Bass Player Magazine RIP

[NancyJohnson]

Just picked up the following post on Facebook.  Seems the magazine has been acquired by Future and the publication will continue as a rebranded version of the UK Bass Guitar Magazine.

Understandably, there's already been some negativity in the replies.  While a handful of replies are willing to give change a chance, it seems to one poster that BGM is 'too fancy pants English'.  

I can almost imagine the guy, sitting in a log cabin, polishing his guns and going, 'Oh damn those fancy pants English, with all their fancy pants words, grammar and abbreviation.'

Good grief.

Bass Player Family, 

When we debuted our first issue of Bass Player magazine almost 30 years ago, it was cause for celebration—an announcement that bass players were here to stay. No longer did we get just a few pages in a guitar publication. As fanatical bass players and bass fans, it was a joy to be the voice of the bass community and to put our heroes front and center. Since then, we’ve been honored to cultivate and serve that tight-knit and supportive community: artists, gear manufacturers, luthiers, instructors, authors, and historians of the bass world. Most important, though, has always been serving our readers. Nothing has been more fulfilling in our lifelong careers as writers and editors. 

Now, on the eve of our 30th anniversary, we are no longer at the helm of that ship. Bass Player was recently acquired by a U.K.-based publisher, Future PLC. Beginning with the November issue, BP will be absorbed by the British Bass Guitar magazine, but will continue to be published in the U.S. as Bass Player.  

The aesthetic of the new BP will be different. No more Community section, full-song transcriptions, or record reviews, and a different take on gear reviews—a different set of priorities, and a distinctly English flavor. The merge means many of our writers, editors, and production staff have been let go or relieved of their former roles. Bass publishing veteran and current Bass Guitar editor Joel McIver will run the magazine. Like you, we are curious to see where he’ll take the Bass Player brand. 

You’ll likely continue to see some familiar names in the new Bass Player. After all, there aren’t that many veteran bass writers out there. But we “BP lifers” are adamant about keeping our original mission statement—to dig deeper and serve the bass community—alive in some form. Please drop us a line to share your vision for the future, or just to let us know what Bass Player has meant to you. We can’t thank you enough for your continued loyalty, love, and support.

[visog]

Been covered elsewhere on the Forum but it's a sign of the times... 30 years ago when it launched, you could take a train to Wapping and go to the Bass Centre's department store for bass... And probably bump into a 'name' whilst you were in there. All of that has gone, Mark Kind is not a regular fixture on Top of the Pops. Likewise the Internet has all the information you used to get in BP for free and its better - without the advertorial bias that mired the magazine for years. No whiff of Fender negativity in those pages!

Also, it hasn't even been a good read for years...

[Yank]

Hey Nancy,  I apologize for my fellow yank calling you "fancy pants".  In your case should it have been  "Nancy  pants"?

[Geek99]

he's polishing his guns while he says that.....

[toneknob]

"English flavor"

 

So will US BP be a reskinned version of UK BGM? Or will it be called BGM in USA?

 

 

 

 

 

[Rich]

3 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

I can almost imagine the guy, sitting in a log cabin, polishing his guns and going, 'Oh damn those fancy pants English, with all their fancy pants words, grammar and abbreviation.'

Just wait till he finds out that colour has a U and that there's no such thing as aloominum. People have gone on shooting sprees for less provocation than that.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Rich

[HazBeen]

I have to admit BPM lost it's appeal a long time ago for me. Indeed too much advertising, too little interesting content. I used to buy them at our local news agent in the early '90s and I would wait for it to drop. Then stopped after a few years and about 6 years ago took a subscription. Totally dissappointed.

If we want non critical, "shallow" information on bass we have No Treble nowadays  ... I am only partly serious. 

[thebassist]

2 hours ago, visog said:

Been covered elsewhere on the Forum but it's a sign of the times... 30 years ago when it launched, you could take a train to Wapping and go to the Bass Centre's department store for bass... And probably bump into a 'name' whilst you were in there. All of that has gone, Mark Kind is not a regular fixture on Top of the Pops. Likewise the Internet has all the information you used to get in BP for free and its better - without the advertorial bias that mired the magazine for years. No whiff of Fender negativity in those pages!

Also, it hasn't even been a good read for years...

I agree with everything you've written here... unfortunately.

For the first time in 3 or 4 years, I bought an issue of BGM - I won't be buying another.

I used to love buying the defunct Bassist magazine back in the day and when that stopped, moved to Bass Player and BGM for a few years before becoming disgruntled at the amount of advertising pages. Of course, I certainly understand why the adverts are in there - it's just that, as you say, times have changed and YouTube as well as a whole host of other outlets have changed the game.

