks? More charts from retailers and readers about what's lighting their stereos ablaze?" seem like a waste compared to a reviews section. It'd be great to know what's coming out, but how often are readers buying imports and box sets? And chances are, if it's a band I like, I'll already know about what's coming out through connections to their myspace/mailing list. Unless I'm told something about the music or the band itself, this isn't the kind of stuff that's going to send me to a record store. Also, AP seems to be counted on to give some attention to bands that aren't on the radar. It's great that retailers are seeing people buy music, but it's not telling most readers anything new or paritcularly valuable just to list what's selling. Just because an album or song sells doesn't warrant it attention in a magazine over some less-popular band who've made a better record, nor is it more important to list what sells rather than assessing or just saying something about the music. You have that Hot Topic chart and the new releases listing every month... I glance over them and forget about them, unless they list something I already know. I see a lot of names I don't recognize there, but they don't drive me to look into these artists in the same way as things like the AP&R section, the mini-band profiles or the reviews section.
Also, AP is one of the only magazines I know that runs critical reviews. Charts don't replace the value in that. A bit on what readers are listening to would be cool, especially if readers from different areas around your subscription base were talking about what's big in their area/scene. It doesn't seem like it would sufficiently replace a reviews section, especially in terms of page-space, but if you're looking to chop more pages, at least this is a decent subsitute.
Mr. Heisel, your space to rant is appreciated. If you're going to hack up the section, do what you do. Just give us some warning first :P
Keep it in the magazine, but it wouldn't hurt if you post a review or two online.
Keep the reviews in the mag. There is nothing like curling up on the couch with a good album review section!
I really want you to keep it in the magazine. I'm hardly ever on the website and I prefer to keep things traditional.
Are you kidding me? You should leave it in the magazine! That is one of my favorite parts of the magazine. Plus, I don't really go online to much when I am in school because I dont have a lot of time for it. You should keep it just as it is.
don't take it out of the magazine!
all this stuff about people stopping reviewing albums is just contributing to the death of the album format!
i like hearing what the record is like as a whole, not just individual singles and such.
however, i wouldn't mind hearing more about vinyl releases in the future.
Please don't take them out of the magazine. Personally, the reviews are the first thing that I read.
I can truthfully say, the only time I read an album review is if I already like the band in question. By that point, if I like the band enough, i'll give the album a listen no matter what the review says, good or bad.
So personally, I find the review section superfluous.
It seems to do nothing but cause a lot of drama anyway, so it might be a good choice to move it to the Web site. That way, people will have to actively seek it out, and will probably be less likely to whine about how their favorite band didn't get a four-star review.
As to what should replace it, I think it would be fair to give re-issues a fair chance.
A lot of people don't find out that a band's CD is re-issued with bonus tracks or DVD's, and I personally would rather hear mention of that sort of content.
Scott,
I just was reading my latest issue of Paste on my lunch break and something they're doing struck me as appropriate for this discussion. They now offer a tiered subscription for people who want the option of getting the magazine digitally, and those who do so get some exclusive content. Also, they just started offering the CD that comes with every issue as a secure download.
We looked at doing something like this here at my office due to the rising costs of everything (and decreased subscriptions/membership), which I am sure is part of the impetus for your office's discussion. Anyhow, what Paste is doing might be something to look into modeling - instead of moving just the reviews online, give subscribers the option of getting the entire magazine online with exclusive content. You could reduce print by at least 20% I'd bet and even have a varying cost structure for exclusives.
Anyhow, just an afterthought. Good luck.
L
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