Follow-Up: A look at Paste Magazine's downfall and how other magazines are holding up in the recession.

In May 14, 2009, Paste publicly announced that their financial woes were more serious than they had previously anticipated.

Josh Jackson, editor of the music, film and culture magazine devised a plan in hopes of bringing awareness and donations to the failing magazine rather than calling it quits following an ominous letter that spelled out issues they had been having with paying contributing writers, photographers and artists.

With the help of artists previously featured in the magazine, the staff asked for donations from subscribers and readers alike in exchange for free music and other prizes. In exchange for a monetary donation, you could have access to rare and unreleased songs from bands such as Neko Case, The Decemberists, of Montreal and The Avett Brothers. Additionally, Paste offered a tier of subscription choices, including a Lifetime Subscription.

Whitestone Motion Pictures also posted Lest We Forget on their YouTube page, a 6-minute short film based in the Civil War Era. In the description section of the video, they stated:

"This film was made in association with PASTE magazine for their Save Paste campaign. We believe strongly in the vision and mission of this magazine, and encourage everyone to visit their site and donate to keep this great magazine going. While you're at it, do yourself a favor and get a subscription, you surely wont be disappointed."

Although help came from various sources and the "Save Paste" Campaign raised $250,000 from 10,000 donations in three months, Paste announced that they had suspended print publications by August 2010, becoming one of the many magazines that had to switch to a strictly on-line format.

The decision came suddenly, with many subscribers and readers wondering where the newspaper -- and their paid-for subscription -- stood.

In the article from Village Voice's Sound of the City, Jackson said that the magazine had "been running on fumes for a really long time," and they finally just "ran out of fumes." Other sites, including The Wrap's Media Alley report that nine of the 12 full-time Paste employees were let go.

So how does a magazine who has won 15 awards and two nominations, including Magazine of the Year at the PLUG Independent Music Awards from 2006-2008, end up strapped for cash and ultimately out of print? And if a magazine with such high reader and industry ratings can fail, is there hope for any magazine?

Maybe.

According to Crain's New York Business, "the pace of decline appears to have slowed," and they report that the number of U.S. magazines going out of print has gone from 573 in 2007, to 526 in 2008.

Additionally, Ad Age is reporting even better numbers for 2010 in comparison to 2009. They state that "publishers only shut down 87 magazines in the first half of 2010, way down from 279 shutdowns in the first half of last year," while "only 16 titles dropped print to become online-only publications, far fewer than the 43 that went online-only in the first half a year ago."

Others claim that the issue magazines will have problems keeping print publication sales up with all of the new technology coming out for readers and tablets. However, the hard numbers show that this may not be the case - not for a while, at least.


With hard copies of the magazines a few cents cheaper than the digital version, and a year's print subscription to the magazine tens to hundreds cheaper than its tablet counterpart, it's hard to imagine magazines becoming obscure any time soon.

The good news for Paste is that even though they are entirely on-line for the time being, they can still rest easy knowing that they won the GAMMA Award for 'Best Magazine Website' in both 2007 and 2008.

It may not be perfect, but it's something.

Join the Campaign to Save Paste Magazine!

        

Paste is in trouble. But instead of throwing in the towel and giving up, they started a campaign that would bring in money to keep their publication afloat.

Why should we care, you might ask? Well, for one, magazines are but a small extension of the type of people we all are.

While most of us are sitting around idly in doctors offices, or need some sort of entertainment while on the can, we typically resort to flipping through the pages of magazines. For some, its an informative column in Time or Newsweek. Others prefer reading Inked, Better Homes, or cycling tips from Pedal. Regardless of what you enjoy in life, there is a magazine out there for you.

For me, there is nothing I enjoy more than diving head first into the articles and columns of glossy music magazines. The stacks taking up space in my room pay tribute to my deep love for all things music, and those magazines all play a special part in why I'm an aspiring music journalist. Without them, I would not even be writing this blog.

