Video game magazines are overpriced

[Melf]

Originally posted by Shin Johnpv
whats up with EGM sending shit to stores but the people who subscribe dont get the free poster and what ever else may be put into the issue extra

PSM (Pretty Shitty Magazine) is pulling this crap. Two issues in a row got a demo disc but my subscription issue didn't have one.

They won't get another $10 from me!

[Jeremy]

The discs cost money folks. You're getting a year of PSM for $12 and you expect to get discs on top of that? From a cost standpoint for the publisher, that ain't happening.

[taloony]

Originally posted by Jeremy
The discs cost money folks. You're getting a year of PSM for $12 and you expect to get discs on top of that? From a cost standpoint for the publisher, that ain't happening.

Maybe that's so, but as a subscriber you should be getting said bonus(s). I think PSM is shit though, so I can't say I care about that so much, it's just the principle.

[gamevet]

Originally posted by Jeremy
The discs cost money folks. You're getting a year of PSM for $12 and you expect to get discs on top of that? From a cost standpoint for the publisher, that ain't happening.

Yeah, those free game demo's they recieved, cost an arm and a leg to burn on a $.25 disk and I'm sure that cost goes down in bulk.

[FX]

Originally posted by Shin Johnpv
whats up with EGM sending shit to stores but the people who subscribe dont get the free poster and what ever else may be put into the issue extra

I've always gotten my free posters in the mail from EGM. Sounds like your mailman/woman is taking a little here and there.

[Jeremy]

Hey, don't get me wrong, I'd love it if they came with the stuff, but it won't happen. You should be rewarded for subscribing to their magazine and showing some sense of loyalty to their product, but you won't be.

[Shin Johnpv]

Originally posted by FighterX
I've always gotten my free posters in the mail from EGM. Sounds like your mailman/woman is taking a little here and there.

the oens at work come in a plastic bag

mine have never come in a plastic bag and always have the adress label on the front cover

Personally i think the subscribers should get the bonus's more so than the people buying it at the store

I mean the poeple subscribing are your loyal fan base most the time

if your screweing them over thats just fucked up IMHO

[Chief Hambleton]

I'm no Matt Van Stone, but I can tell you why magazines are over-priced (having been part of over six different ones).

Mags in the UK usually survive off newsstand sales. Which is why you'll see a mag, with fine shiny paper, clocking in at over 150 pages, with a free DVD on the cover. For Around $5. Yes, that's WITH the DVD! The mag in question is the damn fine PSW (PS World), and if you can find it, I suggest you check it out. It's a freakin' breath of fresh air.

In the States, newsstand sales are simply one method to get the almighty subscriptions (which is why paper quality is down, and price is up -- to FORCE you to subscribe). All magazines that have gone out of business in the US (including GF, GR, incite, etc) have mainly done so because of a lack of advertising which heads off operating costs. All the business methods (whether right or wrong) are made with the plan to grab as many subscribers as possible. Because once you grab subscribers, you have a larger and rock-solid readership for an audit, and can then charge $20K+ per ad page. Here's the best example:

Game Informer. In Dec 2000, it had around 200,000 subscribers. It was getting by. Now between that time, and Dec 2002, GameStop managed to push another (wait for it) 800,000 subscribers into reading the magazine, due to the offers it had ($10 for ten issues and store incentives). By my (wonky) calculations, it could then show all potential subscribers that it had hit a million, and this resulted in around $600K of ad dollars for the January 2003 issue. Imagine around that number, multiplied by 12 issues, and you've got a $5-6 million dollar a year mag. Minus staff and distribution costs.

Is it any wonder then, that GMR was launched (the EB version of Game Informer)? Are you shocked by the forthcoming Maximum Play (the GameCrazy version of GMR)?

The other method is what Dave is doing with Play. Which is minimal staffing, and therefore costs. I applaud this plan, as the low overhead means he only needs to shift 20,000-30,000 copies to stay profitable and he can do what he likes. Why? Because there are no "VP of sitting on their ass" to pay for, report to, or worry about.

Interesting, eh? Thought not.

Oh, and mad props to me for writing the "Game Luminaries" pieces of EGM. We stopped doing them for some reason. My favorite was Moru Iwatani, the Pac Man gent.

Cheers

Chiefy H

[MechDeus]

Very nice, thanks for the info.

Reality sucks, as usual. I want my idealized world of cheap magazines and good writing, without any of the bullshit that results from money issues. *dreams*

[RoleTroll]

Originally posted by Jimmy Carter
National Review, a political mag, has 150,000 subscribers and they're doing just fine.

The political rags are (generally) not profitable. They are supported by institutions and wealthy donors.

Don't the companies use contracts to limit what the online sources can reveal so the print magazines break stories? If the print mags were to die, it might be in gamers' best interest.