RE: Describe your ideal Gramophone magazine look and content
Forgot to say:
1. the Gramophone must continue to target its main readership which I see as somewhere between BBC Music Magazine and International Record Collector. The former too fluffy with insubstantial reviews, the latter too ponderous. By all means draw in new readers but don't forget your core.
2. don't whatever you do go down the Classic FM "lifestyle" magazine route with its spurious musical links to travel, food and gardening.
3. if you do wish to broaden your readership, perhaps as most people will get their new acquaintance of "classical" music through cinema - how about a little more on the relationship between the two. The Edward Seckerson reviews of film scores point to some potential to expand on this.
4. there is also room for more on muscial theatre - I pull my Showboat recording down from the shelves as often as my Wozzeck and can't see what competition from other magazines you would have if muscial theatre were to be given (a little) more prominence.
5. a better balance of musical categories per magazine would be good. While I do love classical music I adore opera so am disappointed if the interviews, collection and articles are all related to symphonic music or choral music in a particular issue. It does happen!
6. I would not pay much more for the magazine and see costs being kept down by ditching the CD (that's what the web's for).
7. is there potential to make a better link between specialist classical music retailers and the magazine so as to have mutual benefits - by bringing in more advertising revenue and giving them more prominence - I note the footnote to this months Editorial on MDCs demise. Whatever happened to Blue Ribbons?
Forgot to say:
1. the Gramophone must continue to target its main readership which I see as somewhere between BBC Music Magazine and International Record Collector. The former too fluffy with insubstantial reviews, the latter too ponderous. By all means draw in new readers but don't forget your core.
2. don't whatever you do go down the Classic FM "lifestyle" magazine route with its spurious musical links to travel, food and gardening.
3. if you do wish to broaden your readership, perhaps as most people will get their new acquaintance of "classical" music through cinema - how about a little more on the relationship between the two. The Edward Seckerson reviews of film scores point to some potential to expand on this.
4. there is also room for more on muscial theatre - I pull my Showboat recording down from the shelves as often as my Wozzeck and can't see what competition from other magazines you would have if muscial theatre were to be given (a little) more prominence.
5. a better balance of musical categories per magazine would be good. While I do love classical music I adore opera so am disappointed if the interviews, collection and articles are all related to symphonic music or choral music in a particular issue. It does happen!
6. I would not pay much more for the magazine and see costs being kept down by ditching the CD (that's what the web's for).
7. is there potential to make a better link between specialist classical music retailers and the magazine so as to have mutual benefits - by bringing in more advertising revenue and giving them more prominence - I note the footnote to this months Editorial on MDCs demise. Whatever happened to Blue Ribbons?