With each issue I read, its hard to be surprised by the controversy that surrounds today's music industry. With the scandalous money-hungry tactics of TicketMaster highlighted in each issue of Rolling Stone, to the CD vs. mp3 wars, the heart and soul of music seems to be lost these days. As more and more famed record stores go out of business and artists are increasingly unable to tour, nobody can deny that the recession is hitting an already money-strapped industry. But although there is a recession now, research graphs and charts give cold, hard evidence on just how much CD sales have declined in recent years due to the rise in illegal downloading. 

Recently, John Gourley of Portugal. The Man took to the band's blog after their upcoming album The Satanic Satanist leaked only a month before its release. In it, he defines the fine line between promoting a band and supporting a band. True, sharing music isn't all bad. But not supporting the music is.

When you sit back and think about all it takes to produce, promote, and tour for an album... money seems to disappear quicker than the blink of an eye. And while I respect musicians more when they do this, I still feel the need to point out that lack of funding and fan support are some strong influences on why so many bands have taken to the DIY scene. Bands these days simply can not afford to live lavish lifestyles of generations past. 

When I think about music then and music now, I am simply amazed. The variety of music available alone is enough to make my heart sing, especially when I walk into a record store or browse the internet for new acts to follow. I realize that without a burnt copy of my friend's new favorite band, there would be so many bands I'd never heard of, and vise versa. But those burnt CDs were the same inspiration behind me taking action and spending money to support those bands when they came to town. Its kind of like the scene when Heroin Bob gives Steve-o his first punk tape in the movie SLC Punk!; where would Steve-o been had Bob not shown him that tape?

So, when I think of this campaign and what it means, I want us all thinking on a larger scale: what music means to every person involved.

In the form of a music magazine, it starts with a person or group of people who love music enough that they reach out to musicians and a certain audience. The magazine then hires a team to go out and start the grunt work; on any given day there are writers, musicians, photographers, editors, ad personnel, and designers. And when they fail, they all fail together. 

This is why artists all over have agreed to do what they can to make sure Paste doesn't fail. Without music magazines, most of the bands I listen to would have a hell of a job promoting their work; be it a cover-story or a simple 4x6 ad in between articles, these artists are given a place to promote themselves to the entire world.

This is why we, as the fans, need to step up and support a medium that supports the music. All for one, and one for all.

Paste is published once a month, and have been cranking out issues since July of 2002. Since their first issue, they have interviewed hundreds of artists, reviewed thousands of albums, and had fresh ink of their magazine shed upon millions of fingertips. And you'd better believe that each issue comes with a bonus sampler disc that promotes bands even more.

Magazines like Paste are the kind of magazines that prove to us all that the aforementioned heart and soul of music isn't completely lost. They're they type of magazine that understands that the Jonas Brothers might not feel the economical strain that Annuals does, and they will go out of their way to promote these bands (sometimes without cost). Without each issue and online article that are beaming testaments to their love of music, almost every artist I listen to (or have listened to) wouldn't be where they are today.

It is this generosity that has inspired artists such as The Decemberists, Neko Case, Of Montreal, Josh Ritter, String Cheese Incident and William Fitzsimmons to donate rare and/or unreleased tracks for the 75+ compilation "Thank You" disc for all who donate even the smallest amount to the campaign.

Even better, if you donate, you can get some serious special treatment. From being entered to giveaways for signed goodies to a trip in an ocean-side cabin, Paste and its supporters will give to those who share their good fortune.

So please, click here to donate. It may not be much, but it will always mean more than you think; who knows, I might be writing for them someday.

You can also support by buying an issue of Paste, or subscribing if you're a long-time reader. And if you're near Manhattan on July 25, visit Webster Hall for a dance party/benefit concert hosted by Noise Problem.

Paste Magazine Official Website

Paste Magazine Official Facebook

Paste Magazine Benefit Show