Hi, I've been a subscriber or reader of Bass Player since the first issue.

It's changed a lot over the years, but more recently it's started shrinking.



First you did away with the giveaways, then the work on your bass segment, and now you have taken out my favorite section, the introduce yourself.

That magazine from England is starting to look better and better!



PLEASE, give us our magazine back. You can still keep your advertisements just add some pages!

Bassfully yours,

Steve Workman

Joplin, MO

I just picked up the May issue yesterday, and I didn't notice it being smaller/thinner. Maybe I didn't look close enough. If it is smaller, I'd be willing to bet it's getting harder to find advertisers because of the weakening economy, which means less money, which means fewer pages. Simple economics. I'd also bet that the subscription rates don't do piddly toward the cost of producing the magazine and that most of the cost of the magazine is paid by the advertiser's money.

I really like the new look, though. Good job, guys.

I think they're putting out a good magazine even if it's slimmed down due to budget constraints. Good work, BPM.

The English Bass Guitar Magazine has some good articles (including by several friends of mine) but overall it's not near the standard of BP (although improving). It is also bi-monthly and more expensive per issue than a BP subscription for me even over here. With the dollar exchange rate it must be quite dear over in Missouri.

Actually BGM has just gone monthly and the May issue is rather good!

Phil is right that it is expensive over here--around twice the cost of BPM I think.

As a long time member of the MI products industry, I can attest to the fact that when times get tough, the first thing to get cut is the marketing budget.
You can bet that the thinner mag isn't the result of fewer articles being written.

Print is slowly going the way of the cassette tape.

I think most magazines will have a thinnner print issue, but will offer subscribers more content online, it's less expensive, and can actually be a better product. Several magazines now offer this sort of online subscription.

To be honest, I read the interviews in BP once, though I do go back to the transcriptions many times, and I'm glad that BP has added more of those in the last few years.

BP has done a great job with offering free online content, including lessons, gear reviews, and interviews. Viewing the new online content monthly adds hours, (days, in the case of lessons), to the amount of value coming from the print issue.

so there's no point of having a subscription if this's what they plan to do,but sorry call me a dinosaur i'm gonna keep all my cassette tapes and old magazines and if this's the plan i'm gonna be deeply disappointed.

I just showed the love tonight with my credit card. Jolly up and write my friends :-)

Hey Phil! —
I just saw a copy of Bass Guitar Magazine in the train station here in Cologne today -- it looks good (I should have bought it, but I was in a rush). Of course, I've been with Bass Player since the beginning, so that is the gold standard for me.

Mr. Goldsby, welcome. I've been listening to you for years and I've got a copy of your book, The Jazz Bass Book.

Come on over to the Lowdown Lowdown forum and share some of your wisdom and experience with us!

Hi Jeremy C, you have been named in print in this month's magazine. How do you feel?

Will do, Jeremy. I just got back home after a couple of weeks at the Aebersold Workshop in Louisville. I was running the whole time there (playing and teaching to be more precise), but now I have some time and want to dig into the forum a lot deeper.