The Price of Keyboard mag for feb.

[mr. tunes]

over the past few years I know the price of Keyboard has been rising, I don't really have a problem with that because I know Inflation is one factor, and maybe some other business decisions with Miller Freeman. I think the quality of the mag has gone up with the price, so I'm not complaining at all.

 

Maybe someone could explain why this month's issue had a sticker over the original price? I live in Canada, and the price on the sticker was $6.99(4.99 US). After peeling the sticker off the price was $5.95 CAN(4.95 US). Is this something that was done only to the Canadian issues? Did Miller Freeman change their mind about the price after it was printed?

 

As I said above I have no complaints about the price, I'm just wondering what's up with the sticker

[urk10]

I bought mine at Chapters here in Vancouver and there was a sticker indeed but the price was 5.95$CAD.

 

BUT,this month(march), the magazine is at 6.99$CAD,without sticker!

[The T Dot]

What's the deal?? they screw over the website, and now expect us to pay more for the mag?

 

no thanks.

[mr. tunes]

ahhh my fellow canadians

I was trying to be nice and polite - I wasn't trying to whine

 

But now my comrade from Hamilton has unleashed the fury!

Let the Canadian rants begin!

Any Russians out there think this is unfair and they deserve an increase in price too?

[steadyb]

Originally posted by mr. tunes:

I live in Canada, and the price on the sticker was $6.99.

I think it's because February is the Swimsuit issue.

 

steadyb

[The T Dot]

Originally posted by mr. tunes:

But now my comrade from Hamilton has unleashed the fury!

lol! It's just upsetting to see what was once a great magazine with good web features go downhill, and then take a price jump. I may have to consider a certain overseas competitor...

 

Chris

[RABid]

Originally posted by steadyb:

I think it's because February is the Swimsuit issue.

 

steadyb

ACK! Not Dave. PLEASE NO!

[mr. tunes]

I think it's because February is the Swimsuit issue.

Craig Anderton in a speedo? Greg Rule in a Bikini?

[guestuserguestuser.com]

Originally posted by Chris100:

It's just upsetting to see what was once a great magazine with good web features go downhill, and then take a price jump. I may have to consider a certain overseas competitor...

Chris

I think I have to agree with you. Maybe it's me that's changed, but I've been a subscriber since about 88 or 89, and I can remember that in the past, maybe not every issue, but at least some issues would contain good articles and reviews, and that I would spend hours reading it from cover to cover. I just don't find that depth any more. Now I just skim through, and rarely do I actually read anything.

 

However, it's probably me that's changed. I've been burned too many times. My expectations are lower now. I realize that most synthesizers are poorly designed cheap disposable consumer items, rather than being real musical instruments. Think about it: all the great classic synths and electric keyboards were designed and made decades ago: B3, Rhodes, Minimoog, Clavinet, etc. etc. From about 1980 onwards, with a few rare possible exceptions, it's been about mass-marketing cheap disposable crap. No-one's going to be calling a Triton a classic synth 30 years from now. The whole issue of electric/electronic design is in need of serious overhaul. Just my opinion, of course.

 

So, if Keyboard significantly raises the subscription price, I'll probably just bale.

[R_dup1]

I think the deal with the sticker may be the extra markup that some stores place on magazines. If they can't sell it for enough with the cover price, then they just slap their own sticker on it with a higher price.

 

Several stores around town here do that for import mags, so if you're in Canada buying a US mag, that may be what's going on.

[synthetic]

/flame on.

 

I used to read Keyboard cover to cover, twice. If you look at my magazines in the 80s and 90s not one had a cover which wasn't torn to pieces from being read so many times. I learned something in every section, whether it was about playing rock, jazz, classical, pricey gear, cheap gear, anything. Now, I flip through a few pages and I'm done. It's just not about playing anymore, just about how to make your VS-880 get twice as many tracks or something.

 

Is it me? Do I just know everything now, and I have nothing left to learn about synths?

 

Remember the second half of the magazine used to be about, I don't know, something like, PLAYING KEYBOARDS? What are the columns about now? Here's the list in the Feb issue: Dance Mix, Digital Home Recording, Sound Forum, Composing, Music for Picture, Technology 101, Vintage Gear. The one music-related column, Composing, doesn't even have a G-clef! It's about talking to clients. How about one measley column about how to play the freakin keyboard?!

 

In their defense, there's a "how to play lounge chords" sidebar in this issue, and a piece which seems to be about improvising on accordian... no, I'm not making this up! Accordian and lounge music!!! How about Rock? Jazz? Classical? Anything that isn't as GALACTICALLY LAME AS LOUNGE MUSIC AND ACCORDIAN!?

 

Is there anyone left at the magazine who can play? Or do they just program the latest plugin-softsynth-swear-it-sounds-just-like-a-box-which-was-cool-30-years-ago.

