The future of mainstream Automotive magazines - NOT GRM

So, we keep hearing that print media is dead, also that the public at large are loosing interest in cars.  As another I noticed another potential nail in the coffin.  We've got one of those 'subscribe to a magazine for only $next to no money at all' flyers at the house right now.  You know the ones to raise money for some thing or other.  I assume it either came in the mail or some kid/group dropped it off last night, wife was still asleep when I was getting ready this morning so I didn't ask where it came from.  I grabbed it thinking I could get one of the mainstream automotive magazines for throne room browsing.  Not one single automotive magazine was on the list.  No Motor Trend, No C&D nor R&T.  Has interest in cars dropped off so much that these magazines aren't even fit to be flogged to support Scout camps or swim teams anymore?

The world is definitely losing a lot of casual automotive enthusiasts. Not so much racers or builders, but people who would buy a nice sports car, maybe stick some mods on it, take it to cars & coffee, and maybe run over 5 people on the way out

Cars aren't as important to people's social status and personal sense of freedom anymore, and younger people less commonly have the money for automotive hobbies these days.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Side note.  I spent 14 yr in the cell phone business and left in 2011 (7 years ago.)  Even from then I remember they were already surveying young adults and car was no longer considered the #1 social status purchase. The handset had taken over as the #1 social status purchase.  

In reply to John Welsh :

Where did a car come on the list?  What was 2, 3, 4 etc. on their lists?

GameboyRMH said:

The world is definitely losing a lot of casual automotive enthusiasts.

When the vast majority of people are in the market only for trucks and s/cuvs, what is there for them to be enthused about?

In reply to Adrian_Thompson :

At the time I think it was phone 1 and car 2

Have you read most of what’s in the shelf? It isn’t worth using as toilet paper for $7/issue for 80 pages....

JMO, they need to be innovative instead of listening the mba’s spouting more bullE36 M3 on cutting cuts and raising prices to maintain the bottom line. The internet is nice, so are cellphones, but the quality of those leave much to be desired.

I subscribe to GRM to support this board, because I enjoy the shared creativity and a weird fellowship. Magazine content is a distant second. It’d be a real difficult business without something similar. 

Here at Autobooks-Aerobooks, we see mags drop off the radar every couple of months.  Vintage Racecar/Roadcar just went to an all-web format after jumping $3.00 in price over one month.  While it may be tough sledding for the general publications, they're still running between 86 (R&T) and 110 smaller pages (Automobile).  Many long-time staffers are leaving the general mags and starting their own boutique pubs.  Wheel Hub is a new one but I'm not sure where they came from (I think they're ex-TEN Publishing people but don't quote me).  These new mags are jumping upmarket with better reproduction, better paper, larger formats, etc.  The price reflects that.  Are people willing to pay?  Only if they're interested in every page.

The British mags are hanging in there with as much content as ever.  However, the editing has gone from never-see-a-mistake to atrocious.  Most of the niche mags are doing okay if they have professional writers and production staff.  Independent mags like GRM and CMS are still with us because they don't use the one large distributor left so they're not sharing fees with them.  That one large distributor has horrid customer service, undercounts magazines, forgets certain mags altogether (try explaining to faithful customers why Classics Monthly didn't show up.  Again), and refuses to replace mags when they forget to deliver them but charge us for them anyway.

All this adds up to a pretty hostile environment for everyone concerned.

I would devour Hotrod and Car Craft every month. Re-read them in the 29 days on between. I had a 5 year sub to both. Didn't read the last 3 years of either. The cars they featured were so far from what I'm capable of affording that I simply list interest. I'll never afford a 69 charger,  a 32 deuce, 55 Chevy, ect. And those seem to be the only cars featured. 

When my favorite mags disappeared, SportCompactCar, Rod &Custom, and in the aviation world, Wings & Airpower, I stopped caring a little less each death. 

Besides, I  don't have as much time as I used to, I'm wrenching on stuff now, instead of reading about it.

which reminds me my subscription to GRM ran out earlier this year.  I think there should be enough room in the budget to re-up today but I might hold out until I'm in my new digs. 

In reply to Jerry From LA :

I went to  Autobooks-Aerobooks today.  I saw a bunch of magazines I had never heard of.  The store was amazing.  I picked up a couple van magazines and will try and make it back when I have time to really explore the aisles.  So. Much. Cool. Stuff!

Thinking about the topic I realize I get just ONE magazine these days: Motorcycle Classics. Being new to vintage bikes I find it very educational and I like the style which is somewhere between US and British. The last other magazine I got was Vintage Truck because it was heavy on content, very folksy and stuck to more stock stuff that I prefer. I dropped it a few years after selling my last old truck as it was kind of depressing to not have one in the garage and be reminded of the fact every two months.

I don't get modern car magazines because a) they mostly suck and 2) new cars hold very little interest for me. 

The bulk of them I peruse at the bookstore are wafer thin with more ads than content or come from England and carry a huge price tag.

I haven't gotten GRM for years because...reasons, mostly preference differences and not necessarily a dislike of the product.

I will buy those $8 yearly magazines or once I signed up for a two year 4-Wheeler magazine and after the first few issues I was looking at the label thinking I will be get this how long?

We all know this industry along with newspapers has changed.   Now I get renewals and wonder do I really want a year of Motortrend for $10?   

