Jim Alfredson Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 So I purusing the Downbeat website just for kicks and notice that 12 issues (a year's subscription) costs $34.95!!! Is it just me or is that really expensive for a magazine? Jazztimes, according to their website is $23.95 which is more inline with most magazines. Weird... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Damn, that's 'spensive!! I usually only buy two issues of DB per year, three tops - off the newstand. I usually get the "Critics Poll" issue, and the "Readers Poll" issue, and then maybe one other issue - based on some great cover story that I just gotta have. I sent e-mail to Downbeat about two years ago (back when I think the subscription price per year was only like $26 per year), asking if they had any kind of mulit-year discount for subscriptions. You know, 5-year subscription for the price of 4 years. Or even a 10-year subscription for the price of like 6 years?? I wasn't kidding either. Back during my first year in college (1987), Rolling Stone had a deal where you could get a 5-year subscription for like 85% off the newsstand price (seriously!!). I was buying like 4 or 5 issues of RS per year (they publish like 24 issues per year), off the newsstand for like $3.95 an issue. And the 5-year subscription took the price down to like $0.57 an issue - chump change!!! Anyway, I was wondering if DB did anything even remotely similar. They never even replied to the e-mail... Maybe I'll e-mail them again. Every year I think this is gonna be the year I subscribe to DB, but I never do..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 National Geographic is like $19 to 24, depending on what they are offering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Back during my first year in college (1987), Rolling Stone had a deal where you could get a 5-year subscription for like 85% off the newsstand price (seriously!!). I was buying like 4 or 5 issues of RS per year (they publish like 24 issues per year), off the newsstand for like $3.95 an issue. And the 5-year subscription took the price down to like $0.57 an issue - chump change!!! My point was that I was able to get a whole year's subscribtion to RS for less than the cost of buying 4 or 5 issues off the newsstand. Crazy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 not to mention Downbeat is THE thinnest magazine ever published. You don't get much for your money. Especially considering half of it is reviews and back page advertisements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pryan Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 I only buy a couppla DB's a year, and the crazy price scheme is much worse for the newstand editions at almost $8 canadian, including taxes. Rooster, subscribe to Cadence instead; almost no advertising and far more reviews, although no fancy imagery or color photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 I used to subscribe to Cadence for about 2 years total, probably between about 1991 and 1993. While I did like it, they generally covered so many musicians I'd never even heard of, that I never did renew after those first two years. Sure, there was lots that I liked about Cadence - don't get me wrong. But I always got the feeling that I was missing out on a bunch of stuff too, in favor of really obscure stuff that I had no idea what it was even. Also, I had only been listening to jazz for a couple years by that point, so I'm sure if I saw an issue now - I'd probably see more that I had some frame of reference for. Also, do they still include that huge list of records and CD's that they're sellin'?? - in EVERY damn issue?? And shit, the thing was sorted by LABEL, which always made it impossible to find anything you were actually looking for, if you just wanted to see all the releases they had by Andrew Hill, for instance. (About the only thing that being sorted by label did, was give you some idea what else was being released on labels that you knew you liked.) I think my not renewing with Cadence might have had something to do with that too - when damn near half the magizine was devoted to small-type listings of thousands of records/CD for sale - especially when 95% of the list was the exact same from month to month. Sheesh!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pryan Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Yeah, that catalogue really does take up a large portion of the actual magazine but still, there's some damn good albums in there, especially stuff that's more obscure. The first issue I received (just started my subscription in June) did sort the cds in alphabetical order, while this month's issue is sorted by label. Unlike you (or the you of ten years ago ), I like Cadence for the very fact that they do review albums/have interviews with musicians I otherwise wouldn't have heard of. I actually ordered a couple of discs solely based on the reviews (although that may come back to haunt me) in Cadence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kulu se mama Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 i got 2 years for $27.95 at this site. www.bestdealmagazines.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Thanks for the tip!!! FYI, the prices there (now) appear to be... 1 year - $20.91 2 years - $41.93 But that's still a bunch cheaper than the $35 Down Beat wants if you deal directly with them. Or are there any other better offers out there by chance??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Not only is Down Beat expensive nowadays but I find it less interesting than it used to be. I learn more about what's going on the jazz scene at Organissimo. I buy the DB issues that I find interesting. I still have not bought one this year. I subscribe to Cadence, despite its shortcomings. They keep reviewing albums I have not heard about anywhere else. And some of their interviews are worth the subscription. