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Monday Jul 16, 2007
Old media still has a pulse: it's just different
The internet has killed off old media. Newspapers are disappearing; magazines are shutting down; record stores are closing; radio and TV stations are desperately tying to figure out how to survive in a YouTubed world.
Right? Maybe not.
This week, a couple of signs of life have been noticed in the dusty, non-digital media world:
-- Vinyl record sales are up, particularly among younger people apparently looking for something physical to own and cherish - which they're not getting from an external hard drive or iTunes subscription. Meanwhile, Rough Trade is opening "the UK's biggest record store" in London's Brick Lane this weekend. The owners reckon "shoppers crave expert advice, broad choice and excitement when they buy music" and that isn't on offer from high street stores or online sites.
-- Teen girls' magazines might be dropping like flies but other, niche publications are springing up in their place. This week Grace Magazine launches, a magazine run by the Church Times with the aim of offering young women an alternative to the celeb news and gossip of the normal women's output. Also trying to offer an alternative, but in a very different fashion, are feminist magazines like KnockBack and Uplift!
What old media seems to be learning from new media is that fragmentation of audiences and the expectation of personalisation mean once-size mass audience products aren't going to always work. Instead, niche magazines and shopping services run by passionate people that know their audiences and can offer – literally – the human touch, can still survive.
Posted by Dom Waghorn ( 4:39 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]