KVR Audio

plasticmoonrain · Post by **plasticmoonrain** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:48 pm

FUTURE NETWORK USA TO LAUNCH US VERSION
OF FUTURE MUSIC MAGAZINE
IN APRIL 2005

Brisbane, CA and New York, NY (October 11, 2004) – Future Network USA, the country's foremost publisher of cutting edge gaming, computing and musician magazines, is launching an American version of its successful Future Music magazine in April 2005, it was announced today by president Jonathan Simpson-Bint.

The completely new, American-edited magazine will be part of the company’s music division, which includes market-leading titles Guitar One, Guitar World, Guitar World Acoustic, Guitar World’s Bass Guitar, Guitar World Legends, and Guitar World Buyer’s Guide and is run by group publishing director Steve Aaron. The magazine will be based in Future Network USA’s New York offices.

Future Music will launch as a bi-monthly with paid circulation of 50,000, although Future will examine increasing the frequency after the first few issues.

The news follows the recent announcement of the launch of the Future Action Sports division focusing on skateboarding and snowboarding consumer and trade titles.

Future Network USA is a division of UK-based Future Network, plc [FNET].

Future Music is a reader-driven publication featuring an entertaining and highly substantive mix of artist-driven features, product reviews, and multiple entry points for today’s musicians as well as anybody who uses a computer to make, play or produce any genre of music:

* Loads of reviews of the latest gear, from instruments and software to monitors, controllers, microphones and samplers, giving readers a thorough analysis of what makes a product tick, if it does what it’s supposed to do well, and if it will be worth buying.

* Crafty tutorials and advice on making music with the latest equipment and technology.

* Behind the scenes with well-known and upcoming artists to see how they create their songs.

* Home studio makeovers and demo song critiques.

In the successful Future Network tradition, each issue will feature a cover-mounted CD-ROM with videos, products demos, sample libraries, and tutorials, making the magazine the ultimate package on newsstands for musicians everywhere.

The magazine’s design will look unlike any other music enthusiast magazine in America – slick, exciting and inviting, with the many products showcased in full glory.

For musicians everywhere, this announcement is the equivalent of manna from heaven: import copies of the magazine now account for 10% of total sales, as they are heavily snapped up on newsstands and music stores everywhere. Now they will have an original product written, edited and designed right in the US with a new crack editorial staff.

James Rotondi, the editor-in-chief of Guitar World’s Bass Guitar, will be editor in chief. While Rotondi’s editorial credentials are superb (features editor of Guitar Player, associate editor and writer at Remix, stories for Spin, Rolling Stone, Pulse, and Harmony Central), he walks the walk too: he spent two years as a singer, keyboardist and synth programmer for the popular French electronic band Air, while performing similar duties in the past for rock band Mr. Bungle. He has also played guitar on over 100 national television commercials.

“Musician-oriented editorial needs to be informed by real musical experiences,” Rotondi says. “The future of music technology is always a result of the dialogue between those who play, and those whose ideas help us play better.”

“We know the moment has arrived for Future Music – the proliferation of music software and lower price points for gear have fueled significant growth in the last five years,” explains Simpson-Bint. “Along with Apple loading GarageBand into four million Macs, everybody has the opportunity to make music with their computers and be a Future Music reader. It’s already a coveted import title, and now it’s going to take on a bigger audience than ever before.”

Future Network USA currently ranks 13th out of the top 20 audited newsstand publishers in gross retail sales. As stated in the April 2004 issue of Circulation Management, Future showed the biggest increase among the top 50 newsstand publishing companies for 2003, with a gross retail revenue sales increase of 77%. The average U.S. magazine cover price of the top 50 audited titles on the newsstand is $3.28 while the average Future cover price is $7.65. With an average cover price more than twice the industry average, Future consistently outperforms their competitors.

# # #

About The Future Network plc
The Future Network was founded in the UK in 1985. Today, it publishes over 100 special-interest consumer magazines worldwide, is the world’s leading publisher of games magazines and is the fifth largest magazine publisher in the UK. Future employs over 1,000 people in offices in the UK, US, Italy and France. Around 100 international editions of Future’s magazines are also published in 31 other countries across the world. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange (symbol FNET).

