… it's to do with whether you're ABC (Audited Bureau of Circulation)-registered, or some such (I should know more about it really, being in the trade and all). Anyway, I presume Word isn't.

...ABC registered and our circulation is, like most magazines and newspapers, down year on year. Everyone is feeling the same economic pressures but they particularly apply to a small independent which doesn't have the clout with the retail trade that you have if you're under the wing of a lot of mass market titles. In addition, the problems and eventual closure of Borders, which unwound over the last year, hits harder than usual if you're publishing a magazine which traditionally does well among older males who like shopping in specialist outlets. A good 10% of our distribution went through the Borders chain. That's why I was so keen to draw readers attention to the advantages of subscribing when the chain closed at the end of last year.

On the other hand subscription continues to grow and the website grows in popularity as does the podcast, which has seen a major upsurge in recent months. We're already seeing more advertising on the site in recognition of this. I hope you'll appreciate how important this is to us - and, by extension, to you. But there's no doubt that everyone in the media has got their tin hats on and is on a war footing. As happened in the music business, the old model of media is no longer working and the new model has yet to be born. That doesn't mean we're not trying. With your support we'll work it out. The generally positive reaction to the new format suggests we're on the right track.

Onward!

… and I was sad to see the once-important NME slump another 20%, even though it's long been a shadow of its former self (not that it was ever not annoying in one way or another). In certain circles (I don't mean round these parts) there's a tendency to cheer at a rival's bad (or worse) fortunes, but the general decline of magazine sales is bad news for everyone in the business.
So... I won't be complaining about the ads on the website anyway.

from 36k last ABC

Not the best, not the worst. Tough times in dead tree publishing.

No wonder it feels like a club rather than a brand.

How do we spread the word? I subscribe. I contribute twaddle & piffle to the blog. I put links to the blog on Twitter. I leave old copies of the mag in waiting rooms. If there was a way to link to Facebook I would happily do so. Anything to raise the profile, and hopefully the sales, of this fine establishment.

but it doesn't account for Mojo selling (is it) three times as many copies. One suggestion would be to offer - and heavily promote - SPECTACULAR deals on gift subscriptions. I bought a few a couple of years ago and every time renewal comes around, I always cough up - once you've satisfied an Xmas or birthday present with one once, the recipient tends to want the gift to keep going.

... but why would 4 times as many people buy Mojo as The Word ?

Is it familiarity? Brand Awareness? Beardless Covers?

I have to admit that I know nothing about publishing / magazine distribution, but the above makes me think of the following:-

- Is Mojo sold in more outlets ?
- Where are the majority of music magazine bought ? WHSmith / HMV / Newsagent
- How much does a large advertising budget affect circulation?
- Would giving out free copies at "target" gigs be beneficial?

Sorry random thoughts and no doubt laughable for those in the industry...

I shop around with mags and stick to the ones I like. When I stop liking them I drift. I'm really starting to dislike The Spectator these days and am tempted to switch to Standpoint (I am a lefty but feel the urge to hear what the right are on about but wont read the Daily Mail) as the climate change denial is getting on my wick.

I can say though, that the only magazine I've stuck with longer than The Word is Private Eye. Perhaps only because its been around longer.

This says very little I know, other than for me the standards at The Word have been upheld extremely well for a long time in mag years. Of course the lovely time I spent wittering here keeps me loyal as well...

.....around. Made mention more than a few times on the Steve Hoffman music messageboard in the US. I'd imagine The Word would appeal to that sort of music fan (although they can be a bit anal at times with their "what is the best pressing of so and so LP?") but there's always a "whats in the latest edition of Mojo or Record Collector" style thread so making mention that the latest word podcast discusses that there's another all-encompassing Sandy Denny boxset on the way, and other such discussions, will hopefully direct some overseas music nuts to this site and then onto the magazine. Maybe, you never know.

I try on Mojo messageboard also and a few other sites. Black Cat Bone, etc.