 

Guys, really. It's time for some tough love here. I realize that all of the cool rock and jazz keyboard players we can name are in retirement communities now, but maybe we can have some actual music-related content in the next issue. Something that might actually convince me to bring the magazine over to my synth and play along, like I did so many times before.

 

Dave Stewart, vacation's over. Andy Laverne, check your email. Somebody, anybody, print some music which will kick my ass. Because I could really use that ass kick right about now, so I'll be inspired to write my own ass-kicking music.

 

/flame off

 

-jl

[RobT]

As far as the sticker deal you Canadians are not alone. Here in the good ol' Southeast US of A some of the chain stores have stickers on them starting with last months Herbie Hancock issue and others did not. A whopping .04 cent difference between Borders, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Guitar Center's keyboard section, Marrs Music, Waldenbooks and some of the local music stores. Did they decide to raise some prices after the issues were shipped to some dealers?

 

I read both Keyboard and Bass Player off and on over the years and I've seen LESS of some of my favorite columnists over the past year or so. I'm less inclined to be a subscriber now to either of them now. The editor in the current Keyboard issue kinda addresses some of the too much technology and not enough music concerns. As a budding keyboardist I'd appreciate more musical content. It's almost like Keyboard magazine has some multiple personalities. I'm a software and computer magazine... no wait I'm a home recording magazine...no wait I'm a keyboard magazine. Now I'm leaving out .

 

Granted the technology does change rather rapidly and it may be hard to keep up. That's why in the IT industry there is a MacWorld, Windows and .Net, Linux, Network Computing and all the other assorted magazines. PC, PC World, PC Computing, InforWorld, ComputerWorld et al. are the equivalent of 'we try to cover it all' magazines. Most times the coverage is spotty at best. You find yourself zeroing in on some columns you like and discarding the rest. I'd really hate to see that same thing happen with music magazines. Don't even think about how many software development/language magazines there are... sheesh!

 

RobT

[Tusker]

Dunno about the price increase.

 

But about what you get for that price, I agree with synthetic completely. I used to subscribe. They lost me as a subscriber when new issues failed to teach me anything new. Maybe they added five new people to every long term subscriber they lost.

 

I have the greatest respect for those guys. I wish them well. I'll come back when there is something new on keyboard music and sound design. As to computer, music production and studio stuff, I want a separate magazine for that.

 

Regards,

 

Jerry

[MojoHaiku]

Synthetic -- Excellent rant. Couldn't agree more.

[RABid]

I subscribe so I am still just under $2.50 and issue. Sad thing is that about all that interrest me anymore is the hardware reviews, and those are not as dependable as they used to be. The most interresting/useful article in the last issue was about recording, not keyboards. I don't mind paying the price for a good magazine, and Keyboard is still my first choice to curl up with on the couch. That said, I recently started two overseas subscriptions with other magazines that cost about $10.00 an issue. I should not feel the need to do that, but I do.

 

Robert

[R_dup1]

Originally posted by Rabid:

I subscribe so I am still just under $2.50 and issue. Sad thing is that about all that interrest me anymore is the hardware reviews, and those are not as dependable as they used to be. The most interresting/useful article in the last issue was about recording, not keyboards. I don't mind paying the price for a good magazine, and Keyboard is still my first choice to curl up with on the couch. That said, I recently started two overseas subscriptions with other magazines that cost about $10.00 an issue. I should not feel the need to do that, but I do.

 

Robert

Let me guess, that would be Sound On Sound and Future Music? SOS seems to have the most honest reviews around and FM, while primarily focused on electronic and dance, at least has a hot to in every issue. I let my Keyboard subscription expire once before and will probably let it go again the next time it's up for renewal unless there are some changes. Since I have all the recording and electronic music stuff, plus better reviews, covered elsewhere, I don't really see any need to continue KB until it gets back to a focus on playing instead of just hawking gear.

[mr. tunes]

I think it's people like me who are to blame for many people's rage against the mag. Last year there was a survey and I answered it honestly as I could. And it seems like the magazine is catoring to people like myself who are looking for more tech tutorials as opposed to straight ahead keyboard ones. And I picked up the latest issue this month, and I actually like the Lounge special. I love the new fusion of bossa nova with trip-hop and Thievery Corporation gets steady play on my 6-disc changer.

 

It was cool to read a bit about how these groups work - very interesting to see how low their budgets can be that horn players are sometimes out of the question.