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 I have subscribed to both Downbeat and Jazz Times for many years, so I'm pretty much on auto pilot when it comes to re-upping every couple of years. That doesn't mean I haven't noted that the costs are increasing, especially for DB. I wonder if in their case, the recent escalation may at least in part be attributable to the reengineering of their format. DB has recently gone to a Jazz Times type layout, with (not sure what the technical term is here) a more substantial spine, i.e. it's no longer held together with staples. That's got to hike up their production expenses. And, as is usually the case, these costs get passed along to you know who. DB has added some things over the last couple of years I do like, most notably the Vinyl Freak column and the separate section devoted to reissue reviews. One thing I've noticed about both DB and JT I don't like is that they have both apparently made a decision to try to be all things to all people. I realize that jazz is an evolutionary music, and you need to keep up with the changes, but I think I'm gonna dial Earl the next time they do a story on Joni Mitchell of one of those flavor-of-the-month hip-hop outfits I couldn't listen to if you held a gun to my head.. Call me a moldy fig, but what I'd like to see are more articles like the excellent Cannonball Adderley piece DB ran a couple of months ago. I think when you made a decision to move away from the "roots" of the music, you may alienate as many people as you will attract by trying to be more contemporary. In that respect, they may end up shooting themselves in the foot. Another complaint about both DB and JT is that they spend way too much review space on current releases. When the market for jazz is as limited as it is and a substantial portion of that market is occupied by the lunatic fringe, meaning folks like us who love reissues, why can't there be at least an equalized bias for the the old and the new? When it comes to reissue reviews, what I'd really like to see is the original review that ran in either DB or JT juxtaposed with a current review from one of their in-house critics. That would be fun. Frankly, I've often wondered if there's space out there for a magazine that directed at the reissue marketplace. Wish I had a clue how you make something like that happen. Up over and out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 I don't understand the complaints about Cadence, even though I have never actually subscribed. Its a great source to learn about small label recordings, and while I agree that it is difficult to scan through label listings rather than artist listings, I have no doubt that it has led me to explore labels I might otherwise not know or recordings on labels I do like that are led by artists I don't know. You know? What I'm saying is, the effort it takes to scan those listings can be easily repaid in expanding your horizons! Plus, Cadence has good prices on imports like Criss Cross, and everytime I order and they add on the $3 charge for non-subscribers, I remind myself that I need to bite the bullet and subscribe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted July 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 You JT and DB readers, let me know if you see our record in there in the future! I sent both magazines copies for review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 1.) Sorry, but I still like Down Beat. 2.) I subscribe to Cadence & buy mainly Hat & Fresh Sounds CDs from them. Criss Cross CDs are actually cheaper at www.cheap-cds.com (although they don't always have everything). 3.) Not to be inconsistent, but I recently purchased Elmo Hope & Herb Geller Fresh Sounds CDs form Dusty Groove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 from, from, from (Sorry for the typo.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 Cadence's center section catalogue is organized by label one month, by last name of artist the next month, and back to label the next month. And so on. Granted I don't know when anyone looks up things by label, but I just figured someone has a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montg Posted July 25, 2003 Report Share Posted July 25, 2003 (edited) For me, the best jazz magazine by far, and the only one I subscribe to, is Richard Cook's Jazz Review (published in the UK). The reviews are intelligent and they cover the spectrum of jazz--from Bix to new releases. This month's issue had a nice feature on Brubeck's recent UK tour, a feature on Leo records, a little bit about Wynton and Blue Note and a bunch of other stuff. Plus a range of interesting reviews--the recent batch of Criss Cross releases, Warne Marsh, Yerba Buena Stompers etc... You can get a single issue to sample it for about 6 or 7 bucks I think. E-mail address jazzreview@excite.com p.s.-I'm not affiliated with them in any way. I just like the magazine Edited July 25, 2003 by montg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted July 25, 2003 Report Share Posted July 25, 2003 It's not just you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 25, 2003 Report Share Posted July 25, 2003 Granted I don't know when anyone looks up things by label, but I just figured someone has a reason. It was actually a bit of an "event" when Cadence went to the alternating label/artist scheme. Rousch seemed adamantly opposed to it, but finally yielded/compromised to reader desires. He once explained his rationale as being a reaction against and a deterrent to the "star syatem", that sorting by label forced the reader to look beyond their favorite artists and might possibly stimulate curiosity about something or somebody new. Whatever. I will say that when the Italian grey market labels were in full swing, being able to look by label served a purpose - you never knew who or what was going to be on those labels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted July 26, 2003 Report Share Posted July 26, 2003 montg beat me to it. Jazz Review is the best. They have some darn good articles in there and they review or advertise some albums that I'd like to get and wouldn't see in the other two. I've never liked DB and while I get JT, I generally find it a waste of time. I let Cadence lapse but they have some good interviews in there. I need to reup. Plus, I like the Scott Yanow reviews on the reissues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montg Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 The Aug. Jazz review arrived today. A lot of great stuff again... The Coltrane Industry--"why is he still the major influence on contemporary jazz musicians?" Interview with Jay McShann How to thin out your record collection Ton of good reviews...Johnny Hodges Proper box, Javon Jackson, Terrell Stafford, Ususal disclaimers apply--I have no connection with JR, I just think it's a cool magazine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted August 8, 2003 Report Share Posted August 8, 2003 I've never seen Jazz Review over here in the states. How much is a subscription for someone over here in the U.S.?? Probably pretty expensive, I'm guessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montg Posted August 9, 2003 Report Share Posted August 9, 2003 It's 50 british pounds for a year (12 months). They also have an e-mail subscription where you get the entire magazine for a year for 15 pounds. Before I subscribed i asked if they would send one copy and charged it to my card (4 or 5 pounds I think). It arrived within a week and I was hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted August 9, 2003 Report Share Posted August 9, 2003 The article in the August review of JR about thinning out your collection is a classic. Had me in stitches. That just by itself made this issue worthwhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.