All you can do is put the word out there. I always think directing people to the podcast for starters is the best selling point.

I know I should subscribe, but for the moment I usually buy The Word in WH Smith at Waterloo.

It is always (and I do mean always) stuck at the back of the top shelf in the corner (Mojo, Q and Uncut are at the front of same shelf) and it is definitely not very visible to casual buyers, especially when it's behind Classic Rock which is housed in some enormous cardboard envelope.

I'm guessing these positions are based on sales?

Also, and I know we've had these discussions before, but if you want to cut costs you could drop the CD as far as I'm concerned.

By the way, I bought the new edition today and I really like the makeover. Mark Ellen's month is a good idea, Danny Baker is very funny as usual (would he do a regular column?), and I loved the Peter Gabriel review. So well done.

I've subscribed since the start and also subscribe to Uncut. i enjoy the Word but its not really a true music mag is it? The makeover looks like costs are being cut - fewer features in the middle and somehow an even worse review section than before - those two pages of Mossman and Hepworth read like they were knocked off in ten minutes after reading the sleeve notes of the CDs. Probably saved money but completely useless if you want to know if any of them are worth buying.

Now it works for me because I like the front bit but it is starting to read like the 'oldie'. But i can understand why someone more into music would buy Mojo or Uncut. Allan Jones still writes like a fan. Our boys dont. And the age of people buying Uncut is much wider than the Word. Indeed I was once invited to a reader's forum at Uncut. I was 55 at the time and the youngest was 18 with all other age groups in between. And those people knew much more about music than I did.

* One thing to bear in mind is that magazines which have been going more than ten years eventually have up to half of their circulation overseas, largely in America. This takes a long time to grow and also takes a long time to go away.
* Circulation is a function of how many copies you are prepared to put out there. The publisher pays for them all, whether they're sold or not. If we decide to go into a particular chain of supermarkets that is a cost to us. If the sales don't reach whatever their expectations are, they will make us pay to stay on sale. That's the same reality faced by people selling coffee or shampoo. We can't afford to play that game.
* All magazines have a dilemma at their heart. With Word, the dilemma is this: do you set out to provide all the same service elements as lots of other magazines in this "space" (i.e. compete in a sameness contest) or say, we would like to produce a magazine that people value for its difference and therefore we're sorry if we don't have some of those service elements but we hope you'll value what we provide instead.
* Furthermore, the world has changed MASSIVELY since the template for review-based magazines was established. In those days there was no way people could sample records before they bought them and there was enough fat in the price of records for companies to be able to afford to advertise them in print, thereby justifying the huge cost of a review section in which you handed out hundreds of records to reviewers, most of whom come back and say "alright if you like that kind of thing...er..three stars". That world has vanished.
* You know what? I can't say what's worth buying because I don't know who you are. However, I think within the community of the magazine and by that I mean not just the paper but also the website, the podcast, the reader contributions, the chatter in the ether, you ought to be able to inhale a huge lungful of passion, humour, tippage, appreciation and, yes, fandom from which you are free to take as much or as little as you like.
* And yes, I am a fan. A fan of what's been built up here, to which you've contributed as much as I have.

Despite the economic times I still buy Word,Mojo and Uncut - subscriber to the first 2. I think the Word compilers act more like fans than either of the other 2. Allan Jones just likes to boast about whose acquaintance he has made. The review sections are arguably better in the other 2 but overall I would rate Mojo and Word equally, Uncut just behind but the podcast and website elevate Word above the other 2. What I want to know is if, to quote David Sullivan, we reach Armageddon would the website continue on its own?.It is a tough world we live in and I for one am sick of the globalisation of every business and the need to make increased profits year on year just to appease investors. Oh for simpler times. God bless all at the Word for their titanic efforts.

the struggles of The Word demonstrate all too clearly the importance of making profits Steve - to exist, thrive and expand. In most cases, the shareholders are people like David and his mates or you and I via our pension fund. Most pension funds have really struggled to turn in the sort of return their pensioners expect in the last 10 years, which will ultimately mean many poorer state-dependent pensioners in years to come. Abandon the profit motive and you pretty much abandon all innovation - and the jobs, wealth and taxes that they generate.