 

I've been reading since about '95, and the magazine has changed drastically since then. As I said above it has changed in favour of people like myself. Maybe the Keyboard audience is getting younger, or maybe people are more hungry than ever to learn more about how recording equipment works. I don't think Keyboard needed to teach it's readers in the 70's how a Rhodes keyboard worked - but nowadays professional studios can be done with so many variations and there's so much to know about tech and computers

 

Times change and I'm sorry if y'all are upset with this. I'm also sorry for filling out the survey last year because it seems like myself and hundreds of others have heavily influenced these issues of Keyboard

[RABid]

Originally posted by mr. tunes:

 

....I've been reading since about '95, and the magazine has changed drastically since then. As I said above it has changed in favour of people like myself. Maybe the Keyboard audience is getting younger, or maybe people are more hungry than ever to learn more about how recording equipment works. I don't think Keyboard needed to teach it's readers in the 70's how a Rhodes keyboard worked - but nowadays professional studios can be done with so many variations and there's so much to know about tech and computers

 

Times change and I'm sorry if y'all are upset with this. I'm also sorry for filling out the survey last year because it seems like myself and hundreds of others have heavily influenced these issues of Keyboard

Times have not changed as much as you think. I have been reading since the late 70s. While I may be getting older, I was just as young then as you are now. I doubt the demographics have changed that much. Sure we now have articles on how to do things on computer. Back then we had articles on how to build devices and service equipment. Keyboard had articles on how to be noticed, how to read a contract, how to get published. If you think things have changed since the mid-90s go back a lot further. It is shocking to read the early magazines and see how much space is dedicated to instruction and developing your talent. Interviews consisted of more than What gear do you use? and How did you get discovered? Many times an artist would provide a transcription of a favorite song or solo, along with some insight on how it was developed and how to play it. You could flip through the pages and see 5 different transcriptions throughout the magazine. The last good interview I remember was BTs description of how and why he slices and dices parts to line up beats. While I did not agree with some of what he said I did learn from it.

 

I think a lot of us that read this forum would be embarrassed if we used patterns from a beat box or arppegiator to create a song, but that seems to be the audience and level Keyboard has shifted to. More emphasis is focused on creating songs from loop libraries than developing ideas to creat your own loops and songs. While it may seem to be a good business move in the short term I think they have abandoned their cause and left the door open for someone else. I dont think I will ever see modern drummer start focusing on drum machines or computers at the expense of real drum equipment.

 

By the way, when is the last time you saw a real piano or organ reviewed in Keyboard mag? How does the Kimball compare to a Yamaha, Baldwin or Young Chang?

 

Robert

[Colonel Taylor]

Funny...I never thought about it really but some of you are right. I find myself reading all of my old mags instead of the new ones.

 

In fact, this past weekend I found an old copy of Electronic Musician from 1987 in my old closet at my parents house. I finally had time last night to sit down with the latest issue of Keyboard, but that old EM won out. There was something more honest back then I suppose...less gloss and more substance. I loved an article in EM about making a Midi interface for an old analog. I kind of think it's like the situation with computers. During the 70s and early 80s it was all about kits and groups of guys hanging out. Today it's gotten...well...maybe too corporate. Computers are now comodity items...much the same way some synths appear to be heading. I still love the new stuff...but I long for a more innocent time.

 

Maybe it's beacause I can relate a little more to the old stuff that I prefer it. It's a matter of your own personal perspective I suppose.

[synthetic]

I liked the old DIY articles in EM and (occasionally) Keyboard. Even though I never actually built any of the gear, it was interesting to see how a piezo drum pad, vocoder, etc. worked.

[Tusker]

Originally posted by Colonel Taylor:

Funny...I never thought about it really but some of you are right. I find myself reading all of my old mags instead of the new ones.

I have bought a number of the old magazines on Ebay for their substance, myself. For the synthesis part of that content there are some books made up of a bunch of Keyboard magazine articles from the late 70s and early 80s. I believe they are called "synthesizer technique" and "synthesizer programming". A large chunk of "synthesizer programming" is devoted to specific synths, so it may not apply as much. I believe there is a third, introductory book as well, thgouh I have not read it.

 

The articles are very substantial.. much as you would expect from early keyboard.

 

Regards,

 

Jerry

[Squids]

I like the old Keyboard magazines a lot. Keyboard is actually one of the few magazines that I look forward to even reading the ads! (and that's not because my company advertises in there!). I remember CLASSIC old ads with some funky huge synthesizer rig behind some 70's dude and it saying "Play any sound you can possibly imagine!". I actually thought that if I had $10,000. to spend on a PRISM or Con Brio or Axel Resynthesizer (wasn't that just a big Light Bright?) that I could create ANY sound imaginable.

 

I love Keyboard and I always get it. I got more out of the old ones for my tastes and I DO think that Keyboard US could do better by being more like FM and SOS which I LOVE (and can't HELP but buy when I am at the bookstore!). I like to use the magazines to really learn some important honest impressions of all that is related to KEYBOARDS.