JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Songwriter Message Forum What subscriptions are most helpful?

Lately, I've seen some discussion generated regarding which magazine subscriptions are most helpful for a songwriter. I'd be interested in hearing which ones folks like and why. Some subscriptions may be for different reasons, such as keeping on top of what is going on in Nashville, others for generating song ideas.

Being a member of ASCAP, I get PLAYBACK magazine, which has some interesting info in it, mostly about who has won awards for which releases. Country Weekly has more general country music news. American Songwriter keeps me up to date on what competitions are happening and who is releasing what.

As far as online newsletters, I enjoy the interviews, Q&A and reviews in MUSES MUSE, and My Kind Of Country (MKOC) a lot, as well as JPF of course. One very helpful weekly update comes in the BLUE CHIP RADIO REPORT which tells it from the perspective of the folks in radio, and tells which songs are where on the charts. It also has a great link to a site that lists the songwriters for all the charted songs released since the beginning of the year. I also enjoy DIFS (Daily Inspirations For Songwriters). Ande had this question in there but we don't get to know if folks answer him.

Would love to hear from others in case I am missing some good ones.

Thanks..
Bobbie

Great topic, Bobbie,

There are two magazines that I enjoy. One is American Songwriter Magazine ( www.americansongwriter.com ). Bobbie mentioned this one in her post. I think the magazine has great articles and information. What I love most, though, is their lyric contest. There are so many song contests, but as lyricist, that doesn't really help a lot of us. This is a true lyric contest. The entry fee is reasonable ($10 each) for the bi-monthly contest. It is a national magazine and the top five winners for each contest get their lyrics and names printed in the magazine. The top winner of the 6 contest during the year gets a guitar and a shot a trip to Nashville with demo time in a studio. I have placed in the contest before and was a honorable mention once, so, of course, I really think it's a cool contest. You don't have to be a subscriber to enter though. The subscription rate is pretty resonable for the bimonthly publication. Prices are on the website and I believe NSAI members get a discount of some sort.

Another publication that I really love is Songwriter's Monthly ( www.lafay.com/sm ). I really love this publication. The Editor/Publisher, Allen Foster, really seems to enjoy helping out songwriters. The is and indie magazine, so no color, glossy pages. The have aritcles with established artists, with up and comers, lots of informative articles (of course). They also have features I haven't seen anywhere else. The have a free lyric contest for subscibers. Three lyrics are picked for each issue to be printed on the front inside cover. People call in and vote for their favorite. The winner get a check for $25. It's pretty cool. It's something to add to that songwriting resume. You can also submit songs for the Future Charters feature. If selected, people can call in a hear a portion of your song on the phone. You'll get your info and picture plus lyrics printed in the issue as well. More stuff for the press kit! You can turn in your bio and a picture for a chance to be in the subscriber profile feature as well. They also have a review supplement in each issue. They do nice reviews. They are honest, but they use the review supplement to help build you up, not tear you down, as many critics do. More press kit clippings. I believ all these features are avaiable to subscribers only, but are all free. I think that's pretty cool too.

I'm sure others can offer some more great publications. I love to know of some more. I often ask for magazine subscriptions for gifts. It's easy for the person buying you a gift and it's something you can get use out of for a whole year.

As for online, I get some of the ones mentioned by Bobbie. That Blue Chip Radio Report sounds pretty interesting. Do you have a web address for it, or is it just the name.com?

Keep posting,
Ashleigh

[This message has been edited by adw246 (edited 05-04-2001).]

[This message has been edited by adw246 (edited 05-04-2001).]

Bobbie,

As someone who knows a lot of the people behind most of these publications, I realize that there are as many different good publications as there are different interests and needs. Because everyone is so different in what they are interested in, it is hard to say "this one is best" or "these are the worst."

I find good stuff in nearly all of them. I suggest checking out many of them in a book store, by leafing through them to see what they are about. Music Connection does a lot to delve into real people in the music industry, like a more accessible Billboard. And the publishers are Just Plain Folks members. Performing Songwriter, American Songwriter, EQ, Gig, Keyboard, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Player, Bass Player, Audio Media and the Musicians Atlas have JPFolks members on staff and many have been supportive of us over the years. And the list goes one from there.

So many good ones.. so little time..

Brian

Of course, check out the Demographics results to see what your fellow members are reading..

Thanks Ashleigh and Brian. I know there are good things in each of these subscriptions, but was hoping to hear from folks why they particularly like certain ones, like Ashleigh offered. That is always good to know since I only have limited time to read things, and it is helpful to know in advance some of the things that are particulary interesting or fun about these publications.

Ashleigh, the URL for the Blue Chip Radio Report is www.clubnashville.com/currentbcrr.htm
This one comes each week and is chock full of relevant info from the radio side of stuff, including current charts. The site I particularly enjoy is the link to the listing of who wrote which hits. Always some surprises there.

Bobbie

Thanks Bobbie,

I'll definitely check out that link. Hey all you JPFers, don't tell me we aren't seeing more replies here because we aren't subscribing trade publications. I know that can't be true! Come on now, give it up. Don't keep a good mag to yourself--share the love! Let's here it for professional development.

Keep posting,
Ashleigh