Gramophone

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I love your new avatar, EA - presumably chosen because your comments to this thread have become a serial.

Thank you, MickyD. To be honest, I thought I was being a bit childish, and I was thinking of moving back to one of the earler (Matterhorn) avatars. I presune the cereal/serial reference has something do do with my idee fixe on my intense dislike of Ms Graham's style in RT?
I'll let it drop and read International Record Review instead.

[MickyD]

I haven't seen the RT for years, EA - do enlighten me as to who this Alison Graham is.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Imagine a girls' public school bully...

But I'm a Host and I really must be on my best behaviour.

[PJPJ]

Alpen, your avatar depicts your rye sense of humour.....

[Suffolkcoastal]

I had a look through January's Gramophone edition in our Library at lunchtime today, full of glossy pictures and articles, but only about a third of the reviews they used to do, the drop in standards even seems to be affecting some reviewers whom I used to think had some reasonable knowledge. I would advise Edward Greenfield (who should know better), in his review of the Colin Davis recording of Vaughan Williams 6th Symphony, to look very closely at the relationship between the 'jaunty'!!! 2nd subject and the 'warm tune' that allegedly replaces it near the end of the 1st movement, he might just find that they actually have something in common!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Alpen, your avatar depicts your rye sense of humour.....

[VodkaDilc]

I had a look through January's Gramophone edition in our Library at lunchtime today, full of glossy pictures and articles, but only about a third of the reviews they used to do, the drop in standards even seems to be affecting some reviewers whom I used to think had some reasonable knowledge.

Suffolkcoastal summarises my main reasons for letting my subscription drop at the next renewal. However, I have just received a letter from my friend, James - he must be a friend, since he does not see the need to use his surname. Since I am now "on board" (I have been a reader since the early 70s and a subscriber since 1986), he is offering me the chance to accept a direct debit offer, making it easier for me to receive Gramophone without the risk of missing a single issue (and presumably making it easier for them to hang on to disgruntled subscribers). Can anyone recommend a way to stop receiving this patronising drivel?

[Don Petter]

Did he, by any chance, start the letter as a previous James (now a morning broadcaster) did to me, along the lines of ‘As a long-time subscriber to Gramophone, I would like …’. How can they expect to retain a serious readership when they can’t even write simple English correctly?

[french frank]

I had a look through January's Gramophone edition in our Library at lunchtime today, full of glossy pictures and articles

Much like Radio Times which I gave up when the price reached £1.05p (I gather it's now £1.20p). It was paying more and more for less and less, as far as I was concerned. But there may be a customer-base which feels that glossy pics and celebrity-focused articles are what 'most people' want. More of an entertainment magazine.

[VodkaDilc]

Did he, by any chance, start the letter as a previous James (now a morning broadcaster) did to me, along the lines of ‘As a long-time subscriber to Gramophone, I would like …’. How can they expect to retain a serious readership when they can’t even write simple English correctly?

No. Gramophone's computer sees me as a new subscriber, since they could not find my previous account when I last renewed. I will resist the offer to register at themagazineshop.com, in order to activate "My account". Gramophone does not have my email address and I intend it to stay that way.

[Ferretfancy]

Although I let my subscription lapse a year ago, and wrote to explain exactly why, I still get emails full of junk from them. I know that if I email them, the avalanche will only get worse.

[mathias broucek]

In theory, if you request that they delete you from their mailing list, they MUST comply under the data protection regs. In practice my secretary has been trying to remove me from the circulation list of a trade publication for over 18 months...

[VodkaDilc]

The last two comments suggest that my policy of only giving my email address if absolutely essential is the right one.

[MickyD]

So I am not the only one to have been bombarded with "reminders". More desperate measures, methinks.

[MickyD]

Tempers are flaring up again on the Gramophone Forum website between editorial staff and reader...

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/forum/general-discussion/distribution-of-material-between-magazine-and-website