Gramophone

[MickyD]

I'd be interested to know if Gramophone are now finding it necessary to offer special prices to attract more subscribers - certainly they weren't doing so six months ago when my subscription came up for renewal. Interesting, Vodkadilc, that it works out to be the most expensive of all three mags!

[PaulT]

Fanfare (including postage, according to the website) - £7.60 - 6 issues a year
IRR - £4 monthly (more than Fanfare over a year.)
Gramophone - £4.60 in the shops, probably much less by subscription, depending on their current level of desperation when renewing.

So over two months, Fanfare costs £7.60, IRR £8 and Gramophone £9.20.

Thank you for the cost comparison. I hadn't realised Fanfare was only published every other month. Decision made.

[MickyD]

Interesting that the dropped CD complaints are still coming in on the Gramophone Forum:

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/forum/general-discussion/covermount-cd-discontinuance?page=27

I wonder if the editorial team are still wondering if they did right; I suppose to their credit they are at least not wiping off unfavourable messages from their board.

[mathias broucek]

It's rather sad about Gramo.

I've just ordered Giulini in America II (£15 from Amazon) and it prompted me to search the archive for some of the original reviews which have sooooo much more depth than those of today. They also include objective comments about tempo and articulation, not just subjective reaction.

[VodkaDilc]

I'm in the process of clearing out old copies of Gramophone to create some more space. I have all back numbers from about 1974 to the present. As Mathias has said, it's worth consulting old ones for the erudite and helpful reviews they previously published, but where should I draw the line? I am tempted to throw out the last ten years of issues and keep 1974 - 2000. Have I got it about right or did they lose the plot in the 1990s?

(To those who say "Throw out the lot and consult the online archive" I will reply that there is nothing to compare with browsing through an old magazine and coming across nearby reviews, letters, adverts and other random items.)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I am tempted to throw out the last ten years of issues and keep 1974 - 2000. Have I got it about right or did they lose the plot in the 1990s?

I think you have it just about right, VodkaDilc.

[PJPJ]

I do not miss the cover CD - this month the Gramophone player has Testament's JB live Mahler 6 in full for streaming. The downside is the temptation to buy was too strong to resist. As for Gramophone itself, I think there's been an improvement over the past year, though it still doesn't take me very long to read, unlike Classic Recordings Quarterly. I used to get Fanfare at Tower, Piccadilly. I threw out all back numbers of that and Gramophone (which I used to have going back to 1966) some months ago prior to moving, but have kept all the CRQs and Farnon Society Journals into Melody, an invaluable resource for Light Music. Yes, I am an unashamed fan, and look forward to the Light Music weekend later this month on R3, despite preferring it a little and often to an extended orgy.

[DoctorT]

I received a phone call from Haymarket this evening. As a previous subscriber, they offered me 3 months trial of Gramophone at £1 per month. I assume this offer is open to any new (or old) subscribers... I'm sticking with IRR.

[VodkaDilc]

I received the latest Gramophone a few days ago and, for the first time, found nothing which interested me - not even the reviews. When I am asked to renew in a couple of months' time, I will have no hesitation in declining.
I see there's a letter from an eminent musician in the latest IRR in which he says he has just abandoned Gramophone after 50 years. In my case it will be after about 38 years.

[gurnemanz]

I also got a call from Gramophone today, even though I gave up my subscription over four years ago. I suppose they must be getting a bit desperate. The chap on the line was pleasant enough, but as I raised various relevant points it was clear that he knew very little about the magazine. For instance, he didn't know they also published a Classical Music Guide in book form. I said I wished them well but declined the offer.

[VodkaDilc]

I also got a call from Gramophone today, even though I gave up my subscription over four years ago. I suppose they must be getting a bit desperate. The chap on the line was pleasant enough, but as I raised various relevant points it was clear that he knew very little about the magazine. For instance, he didn't know they also published a Classical Music Guide in book form. I said I wished them well but declined the offer.

I suppose the people who phone on behalf of Gramophone are general Haymarket sales staff, so will be no more knowledgeable about Gramophone than they are about Sheep Farmers' Monthly! As far as I know they do not have my phone number or email address.

[Jasmine Bassett]

I thought that might have been the mystery "call centre" phone call my partner picked up yesterday and sure enough they tried again this evening. The young lady ws very pleasant insisting that this was not an offer to resubscribe but was an offer to "re-engage" with the magazine (who writes their scripts?). When I explained my reasons for not wanting to re-engage there was a resigned "thank you" I suspect she'd heard the same story from other ex-subscribers. When I asked if it would be possible to feed my comments back to the magazine their was a soft giggle and the reponse "I'll try". I suspect no matter how hard the young lady tries nobody will be listening.

I'm not sure if others are in the same position but I have also received an e-mail from Haymarket offering a "free" copy of the next issue of either Gramophone or Classic FM Magazine - it's a difficult choice!

[VodkaDilc]

I'm not sure if others are in the same position but I have also received an e-mail from Haymarket offering a "free" copy of the next issue of either Gramophone or Classic FM Magazine - it's a difficult choice!

Perhaps a merged Gramophone/Classic FM magazine is the answer. It couldn't be any worse than the present offering.

[reinerfan]

Perhaps a merged Gramophone/Classic FM magazine is the answer. It couldn't be any worse than the present offering.

You want to bet? After occasionally sampling British TV and British press, I am sure there is still considerable scope for descent! Incidentally, I subscribed to the Gramophone for almost 50 years before giving up in disgust. I tried again last year, after a break of 4 years, which convinced me that I had made the right decision to cancel.

[mikealdren]

I got a call some time ago, perhaps the answer should be 'return the magazine to its older format (say pre-1980) and the readers will return'

Mike