he's got form on this kind of thing..

http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/mojo

Unlike you I have swung the other way and subscribed after supporting my local newsagent ever since I discovered Word (about issue 8 as before that I believed it was a magazine devoted to the printed word!). My local newsagent is a close friend and I wished to maintain his income even at the expense of my own diminishing funds.

What made me subscribe? First the podcast although I do feel as if I have been slightly coerced by that (and yes, it was my decision in the end to subscribe, so I wasn't really forced). Also it was cheaper to so and the newsagent pal, after decades of getting up at some unearthly hour of the day, had finally decided to pack it in and had sold up to a nice Indian couple.

I wrote of subscriptions to Mr Hepworth a while ago. I still do not really understand why the magazine is so desperate for subscribers. The shop I used to buy the mag from no longer has it on its shelves so Development Hell has said goodbye to casual buyers in sunny Cranleigh. And the (ex-)newsagent tells me that he finds it extremely hard to find any music mags in most paper shops.

Hey ho. Life goes on.

Surely it's irrelevant if the participants enjoy making the podcast or not? It's time out of their working day when they could be doing something more directly profitable.

You were a subscriber. But because you now have to be a subscriber to get the full podcast, you're stopping being a subscriber? Out of principle?

I'm all for principles but I'm struggling to understand why no-subscribers need some kind of freedom fighter for their cause. It's a magazine designed to make the people who work on it enough money to live and keep it going whilst giving readers something that they value enough to spend money on.

Don't let the door hit your arse on the way out.

I could do with some freedom fighting on my behalf...I mean not on this point, but I'm sure some saving or help or assistance or something would be nice ,so tell Steve to get on it right now!

And I'm sorry you feel my defence of the decision was glib - it certainly wasn't meant to be. As for the matter of it being time-consuming, that's certainly one of the reasons - a quick look at the staff list printed in the magazine should demonstrate that we're producing what we feel is a high-quality magazine with less people than any other comparable title. I work 12 or 13 hours a day, seven days a week, and I know that I'm not unusual in that respect, and while I don't expect anyone to feel sorry for any of us - we're very lucky to do what we do - it's a little dispiriting that in these "hardened times" a self-confessed Word evangelist such as yourself doesn't appreciate that steps like this might be exactly the kind of measures we need to take to ensure we make it through to the other side.

At the risk of repeating myself, we're a magazine published by a small company in the middle of two diminishing markets - music, and magazines. It's tough. We're not The Guardian. We're not subsidised by other, more successful titles. Sometimes we have to take decisions we're fully aware will not be met with universal approval. But we will, because we believe we produce something that's of value, and we'd like to see it continue. And because we believe the subscription package provides very, very good value for money. In the end, every magazine offers subscriber benefits - we just try and ensure ours are as attractive as possible.

Anyway, thanks for your support until now. It's truly appreciated. Again, apologies if that sounds glib.

All the best, hope you come back :)

what we have to do within our own economic realty. I recently cancelled my subscription because I have no work right now and I could not afford a one time payment. I cancelled just before you decided to charge for the Podcast. I feel slightly peeved that you did that but as Fraser alluded to, you have to do what you do to survive. As for me I will buy the Word from time to time depending on the issue. I also think this site far more enjoyable than the Mag itself.

It will be interesting to see, down the road, if the "subscribers only"
policy actually gains you more readers! Time will tell.

like the magazine, I like the podcast, it's cheaper to subscribe than buy it monthly (even with 30% discount in work) so I subscribed. Seems like a win win situation to me. (and I got a nice Nick Lowe CD as well. Result)