[Happy Jack]

3 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

Just picked up the following post on Facebook.  Seems the magazine has been acquired by Future and the publication will continue as a rebranded version of the UK Bass Guitar Magazine.

Understandably, there's already been some negativity in the replies.  While a handful of replies are willing to give change a chance, it seems to one poster that BGM is 'too fancy pants English'.  

I can almost imagine the guy, sitting in a log cabin, polishing his guns and going, 'Oh damn those fancy pants English, with all their fancy pants words, grammar and abbreviation.'

Good grief.

Bass Player Family, 

When we debuted our first issue of Bass Player magazine almost 30 years ago, it was cause for celebration—an announcement that bass players were here to stay. No longer did we get just a few pages in a guitar publication. As fanatical bass players and bass fans, it was a joy to be the voice of the bass community and to put our heroes front and center. Since then, we’ve been honored to cultivate and serve that tight-knit and supportive community: artists, gear manufacturers, luthiers, instructors, authors, and historians of the bass world. Most important, though, has always been serving our readers. Nothing has been more fulfilling in our lifelong careers as writers and editors. 

Now, on the eve of our 30th anniversary, we are no longer at the helm of that ship. Bass Player was recently acquired by a U.K.-based publisher, Future PLC. Beginning with the November issue, BP will be absorbed by the British Bass Guitar magazine, but will continue to be published in the U.S. as Bass Player.  

The aesthetic of the new BP will be different. No more Community section, full-song transcriptions, or record reviews, and a different take on gear reviews—a different set of priorities, and a distinctly English flavor. The merge means many of our writers, editors, and production staff have been let go or relieved of their former roles. Bass publishing veteran and current Bass Guitar editor Joel McIver will run the magazine. Like you, we are curious to see where he’ll take the Bass Player brand. 

You’ll likely continue to see some familiar names in the new Bass Player. After all, there aren’t that many veteran bass writers out there. But we “BP lifers” are adamant about keeping our original mission statement—to dig deeper and serve the bass community—alive in some form. Please drop us a line to share your vision for the future, or just to let us know what Bass Player has meant to you. We can’t thank you enough for your continued loyalty, love, and support.

Without some idea of who actually wrote this, frankly it's pretty meaningless. 

[Barking Spiders]

I've not bought BGM this year I don't think, the last issue being with Bernard Edwards on the cover. Still, each month I've flipped through issues while lurking in a dark corner of a newsagent -the only  BGM stockist in town - so the fussy old woman of a man doesn't make sarky 'this isn't a library' type comments.  But I've not found any justification for shelling out the best part of a fiver for summat with about 15 mins worth of interesting content for me.

[Rich]

+1 with thebassist and visog above. Back in the day, I subscribed to Bassist and also picked up BP whenever I saw it (usually at the WH Smiths at Paddington!). BP used to be a great read, it was worth getting just to have a laugh at Anthony Jackson's occasionally incredibly pompous drivel (truly great player but massive bass snob IMO), and they even made honest reviews of things back then. Last time I picked BP up, it was thinner than an election pamphlet and was 80% adverts. BGM has its moments -- more good than bad I think -- but as has been said, everything can be found on line these days.
Nowadays the only paper mag I buy with any regularity is Private Eye. Not much bass content there.

[NancyJohnson]

I actually like the US Bassplayer magazine, I suppose (much like when I used to buy the US Popular Photography) it just gave me an American perspective on the whole bass thing. 

Much the same as any publication, there's going to be the good stuff and the frankly dull stuff (some of the tabs...too much tab), but I have noticed more recently that for my monthly £4.75, the percentage of advertising per copy is way too high; the August '18 edition ran to 68 pages of which 26.3 pages were advertising (39%).  In addition (and maybe I'm overanalysing things here!), the leading space (the space between each line of editorial, so lines per page) has decreased significantly and the kerning (the space between each character) has increased, so you're effectively getting less words as well.  Each page also contains big areas of void.

I guess it's just an inevitable result of the world today and the decline of printed matter.  I suppose I'll miss it; it's my go to magazine for whiling away a few minutes when I sit down and do my daily business (let's have no gags about using it for wiping) and I owe them a small debt of gratitude as I was their featured bassist in the May '18 Real World section (fame at last, eh?).

 

[NancyJohnson]

36 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

Without some idea of who actually wrote this, frankly it's pretty meaningless. 