Although I would count myself as a bit of a music nut, I'm really glad to see the Word review section reshaped/curtailed. I was getting really bored of reading 4/5 reviews of the same releases each month. If I want a comprehensive review section and a more muso-oriented 'exactly what was Ariel Bender wearing on 15 April 1974' I'll pick up Mojo. I feel David and Mark et al have been there and done that - and so have I. I'm far more interested in wider cultural phenomena these days - I loved it when the mag shot its wad over The Wire - even though I didn't watch it myself until months later. There's no room for that kind of zeitgeisty-6th form common room enthusiasm-sharing at the other rags. Suits me fine.

In the past I subscribed to Q & Mojo. Bought Uncut, Classic Rock and any other magazine when the free CD appealed to me.

What did I do with them? The magazines are in boxes in the attic, gradually being put into the recycling bin. The CDs are in boxes after 1 or 2 plays and in need of doing their bit for charity. The Word is the only magazine I buy now because I want a good read, the CD is incidental but usually has a surprise or two for me.

What I do have is a feeling of being in a club. One where like-minded men AND women of all ages can congregate, talk sense or bollocks, be funny or be serious, swap videos and music links and wondrous tales. For me it started with the Rocking Vicar newsletter, then Myspace, briefly Twitter and most certainly with whatever the next five-minute fad will be. When I have finished playing with all that technocrap I can curl up in bed with a good old-fashioned read.

The Word is not boxed up in the attic for delayed recycling; it is passed on to the now generation so they can become members of MY club. For that reason I have a selfish interest in keeping the darned thing going and growing.

that publishers pay newsagents for their mag to be positioned at the front of the racks, much like record companies used to pay for their product to be on a certain rack/position? I used to re-position the word to the front of the rack in my local WHS, but would always find it moved to the back again a few days later. For a company like Development Hell, I imagine paying shops for the privilege of a particular position on a rack, is a cost too far.

I only subscribe to 2 mags, The Word and Mojo, the latter for music/reviews etc, the former for a damn good read. This is all I really need, I am one of those who bought all the music mags every month, but have felt the need to cut back, not only for financial reasons but there was too much repetition, too much poor writing (you hearing me Uncut)and to be frank music overload.

I believe the Word is the best music related UK mag on the market now, although Mojo can give it a run for its money sometimes. The Word has by far and away the best website around, but when you have a look at those circulation figures, it's rather worrying.

you cant compare Word to Mojo and Uncut. Their readers are quite happy to read about the early days of Joy Division or the Making of the Queen is Dead. They are a different segment of the market and one that David doesnt want to serve / probably shouldnt as Mojo and Uncut do it very well. However the Word Massive (horrible phrase) is probably not a big enough market niche, dedicated and loyal as we are.

I do think that the CD review part of the magazine is weak. Its the only part I would like to have seen improved in the makeover, thought that it would be and disappointed to see that its got even worse. It is an important part of a music magazine and its a shame the reviews are done so poorly.

I buy Q, M**o, U***t, R*****g S***e, C*****c R**k and Word every month, but I look forward to Word the most. By far the finest music-based magazine on the market.

I buy the magazine, which I like a great deal anyway, out of respect for the time I spend on the website and the enjoyment i get from the podcast. This means that Q, my previous magazine of choice, has lost out as their offerings in those departments are very poor.

I would say however that it seems to be getting harder to find a copy with the big supermarkets rarely seeming to have one. I am going on holiday for a week tomorrow and the first thing I need to do is stop at every garage and newsagent on the way to find the new issue!

I can't justify a sub to the US, but if any of you UK readers want to provide me with your address, you can have the physical mag, and I'll read the electronic copy.

