straight no chaser magazine - does anyone read this?

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great, if occasionally inpenetratable design, interesting features and artists, the only thing that often lets this mag down is the writing IMHO.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 10:06 (twenty-two years ago)

could be interesting but never is somehow. Universally ecstatic and uncritical reviews are one of the main things that let it down. It knows its market and it sticks to it, it must sell decently also since it has been going for years. I just don't know why anyone would buy the mag: how useful is a mag to you when you know that anything reviewed in it is going to get a big thumbs up? how do you choose what to buy in that instance?

― jed_ (jed), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 10:16 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, i have to agree. i know some writers that used to work for it and they actually get told that the music is the most important thing, not the journalist. theyre not really 'allowed' as such, to really criticise anything too heavily.

i think the features arent even all that interesting sometimes, just because they never really tell you anything new. it could or maybe might as well be a newsletter. thats really its main function, hipping readers to new artists. but even then, for the most part, it never really goes in depth at any great length into the artists or their idiom/work like it could.

i cant help thinking that the audience are perfectly happy with all of this though, it must be all that theyre after.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 10:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"how useful is a mag to you when you know that anything reviewed in it is going to get a big thumbs up? how do you choose what to buy in that instance?"

this is quite OTM. i can read their album reviews and still be none the wiser as to what i should buyor whats good. im not sure how scenes can grow if everyone is just backslapping each other all the time either.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 10:29 (twenty-two years ago)

i find the design quite messy and uninvolving. therefore never dived in properly - other than the usual lunchhour flick through

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

could be interesting but never is somehow.

This nails it for me. I once bought a copy to read while waiting in line at PGW (Philadelphia Gas Works--the most poorly run utility in the city).

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 12:55 (twenty-two years ago)

the reason its still going by the way for so long is probably cos they dont pay any of their writers!

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

and they have an exhorbitantly high page-rate for advertisers. i don't really think it's great.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 13:12 (twenty-two years ago)

the reviewers having to be so overwhelmingly positive about all the albums is probably to keep the advertisers happy. they shouldnt bother having reviews or just keep it down to about 3 lines per review like touch magazine do.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 13:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, but with magazines like that, you can kind of follow your instincts based on general "buzz" - the number & frequency of positive mentions etc. I used to do this with soul/house/dance mags in the late 80s/early 90s and...

...actually, thinking about it, I ended up buying a shedload of duds along with the good stuff. OK, as you were...

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 15:35 (twenty-two years ago)

the idea of the music being the most important thing is kinda wack, too. i won't work anywhere where they don't think my writing is the most important thing.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

well, not my writing, per se - just writing.

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 15:40 (twenty-two years ago)

i think the idea was: music first, writer second. whatever that might imply, im not too sure.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:04 (twenty-two years ago)

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