Road Crew Magazine
Music Magazine with News, Reviews, Photos and Video

Print vs. online. It is a debate we ourselves are having. The debate over the future of print media and in our case magazines has generated some interesting and heated discussions. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is quoted as saying that the ink-on-paper is dead in ten years. He is not alone in his thoughts. It is ominously clear with the web and in the world of e-commerce have had a dramatic effect on the media landscape. If you don't have a website, you better get one...quickly. All publications are coming to this realization. With sales dropping they are turning to the Internet to keep their readers.

So, who are the first in line for extinction? Daily newspapers. Sorry guys. Not only are you wasteful. We are in the age of the "green movement." Everyone can and does access their news via the Internet and with such devices as Blackberries..they can do it on the subway or bus on the way to work and they do it all for FREE. That is a huge incentive. Especially in today's economy.

So what of their glossy counterparts? In many ways a good magazine is a piece of art. Journalism and photojournalism are considered an art form. It still can be on the Internet. Don't underestimate the power of a well put together website. 

The cost of print vs. online is dramatic. Therefore so is the difference in what you can charge for advertising. Think for a second if you saw an ad in a magazine. Would you run out to a store and buy that product? Or would you go to that product's website and learn more about it? Check its cost, where you could purchase it, if it was available online? etc. So, why not cut out the middle man altogether?

Again, let me point out the some of the other more obvious points. My children have had computer class since kindergarden. Where as some of us in other generations are hard pressed to let go of our old ways, our kids no nothing but the internet super highway. This IS where they get their information.

The environment. Yes, I am one of THOSE people and so are a lot of others. The younger generation especially. You read a daily newspaper once and (gulp) throw it away..but hopefully recycle it. Magazines, well you may save them but, most likely you don't. Again, hopefully they get recycled but, maybe they end up in a landfill. With online media you have clear consciences.

Access. With many online periodicals they keep their articles and issues up for extended periods of time. You get much more exposure this way. A lot more them a monthly or weekly print magazine will give you.

Outgoing links. If you understand web ranking and you want a higher placement on Google and Yahoo, then you want some more links to your site. Anytime a website links to yours this helps your webpage's ranking. Only an online magazine can do that for you.

Community. Many of the media sites also have online communities where you can chat with like minded people....can't find that in your print magazine.

Finally cost. For now, many online newspapers and magazines are free. I personally believe when the print industry changes, so will this. People need to make a living. For now though it remains free.

So, where is all of this coming from? We are tossing around the idea of doing a print version of our magazine. From the research we gathered it doesn't seem like the best idea and yet we have had some ( well only one actually) of our "clients" say we will only grant press passes to print magazines. Really? After all of our research, we are completely baffled by this. I think I'm going to stand with Microsoft on this one. After all, Bill Gates is one of the richest men in the world. You don't get there by being stuck behind the times. So, get in the ring.

By Becca

"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies."  ~Edward George Bulwer-Lytton