About Future Network USA
Future Network USA (www.futurenetworkusa.com), formerly Imagine Media, built its success on a strategy of "passion": serving markets where there is a thirst for expert knowledge and advice. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area with an office in New York City, Future Network USA's publications sell in excess of 2.2 million copies per month. Its market-leading titles include PC Gamer, PSM: 100% Independent PlayStation 2 Magazine, Official Xbox Magazine, Mobile PC, Maximum PC, MacAddict, EZ Tech Guides and guitar titles: Guitar World, Guitar World Acoustic (bi-monthly), Guitar World Bass Guitar (semi-annual, bimonthly in 2004), Guitar World Legends (quarterly) and Guitar One. The Action Sports Division of snowboarding and skateboarding consumer and trade titles will be launching in spring 2005.

wrench45us · Post by **wrench45us** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:02 pm

now I have to go consult a dictionary and figure out what bi-monthly means

not to mention 'crafty tutorials' and this after Martha's in prison in W Va.

wrench45us · Post by **wrench45us** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:05 pm

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=bi-monthly

just as I thought
nothing like a definitive source

jeffn1 · Post by **jeffn1** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:09 pm

That's cool. Now I don't have to send my CD to Europe to get them to review my music (even though they did call it "bizarre".

jeffn1

atomic_(no)afro · Post by **atomic_(no)afro** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:16 pm

I do wish that FM and CM would be combined into one magazine at least in the US. So that I could get all those nice freebies from CM mag, while at the same time getting the superior articles of FM, all in a single mag that costs half of what I pay the newsstand now for just CM UK.

ATA

AD80 · Post by **AD80** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:23 pm

I rather have a CM in the US personally. But this is great news!

plasticmoonrain · Post by **plasticmoonrain** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 9:49 pm

Actually, the US version of Future Music will be like a cross between FM and CM. However, instead of being very focused on dance/electronica, the editorial will cover more musical genres and be broader.

The entire staff will be brand new and based in New York City.

Dr3ew

soulkraka · Post by **soulkraka** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:26 pm

plasticmoonrain wrote:Actually, the US version of Future Music will be like a cross between FM and CM. However, instead of being very focused on dance/electronica, the editorial will cover more musical genres and be broader.

The entire staff will be brand new and based in New York City.

Dr3ew

oh great, so instead of reading about artists (and techniques) I'm actually interested in I'll get to read about vanessa carlton, go behind the scenes britneys keyboard player, and have prog rock prominantly featured in every issue. I can hardly wait.

Rabid · Post by **Rabid** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:32 pm

I would be happy to get a US version of Future Music or Computer Music if it had the same articles and CD's that come with the European version. It sounds like this is going to be totally different.

Robert

plasticmoonrain · Post by **plasticmoonrain** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:42 pm

soulkraka:

I don't know why you would jump to that conclusion. Neither the press release nor my postings have mentioned Top 40 or pop or prog rock.

When I say there will be more musical genres, that means it will incorporate more rock (alternative and other kinds) and other kinds of electronic-oriented music. And it may have some prog rock -- I don't know, but surely you know that there are as many musical tastes as there are people. If you are a fan of the UK edition of Future Music or Computer Music, you will most likely like the US magazine when it is launched.

I myself am not deeply into electronica, but I learn a great deal from Future Music every month because there is always something practical I can take away, even if it is not exactly my favorite kind of music. I can always adapt it to what I'm doing or not use it at all. I'm less interested in the artist, as opposed to what I can learn from them.

Besides, I don't know if you know the magazine -- it is very PRODUCT-oriented. Tons of current reviews and very thorough. The magazine has UK roots, so you know it will be product and tutorial heavy.

Drew

plasticmoonrain · Post by **plasticmoonrain** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:44 pm

Dear Rabid:

Like the UK magazines, there will be loads of sample libraries, demos and software.

Will it be exactly the same?

I do not know -- that may be a licensing issue.

But the types of things that will be on the discs will be VERY similar.

Drew

LBN · Post by **LBN** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:50 pm

Rats...I actually like the fact that FM focuses mainly on dance/electronica versus some of the mags I grew up with like Keyboard. Oh well, I'll wait until the first issue is out to reserve judgment. FM really does a much better job of covering the software world than magazines like Keyboard or even Electronic Musician. Now if only Sound On Sound would publish a US edition then I wouldn't have to spend ~$45 each month to pick up FM, CM, and SOS. One of these days I'll get around to subscribing and actually save over $XX off the cover price.

Post by **Ben [KVR]** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:14 pm

I've deleted all of the crossposts and cleaned up this thread. Please keep it civil.

Rabid · Post by **Rabid** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:23 pm

Thanks Ben. I never knew that someone else could take something back that I said in haste.

Anyway, SOS put out a US version and I have not been happy since. I paid $100 use for my subscription and 3 months later got converted to the new US version that was much cheaper and had no advertisements. (I like advertisements. They supply my GAS.) They never even extended my subcription after converting me to the cheaper version.

I don't understand why Computer Music or Future Music does not just send the articles over the net and print the mag in the US. Why put out a totally different mag with different articles and different writers and slap the Future Music name on it? People like me pay big money for the European mags like FM, CM and SoS for a reason. It is nice to get a different perspective. I don't want another Electronic Musician magazine.

Robert

CC4 · Post by **CC4** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:33 pm

the most important thing, is will it be cheaper?

Announcement: Future Music Magazine Launching US Edition!