Here's an idea as to how to improve the world....

[joelpatterson]

"Corrupted by ad sales?" That'll be the day.

I guess everyone accepts that out there in the "other" world, some magazines won't print a negative review of their advertiser's products. I think it would be the greatest irony if there was someone who wouldn't print a POSITIVE review because of advertisers... not that that would ever happen.

[MichaelAlan]

But how do you know that Tape Op isn't corrupted by our ad sales? We're selling out by the minute. I'm sure I can find a BB or link that says so...

I did see a full page ad for "Red" micrphones on this issue...dude..Red? They look awfully familiar...


Mike

[Old-Draftsman]

Sounds good 2 me...73s...ill bring my HAM radio stuff, right

Yes! A Tape op and HAMFEST.

I'll bring an old copy or two of 73 for the fire.

de WT4C ar

I wonder if an old D-104 could work for strange audio effects... Harmonica or harsh vocal work.

[radiationroom]

But how do you know that Tape Op isn't corrupted by our ad sales? We're selling out by the minute. I'm sure I can find a BB or link that says so...

Larry.... If you want to make your magazine paid subscription only, with a classified section in the back, in a similar format like Audio Amateur was years ago, I'd gladly pay for it. I do not expect anything worthwile to be handed to me for free.

I get just about all of your competitors for free, Keyboard and Guitar Player being the exceptions (to which I do not subscribe), and off all the free-bees the only one I find useful other than Tape-Op is Media Line. In the case of Media Line, I'm not going to be purchasing an industrial CD replication line that does 100,000 disks per hour anytime soon, so I can dismiss editorial bias to a certain extent when reading that 'zine. {FOOTNOTE: I get over two dozen magazines from Miller-Freeman and Ziff-Davis, never retrun the subscription cards, yet they keep sending them. This includes computer titles and one called "CFO" which is aimed at the accounting trade.}

Think about it. Free TV and Free Radio. Is there anything on TV or Radio other than C-Span, NPR, PBS, The Weather Channel, and your local college radio station that is worth listening to or viewing? With the exception of the Weather Channel and C-Span, they are all mostly supported through direct contributions from their listeners/viewers. The Weather Channel does nothing but weather, which is a hard science/news and can't be easily turned into propaganda for their advertisers.

The same goes for recording magazines. Take a poll and see how many of your readers would be willing to pay a subscription fee verses the number who wants a handout. Run your numbers and see if you can make it work. If you still need ad revenue to fill in the gaps, keep the recording studios and similar services (I might take an ad myself), add lots of DIY projects (the recording channel I'm working on would make a nice 3-part article if your interested) and sell ads to parts suppliers such as Sescom, Antique Electronics, Switchcraft, Mouser, Parts Express, etc. Then if a reviewer wants to praise or rip a piece of commerical gear or praise or rip a recording format or technique, they can do so without you having to worry of economic reprisal from advertisers of expensive/cheap/whatever off the shelf recording gear of the week.

Thanks for listening and have a nice day!

73's - DJ Carli - http://www.radiationroom.com

[Girl Toes]

But how do you know that Tape Op isn't corrupted by our ad sales? We're selling out by the minute. I'm sure I can find a BB or link that says so...

Larry.... If you want to make your magazine paid subscription only, with a classified section in the back, in a similar format like Audio Amateur was years ago, I'd gladly pay for it. I do not expect anything worthwile to be handed to me for free.

I get just about all of your competitors for free, Keyboard and Guitar Player being the exceptions (to which I do not subscribe), and off all the free-bees the only one I find useful other than Tape-Op is Media Line. In the case of Media Line, I'm not going to be purchasing an industrial CD replication line that does 100,000 disks per hour anytime soon, so I can dismiss editorial bias to a certain extent when reading that 'zine. {FOOTNOTE: I get over two dozen magazines from Miller-Freeman and Ziff-Davis, never retrun the subscription cards, yet they keep sending them. This includes computer titles and one called "CFO" which is aimed at the accounting trade.}

Think about it. Free TV and Free Radio. Is there anything on TV or Radio other than C-Span, NPR, PBS, The Weather Channel, and your local college radio station that is worth listening to or viewing? With the exception of the Weather Channel and C-Span, they are all mostly supported through direct contributions from their listeners/viewers. The Weather Channel does nothing but weather, which is a hard science/news and can't be easily turned into propaganda for their advertisers.

The same goes for recording magazines. Take a poll and see how many of your readers would be willing to pay a subscription fee verses the number who wants a handout. Run your numbers and see if you can make it work. If you still need ad revenue to fill in the gaps, keep the recording studios and similar services (I might take an ad myself), add lots of DIY projects (the recording channel I'm working on would make a nice 3-part article if your interested) and sell ads to parts suppliers such as Sescom, Antique Electronics, Switchcraft, Mouser, Parts Express, etc. Then if a reviewer wants to praise or rip a piece of commerical gear or praise or rip a recording format or technique, they can do so without you having to worry of economic reprisal from advertisers of expensive/cheap/whatever off the shelf recording gear of the week.

Thanks for listening and have a nice day!

