First Digital Issue of Grooves Mag available for free

smutek · Post by **smutek** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:45 am

Sorry if this has already been covered but I just got the email today. I had known for a while that they were going to go all digital and have not been particularly happy about it, in fact I'm quite bummed, but what's one to do.

Anyway, here's a link. The first digital issue is free:

http://www.grooves-digital.com/grooves/2006_19/

djshiva · Post by **djshiva** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:27 am

pretty cool mag. thanks for the link!

leisuremuffin · Post by **leisuremuffin** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:46 am

My big problem with grooves is that i've never once read a bad review in it.
Of software or music.

I understand that advertising pays the bills, but come on, who wants to read it if it's not gonna tell the truth.

Then again, i guess i shouldn't rip a mag that printed a positive review of one of my live shows, with a sexy picture too. of course that was a long time ago... I'm not quite as sexy anymore. oh well.

.lm.

smutek · Post by **smutek** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:17 am

I have to disagree there, I have read some scathing reviews of both music and software. I'll have to pull out some old issues to get specific details, but as far as sotware goes I am pretty sure Traktor got a bad review. Don't quote me on it. And I definitely remember reading some music reviews where I was just like "whoa man".

Ahh, I remember one. Jan Jelinek Avec The Exposures, "La Nouvelle Pauvrette". I really liked, and still do like that album. The reviewer in Grooves trashed it which kind of irritated me to the point that I considered writing them. But I figured, hey, different strokes for different folks.

djshiva · Post by **djshiva** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:38 am

they didn't mince words when talking about various dj sets in the latter part of this issue i must say...

smutek · Post by **smutek** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:40 am

I haven't read through it yet. Just briefly skimmed the short about Sutekh (one of my favs).

I hate reading on screen, atleast any type of lengthy reading. Thats why I will miss the printed version!

leisuremuffin · Post by **leisuremuffin** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 5:03 am

Well, i have to admit i hadn't picked up a copy in years.

I guess they're better about that now.

too bad about going digital. I can't go for that either. To me, a magazine is still an object you can read on the toilet. Y'know, without taking your laptop into the crapper. Which is just weird. I did it once, not really cool.

.lm.

groovesmag · Post by **groovesmag** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 2:45 pm

I stumbled onto this thread, so i figured i would provide some info straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

first off, i'm not completely happy that we're no longer in print, either, but for a number of reasons, going totally digital was really the only way to keep the magazine going. having said that, going digital puts us on the forefront of what's going to happen to publishing over the next few years. should be interesting.

secondly, we definitely have run our share of bad reviews, both in terms of music and gear. there is no link between advertising and our reviews, and that is mostly the case with most quality magazines. of course, there are cases where advertisers have more sway over content than they should, but any editor with some journalistic integrity will doing everything he or she can to keep the wall up between editorial and ad sales.

please check the free issue out. i understand if people don't like to read onscreen--though, really, that's the future, so get used to it--and i'm working to make the next issue easier to read, in fact. (plus you can always print the pages out you want to read in detail.)

thanks,
sean
groovesmag.com
grooves-digital.com

smutek · Post by **smutek** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:06 pm

Thanks for posting Sean.

Obviously it would be much nicer to be able to have a physical copy of the magazine but if comes down to ending the magazine or going digital than it is better to see the magazine stay alive, regardless of the format. And as much as I dislike digital I must admit that it is nice to see the magazine in full color.

I'm curious as to how you build the magazine, is the final output made using flash paper?

groovesmag · Post by **groovesmag** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:22 pm

we're using a publishing service called Texterity. there are a lot of promising technologies out there, but i'm not sure one is far and away the best yet. we went with texterity because there's no app to download (as with some other online publishing services) and the issue loads fairly quickly.

thanks for the interest!

sean

mercyplease · Post by **mercyplease** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:53 pm

This is how its all going I think its great.

groovesmag · Post by **groovesmag** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:32 pm

well especially if you live outside the u.s. or canada, as we never had any luck getting much distribution abroad. plus, you don't have to wait six weeks for the copies to make it across the pond now.

sean

mercyplease · Post by **mercyplease** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:41 pm

groovesmag wrote:well especially if you live outside the u.s. or canada, as we never had any luck getting much distribution abroad. plus, you don't have to wait six weeks for the copies to make it across the pond now.

sean

True

I wasnt aware of this magazine so they have already widened their brand name. I guess this is pretty new territory and probably a little scary for those involved in print media but this is the way of the future and i reckon those that get started early on could reap the benefits (propably)

I enjoyed the mag.