I understand and agree with much of what was written above. As someone who subscribes to Word and occasionally picks up another magazine I got to thinking about floating buyers. If I buy Mojo or Uncut then it is usually because they have a specific feature that I want to read, or a review or two of something I want to know of. I take MR H's point about about the world of reviews changing - but for those of us of a certain age I suspect we still like them.

Bring this back to Word, my memory (because I don't keep all the back issues) tells me that the features have grown more left field over time and the reviews section really doesn't cover that many CDs (my only disappointment with the new design). I'm not suggesting a return to the Dido cover (no one wants that), but there is a big risk in becoming too much of a niche regardless of how much we all love being there.

...to be familiar with the argument that goes "if you made this magazine a bit more like this, or tweaked that a bit, or made that section a bit bigger, I might like it". I've also got enough scars to know that it doesn't work that way. You have to take things on the merits they have and we have to produce the magazine that we believe in not the magazine that has a bit of this one and a bit of that one.

If it's any consolation, this thread has prompted me to subscribe.

*EDIT* ps does this mean I now have to start buying loads of Richard Thompson??

I lecture in Music and regularly spread The Word to my students. Word is the only magazine which I have come across where reviews are not headed by a number of stars to tell how good or bad the publication feels the album is. I am trying to develop students independent thought regarding all things musical, and what your magazine does is draw in the reader to come away with an idea of the content and context of the music of which you review.

The magazine, for me, feels like a two way conversation. I read it, and then have an internal dialogue with myself, rather like an outstanding evening down the local chatting and discussing with opposing opinions, much like the latest of podcast and your opinions of Jaws....and I must correct you.....the scariest bit of the film is John Williams score....

Long Live Word!

Sorry...wrong mag.

I'm another one who rearranges music mags in supermarkets to give T'Word more prominence. I assume my merchandiser cheque's in the post?

I think it's a big improvement - a clutch of in-depth full-page reviews on the major releases, and a double-page mop-up of odds & sods works just fine for me.

In the days when the only way to hear new records was to buy them or hope to hear them on the radio, record reviews were absolutely crucial "buyer's guides" that helped you spend your money as wisely as possible. In today's world where you can hear most of everything on Spotify (or elsewhere), on blogs, or via sample clips for free, that kind of service simply isn't needed any more.

Agreed that it's tough out there though - and we shouldn't be too smug that our voices here add up to much "out there", my guess is that there are only a few hundred regular posters...

My quick idea to spread the word (no pun intended) would be to let all subscribers nominate a friend to be sent a free copy with a good subcription offer... or to save postage, send each subscriber 2 copies of the next issue and ask them to pass one along to a suitable acquaintance.

I think the only thing that will kick-start a sales revival is a 'friend-get-friend' sub offer.

I seem to recall the guys did - but didn't publicise widely - a '2 for £15 each' type thing a few years ago. If they did that again, publicised it on the blog, weekly email and in the mag - and also made sure there was joined up admin (so Word Towers staffers weren't flummoxed when people call asking if they can get 3 subs at the same individual price as the two-fer - as happened to me) then 1) circulation would increase and 2) the mag would likely clear more contribution than selling via newsagents and supermarkets.

I suspect that the number of people who buy any publication or newspaper just because it has a Cd or DVD is dwindling fast. However, the music I get from word is an important part of the package I subscribe to.

Given that, would the costs associated with a customer download package be significantly lower than the CD production costs? (genuine question).

I would personally see a download package for the cover cd as a service improvement. Would it be a reasonable business risk if the cost savings are significant enough?

I remember a few years ago that Word invited subscribers to nominate two friends to receive a complementary
copy. Not sure how successful it was but I remember in taking part it totally buggered up my own subscription account. So if something similar is attempted the subscriptions team need to sort out the admin.

Must be worth a try, especially as you've made some significant changes, it's something to talk about.

BTW, the return of the £30 gift subscription had nudged me into action.