I’m not sure how it happened, but my morning routine took a hit about nine months ago and I haven’t been the same. Perhaps it was trying to tackle the 30-day Love Dare challenge or maybe it was just random events that got in the way and changed my routine.
Being so tied-in with twitter and facebook has definitely taken some of the “venting power” that blogging used to provide.
One of the things I love about the blog is the ability to share what’s going on. There’s been lots going on. First of all, I’ve been doing more jobs/duties at HM than ever before. I’ve done the editor and ad sales thing in combination before, but nowadays I’m also managing the website and all the other communications that go with running a small business. It’s weird not having much breathing room between deadlines anymore. I still make time and have had the time to “think creatively” and make some exciting changes and improvements to the HM Magazine thing (whether that’s online or print). I have recently come up with some cool marketing ideas that should help HM Magazine stay healthy with ad sales.
One of those ideas is our “Rock and Roll Town Hall,” which gives artists of any stature the ability to get an interview printed in HM Magazine, along with their photo and contact info, of course. This couples with an ad of any size (starting at quarter-page b&w and going up to a full-page color ad), as well as a complete stand-alone webpage with all 16 questions from the interview answered, the artist image and contact links, etc.
We’re trying to add a sidebar section where hip-hop artists describe the rock and metal music they listen to, coupled with another sidebar with rock and metal artists sharing what kind of hip-hop they’re listening to. We’ve got a couple of hip-hop artists on board, but haven’t gotten the rock/metal side filled out yet.
We recently made a last-minute change from a special double-flip cover of our Nov/Dec issue to a single cover. Now it’s Flyleaf that gets the single cover all to themselves. This should please some of the double-flip haters out there. (ha ha … it’s funny to throw a word like “hater” around like that, because it’s such an extreme word we are delegating to simple complaining and venting, but it’s common now).
Last issue’s Paramore coverage was weird. As you may have seen, we were “not allowed” to feature them on the cover, because another magazine had “exclusive rights” to that coverage. That’s a bad precedent, in my opinion, but I’m not upset by it. I’m not “hating” AP over it. But that’s not where the drama ended. The label did not send any advance copies of the album out, nor did they allow anyone access to any streaming content. If we wanted to review it, we had to send a writer to either Los Angeles or New York and listen to the album in the offices of Atlantic Records (Fueled by Raman). Wow. I’ve recently sent our writer, Dan MacIntosh, some interview questions about his experience, which I’ll post here as soon as I get them back.
One other little random tidbit of information: In our feature on Austrian Death Machine, our writer (Kelly Kettering) asked Tim Lambesis if California Governor Arnold S. has actually heard any of the band’s funny tribute music. Turns out, there is a report that he has… (you’ll have to wait for the article in our Nov/Dec issue to hear the full answer).
Can you do us a favor? Can you ask your local magazine retailer to carry HM Magazine? Stores actually do listen to their customers. And could you ask one or more of your friends to subscribe to HM Magazine? We are confident that your friend will appreciate the recommendation and enjoy the next six issues of the magazine.
Thanks!
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