Gramophone

[Alison]

This reminds me

Gramophone and International Record Review arrived on the same morning last week.

I haven't even unwrapped Gramophone .....

[gurnemanz]

You want to bet? 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.

I can only lay claim to about 35 years before giving up a few years ago (copies still in garage). How sad to have to agree with you, especially when I remember what a source of pleasure and musical insight it was for all those years. I am grateful for the Archive site which I use quite a lot, especially to consult the Oracle (aka Alan Blyth) on Lieder recordings.

[umslopogaas]

gurnemanz (#197), until recently I also had several decade's worth of 'Gramophone' back numbers cluttering up my garage, until it finally dawned on me that this was entirely pointless, because I never, ever, used them and I could do with the space. I therefore advertised them for sale for seventeen quid in a small ad in the back of the magazine: essentially free, the seventeen quid was the cost of the advert. I didnt get a single offer so they all went into the recycling skip. I still subscribe, but no longer keep the back numbers. So, if you decide to try and sell them, good luck, but dont hold your breath!

[Barbirollians]

Having bought Gramophone since Feb 1986 it was strange when it stopped arriving but as it took me 5 minutes to read what was of interest in it in WH Smith today - I was reminded why I cancelled earlier this year!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's quite clear that Gramophone is not selling well. But the problem is being "solved" by going further down the same road. It just ain't working.

[VodkaDilc]

It's quite clear that Gramophone is not selling well. But the problem is being "solved" by going further down the same road. It just ain't working.

I genuinely don't know the answer to this question, but perhaps someone does. Are reliable and un-biased circulation figures available for magazines? It would be fascinating to know what impact the Haymarketisation of Gramophone has had!

[Ferretfancy]

Why should any of us read Gramophone when we have International Record Review and the BBC Music Magazine with a cover disc of complete works ? Granted, BBC MM has slid a bit, but it's still very readable with quite good reviews. If you want a wider field in a massive tome, subscribe to Fanfare,it's easy to do online.
Let's face it, Gramophone has been a great magazine, but it's days are over.

[VodkaDilc]

I completely agree with Ferretfancy (though I have not seen a BBC Magazine since its launch issues).
IRR gives all the information which Gramophone did several decades ago; and Fanfare, arriving every two months, gives a slightly different approach. The days of my reliance on Gramophone have gone.

[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'

Well I got another call and suggested a few reasons why I no longer subscribed. He was surprised! I suggested that they read some of the on-line forums on the subject.

Mike

[amateur51]

Thanks to the advocacy & advice of good people on here, I have now given up reading Gramophone after 45 years. I subscribe to IRR and to Classical Recording Quarterly and I am delighted with the former and mildly amused by the latter - it's even more eccentric than I am -

I do NOT miss Gramophone.

Do those of you who subscribe to Fanfare and IRR find that there is sufficiently different material to warrant the huge amount of reading time I envisage that I'd need to warrant a subscription to Fanfare? Perhaps I should try to
get a sample copy?

I'll also carry on with BBC MM when there's a covermount CD that takes my fancy too

[MickyD]

It's been a year now since I subscribed to IRR; despite its thinner size, I am certain that its contents takes me much longer to read than Gramophone used to. Maybe this is because the reviews and articles are more interestingly written or presented? I'm not sure, but what I do know is that I do not regret having made the switch one bit. I doubt if I would have time for Fanfare as well, and in all honesty, I find that IRR keeps me more than adequately informed.

[VodkaDilc]

Do those of you who subscribe to Fanfare and IRR find that there is sufficiently different material to warrant the huge amount of reading time I envisage that I'd need to warrant a subscription to Fanfare? Perhaps I should try to
get a sample copy?

I sent an email to Fanfare, asking if it was possible to get a sample copy and received this very generous reply:

Thank you for writing today about your potential subscription. Because Fanfare is sold by subscription only, my advice is to take out a one-year subscription for $75. The first issue (May/June) will be mailed promptly, and you'll soon know if the magazine is for you. If for any reason you're not satisfied, keep the issue and I'll send you a full refund.

Sincerely,
Joel Flegler
Editor

I did not return it!

[Tony Halstead]

It costs much less to buy an 'web only' ( no hard copy sent) subscription. About $40 US dollars.

[VodkaDilc]

It costs much less to buy an 'web only' ( no hard copy sent) subscription. About $40 US dollars.

waldhorn is obviously a youngster! I am afraid that I come from a generation that wants to curl up with a magazine or book and then put it on my bookshelves - not gaze at a flashing screen (good as computers are for some things!).

I am confident that my chosen method will be available for a few more years - whatever the "experts" say.

[Tony Halstead]

"waldhorn is obviously a youngster".
Thanks very much, VodkaDilc! I've actually been an OAP for a few years...