The part in italic was posted on the Bassplayer Facebook group.  It's a topline post, so unless a disgruntled employee has hacked their page, then I guess you have to accept it's mouth of the horse stuff.

[cetera]

2 hours ago, Yank said:

Hey Nancy,  I apologize for my fellow yank calling you "fancy pants".  In your case should it have been  "Nancy  pants"?

He prefers 'Fancy Nance'

[NancyJohnson]

1 minute ago, cetera said:

He prefers 'Fancy Nance'

I really should ask ped if I can change my user name.  😂

[martthebass]

2 hours ago, Rich said:

Just wait till he finds out that colour has a U and that there's no such thing as aloominum. People have gone on shooting sprees for less provocation than that.

It was called Aluminum before it was called Aluminium (and initially Alumium) - You have Sir Humphrey Davy to blame for that.  Useless science fact of the day.

[Bilbo]

Haven't bought a bass magazine for years. Gave my back issues away years ago. They have a place and it is great to share one's enthusiasm for our chosen instrument but one magazine is plenty. 

[toneknob]

One day there'll one magazine for everything, it'll be called "Stuff"

no wait that's taken. "Things"?

 

[Paddy515]

Thank goodness - I immediately thought Barry Adamson had passed away. Great influence on me back in the day.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Paddy515

[The59Sound]

Doesn't matter if it's British or American. Will still be full of ads and interviews with the same old farts. 

[bassbiscuits]

I haven't bought any bass magazines for years - not enough interesting stuff. 

Basschat is a more relevant and comprehensive source of bass info for me. 

[fretmeister]

Surprising that Ed Friedland is being a bit twatty about it - unless of course he's just got the sack.

No appreciation of the brand? I rather imagine that the Future guys bought it because they liked the brand!

 

"For me, Bass Player has always been about the voices within. The contributors and editors shaped a new dialect, a way of communicating about the bass. Over the years, a culture was born, nurtured, cultivated, matured, established, and to a degree, institutionalized. The current owners have no sense of what they have, no appreciation for the brand. I’m sure the Bass Guitar crew will do the best they can with the limited resources made available to them, but for the most part... you can expect something very different. Better? Always a matter of opinion."

[TheGreek]

More importantly - Is there any info on whether "the magazine" (whatever it's name) will be putting on the LBGS next year? 

[fretmeister]

I saw a few posts moaning that spellings will be European and measurements will be metric.

 

Strewth. Only the US uses imperial. The rest of the world has moved on.

 

Also - I saw one about some idiot demanding more "domestic" brands. Well "domestic" is now British. US brands are now the imported stuff. ha hahahahahaha!

[skankdelvar]

It would seem from my good friend @NancyJohnson 's post above that the Bass Player crew have taken this rather badly. Were further confirmation needed I have been passed an unredacted copy of the BP FB post as originally drafted:

Bass Player Family

When we launched Bass Player almost 30 years ago we were motivated by a festering resentment at the way that guitards had three or four magazines for themselves but we bass players didn't merit more than a single page shoe-horned into the back of Guitar Player in among all the other bits of articles that started at the front then unaccountably broke off and continued after the classified ads in the weird way that we Americans lay out magazines unlike anyone else in the world because they do it wrong and we do it right, kinda like football is football and soccer is soccer.

We digress. BP was meant to show the world that bass players are the most important people in the band and not at all sulky passive-aggressives who can't get laid. And over the years, we've succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. No one ever laughs at bass players these days.

Now on the eve of our 30th anniversary we have been stabbed in the back by those treacherous sons of bïtches at the hedge fund. All you need to know about these guys is that only one of them plays a musical instrument and it's a PRS. What's worse is we've been sold to a bunch of effete limeys who sip their tea with their little finger  stuck out and curtsy to each other when they meet. Was it for this that thousands of our best young men crossed the Atlantic to join the 8th Air Force and save the Brits by raining death and destruction on Germany? All we have to say is 'Semper Fi'.

Could it get any worse? Turns out the upstart English magazine is in bed with those anti-American, Rickenbacker-hating dirtbags at the 'TalkBass rip-off website' BassChat. All you need to know is that the owners of BassChat wear bowler hats and say things like 'God save the Queen, actually'.

Anyway, the murderous English redcoats who are taking us over will completely screw the pooch so please cancel your subscriptions now and protest this unwanted takeover by burning the Union Jack flag. We wish the new editor well but it will be a clusterf*ck of biblical proportions and in the end it's all down to Donald Trump and his fascist nationalism.

Make America Great Again? We think not.

Bass Player
 

Edited September 28, 2018 by skankdelvar
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