I'm a bit of a luddite when it comes to The Word. Been with it since very early (maybe issue 1? Not sure). But I have always liked the writing, and that's what it has always been about to me.
The Word is geared towards someone like me- mid 50s, used to read/subscribe to NME/Q at the appropriate times in my life, still try to get along to gigs, willing to listen to new bands (when I have the time!) Music is its main - but not only- emphasis. It knows where I have been, where I might like to go, but tells me in an informal, humorous but intelligent manner. It's like the guy you would like to meet down the pub.
The writing- the Words- is what has always appealed. The CDs are ok, sometimes throwaway, sometimes fantastic. (This month's being one of the latter in my opinion) This website is brilliant- very tolerant (mostly), wider age-range than I first expected, liberal-minded, provocative without being obnoxious. Spend far too much time on here to be honest...
The podcasts? Am I allowed to say that I don't really care for them? Have listened to some, but something doesn't quite gel for me. Maybe it's just a format that I don't feel fully comfortable with. For the OP to take their stance therefore baffles me- there's obviously commercial and business concerns touched on that I maybe don't fully appreciate, but I don't see the argument to step away from a fine body of work due to a fine detail within that fine body.
For me it will always be about the writing, the Words. Maybe I'm just better at reading than listening.

I do find substance in -
"I don't agree with the reasoning of it being time consuming, the people involved always seem to enjoy it."
I'm sure the problem isn't that the podcast is time consuming. The issue is that the podcast until now has been an added way of attracting people to The word. But as less people are spending money on magazines or possibly published music in general the podcast has more worth than simply attracting people to buy the mag. It is possibly worth as much as the mag to some and I dare say some of the listening audience don't buy the mag at all. So in these hard times you need to sell all the parts of The Word that have 'value'.
I read the mag when I can ( I am a subscriber and also subscribe for a friend as a gift) but I never miss a podcast and I look at the Word website almost more than I check my email! Maybe the reasoning upset you 'anythingcanhappen' and if that's the case I understand.
Whether this is the real only reason you have left I'm not so sure....

We are talking about a commercial monthly magazine here aren't we? Maybe the people making the podcast appear to be enjoying it because its their job to entertain us?

I contribute to this site almost daily and don't think I have ever seen any posts from you. Why do you feel the need to post something so negative and frankly doesn't make any sense. The podcast decision favours subscribers - why would it be a catalyst for you to disappear? I think I must live in a parallel universe because this just seems a bit nutty.

...your view that you don't feel right about using the blog while not subscribing, I don't get why you needed to disappear with such a flounce. Aren't you cutting off your nose to spite your face a bit? It all just seems a bit muddled.

...but...where will we now read about you giving up on Uncut?

bloody Maggoty Lamb chap probably, or Middlerabbit

and I'm not to most.

I expected the word massive to wade in in some force, three months ago I would have done the same.

Also, looking at the post, it does look like a flounce, but it isn't, it's just how I feel and I felt strongly enough to post it, opinions will differ.

I acknowledge the Mojo post from a couple of years ago, fair play, the two aren't really related, but at least you won't have to read the Uncut post. Incidentally, The Word is the only music magazine I buy now, it's not finance, it's time related and I have never been back to Mojo since.

I suppose itf's comment a few posts up, puts how I mainly feel and yes I know it seems muddled, but it is how I feel.

Two years ago I had a work change and was driving around and hardly ever at home.

During that time, the Word mag never got read. I recently mentioned I was going through the podcasts from the start and doing that made me dig out those Word's that I hadn't read.

Fraser's post was a passionate and appreciated response by the way..

thanks, you're very kind, you really shouldn't have, etc etc

I have requested a subscription as a present, so I'm going in the revolving door as our friend departs

I miss the full length podcast and am happy that has given me the impetus to become a subscriber

On the subject of desiring more subscriptions I would imagine that it helps enormously in terms of knowing what a more or less fixed portion of the magazine's income will be each month, cutting out the retailers margin, and minimising wastage on print runs.

Otherwise threads like this would not exist.

Everyone's feeling the pinch. It's not personal.

Complaining that this decision isolates the retail trade is a little strange coming from someone whose subscription took retail out of the equation altogether.

I'm giving up eating celery.

by the 'new boring'?

The mag is dull and upping my subs to 45 quid while offering it to new subscribers for 28 is the final straw. From now on I'm only subscribing to Wor...
Bugger, this isn't Mojo's website.

As you were.