73's - DJ Carli - http://www.radiationroom.com

Dude, those are not free magazines. TApeOp is free for everybody!! Just cause you get them for free doesn't mean that they are free magazines. Sure, TV is free, but it totally sucks. And you can pay for TV if you want too, and theoretically you get more content, but in reality it just sucks more. If we paid for TapeOp, it would just suck more.
This is a wonderful magazine because its obvious that the people who run it are actual people who really love what they do. We all have our complaints, but your being a picky little mother fucker. Mix is a pay magazine to most people, and it has a million times more ads, and advertiser influenced articles than this one. Most of the articles in this magazine aren't gear based, they are technic based, and everyone who is in it seems to just really love what they are doing. That's so refreshing. And the fact that its free makes it very easy for me to convince other people to read, because most of the idiots i work with could stand to learn a lot from it.
If you really want to pay for it, pay for it. There is a premium option for delivery.

[radiationroom]

Dude, those are not free magazines.

They are when you get on the right mailing list. I don't know of any pro - ie: someone who actually makes part or all of their living doing music/TV/media - who actually pays for any of these mags.

TApeOp is free for everybody!!

Which is called democracy. My question is "How comes if it's free, why can't I get the stupid mofo's who bug me about using their PC based bedroom studios to read it?"

Just cause you get them for free doesn't mean that they are free magazines. Sure, TV is free, but it totally sucks. And you can pay for TV if you want too, and theoretically you get more content, but in reality it just sucks more.

I will agree with that. I wouldn't pay one dime for HBO, Cinimax, Showtime, or whatever. I do support NPR.

If we paid for TapeOp, it would just suck more.

I pay for Audio Amateur/Audio Electronics and it does not suck. I paid for QST back in my ham radio daze and it did not suck.

This is a wonderful magazine because its obvious that the people who run it are actual people who really love what they do.

We can agree on that!

your being a picky little mother fucker.

We can agree on that as well!

Mix is a pay magazine to most people, and it has a million times more ads, and advertiser influenced articles than this one.

And I personally wouldn't pay one dime for it. Stupid mofo's can if they so desire.

If you really want to pay for it, pay for it. There is a premium option for delivery.

Done so. And it's probibly time for me to send another check for another year. I think it was $12.00 or $15.00 the last time. Larry?

73's - DJ Carli

[Brian]

Because you are Larry, as in "Happy as,,,", and you can't be corrupted. It's impossible.
I vote for Memphis and I bet we can get a good venue here too. I'm in, I mean "well in" as in "b?lls slappin up against the back of her *ss" in! I'll get particulars two weeks from today.

[Mr. Dipity]

{...sometimes I think certain recording magazines are a form of techno-porn to which sexually repressed kiddies masterbate to...}

How dare you impugn my integrity?

[Mr. Dipity]

Im in to, I have about 3 years worth of mags offering me the latest and greatest in digital technology of digidesign.

My ex room mate gave me 3-4 years worth of mix, keyboard mag and electronic musician. I sat them next to my toilet for 4 months, and tore out all the articles that looked worth keeping around.

When I was done, I had a binder full of actual articles, from 4 milk crates worth of magazines. Some magazines had 1-2 pages of actual worthwhile content in them, sandwiched between the gear "reveiws".

On another note. Has anyone figured out a good way to store their tapeops, so they can pass them on to their grand children in pristine condition?

[nacho459]

So here's my idea. We take all our back and current issues of {_FILL_ _IN_ _THE_BLANK_ _PRO-AUDIO_ _MAGAZINE_ (but not Tape-Op) _HERE_}, pile them up in a huge trash heap, make a bond fire out of them, and roast hot-dogs and marshmallow smores.

When I get a new issue of TapeOp it is kept on my desk and read over and over until the next issue comes out, then it gets retired to the neat orderly stack that goes back a few years.

I don't keep any other "audio" magazines cause they are only good for one or two squats before they are in thrown in the dumpster. Since they reformatted EQ a few years ago and decided to only write about soft studios it has become my favorite laxative.

Maybe I can throw in some broken ?bermixers into the fire instead.

[Rigsby]

tore out all the articles that looked worth keeping around.

When I was done, I had a binder full of actual articles, from 4 milk crates worth of magazines. Some magazines had 1-2 pages of actual worthwhile content in them, sandwiched between the gear "reveiws".

Yeah, me too, and it is surprising how little you get, then again, i only bought most of them so i could get my mitts on the sample CDs on the cover, some were worth it, some not. Hey ho.

[Tim Casey]

I honestly don't think that most magazines publish great reviews of products simply because they come from one of their advertisers. Call me naive, but I'm pretty sure most editors look at that as a third rail - touch it and die.

Are most trade magazines enamored of most of their advertisers' products? Probably - but that's just because they're so into their chosen fields that they'd get excited about those products anyway.

[bigtoe]

Craig Anderton is the original gangsta! he's cool. i hope that dork who was editor last year is gone. he took it straight back to 1984

anyway i heard eq is getting better...i wanna see it. boy it was bad last year.

most of the recording mags are kinda getting better- in no small part due to tape op, in my opinion. kinda like when everyone picked up a sitar in '67.

i'm on an hour sleep and this temp next to me giggles nervously every two seconds and i want to throw my slim fast at her. mmm...milk chocolate.

ZZZ,
Mike

[Brian]

Anderton is cool. Does anybody remember recording engineer/producer? That was my favorite. It's PSN.net now.
I miss the print version. Mix and EQ suck the big one now.
Performer and Performance mags were good.