Datsun310Guy said:

I will buy those $8 yearly magazines or once I signed up for a two year 4-Wheeler magazine and after the first few issues I was looking at the label thinking I will be get this how long?

We all know this industry along with newspapers has changed.   Now I get renewals and wonder do I really want a year of Motortrend for $10?   

 

A year of sports illustrated for free with one of my verizon bonus credits sounded like a great idea, then peter king left and mmqb went to pot and now they basically get tossed in the recycle bin when they show up

Datsun310Guy said:

We all know this industry along with newspapers has changed.   Now I get renewals and wonder do I really want a year of Motortrend for $10?   

 

Every issue has a Harbor Freight 20% coupon. That's the most useful thing about it, IMO.

I think it was Amazon that as a promo offered me R&T C&D & Autoweek for $2 each. I like Autoweek though I don't know that I'll pay full price for it. Thr others, Meh.

GRM is the only magazine I subscribe to. I skim it every time it shows up but honestly don't read it in detail. The primary reason for the subscription is to support the fine people that generate it and to keep the forum alive and well. 

I wonder how many are like Toyman? What is the reason you don't really read the magazine? Obviously it doesn't carry content that you find appealing.

I'm a fan of GRM and the staff also but just don't want the clutter of magazines showing up I won't read. I also have enough stickers and license plate frames to last me a lifetime so feel that I'm promoting the magazine for them.

Has GRM seen a rise or fall in their subscriber rate in an era of other magazines struggling?

The mainstream auto magazines have been bad for a LONG time.  I actually went through the cheap subscription BS with one of them many years ago- about the time R&T and C&D became comparison magazines.  And even at $8/year, it wasn't worth it to me.

I struggled a lot with C&D, even though I knew many of the writers, as we live in the same town, and went to the same local car events.  But when they really got into ignoring their own data and put perception ahead of that, I just had to turn them off.  Too many times, one of our products was in the top 2 in every measurable category, and it just was always dead last- just because.  And when I see Vettes and Mustangs take much faster flying laps than far more expensive cars- and all they can say is how they don't like them- well....  So I stopped them over a decade ago.

Just kept Autoweek, until it became auto-every other week- which was really lifestyle-every-other week- I could not take anymore watch comparisons.  

For most of the last decade, I just had Vintage Racecar (I never read the roadcar side), GRM, and CM.  When I got the note from VR that they are going on line only, I immediately called them to cancel.  Funny enough, the owner of the magazine answered the phone, and I just told him I hate reading articles on line.  Especially car articles.  He told me that we should have some kind of responsibility to preserve this information- and my thinking- yes, but there's some responsibility to make a product that people are willing to consume.  For now, he still publishes Alfa Owner, which I barely read.

But CM and GRM, I read everything.  And I will point out, AGAIN, how gifted the editors of these magazines really are.  They are really amazing.  They re-wrote an article I wrote and 1) made is MUCH better to read and 2) still made me think I wrote it.  That's a gift, IMHO.  And it helps that both magazines are supported by sponsors that are very related to what they are writing about- so we are encouraged to look into their products.

logdog said:

In reply to Jerry From LA :

I went to  Autobooks-Aerobooks today.  I saw a bunch of magazines I had never heard of.  The store was amazing.  I picked up a couple van magazines and will try and make it back when I have time to really explore the aisles.  So. Much. Cool. Stuff!

I saw your Logdog Motorsports decals!  Tina showed them to me because I don't work on Saturdays.  Sorry I missed you.  Thanks for dropping in and leaving them.  Yes, we have a whole bunch of magazines you've never heard of (Y-Block Magazine anyone?  Also, Fly Wheels is a gorgeously-shot hot rod mag written in Japanese).  You can also attest to the perfect eyeball-height placement of GRM and CMS.  We also sponsor (along with CRC) the live YouTube/Facebook webcast every Wednesday at 9:00 pm EDT.

I think I'm like many, I still subscribe to our overlords (all praise Tim and Margie) but I rarely crack the cover these days.  The only mags I actually read the content of these days are the occasional copies of Motorsport and Evo when they make it my way from over the pond.  I can justify the (UK) cover price of those occasionally, but no way for a US subscription.  The art and quality of writing is what makes those two worth it.  Nothing on this side of the pond comes close for any price.

This conversation is relevant to my interests

So for those of you who subscribe mainly to support us, 1) thank you and 2) what could we do to make the magazine appeal more to you?

And thanks for the shout-out, Alfadriver. Copyediting and rewriting are weird passions to have, but David, Sarah and I all share them. For me it's the word-based version of restoring a car or, I guess, sculpting: You can see what lies beneath, and take great pleasure in bringing it out.

Margie

In reply to Marjorie Suddard :

I hate to say this, as the writing in GRM is as good as or better than just about any domestic automotive or general interest magazine, but for me it would be the writing.  Think what C&D or R&T were decades ago.  Or go and read Motorsport, Octane or EVO (less so since Metcalfe left as editor).  The quality of writing is superb.  That and some real high high quality photography.  If you wouldn't want to frame it on your wall, don't put it in the magazine (that's for full vehicle shorts, not details, close ups and information pics BTW)

Sorry, I really hate to sound negative, GRM is still better than any other domestic magazine of this century, but you did ask.

(why do I feel so E36 M3ty for giving my feedback)

P.S. since commenting on quality of writing I did hesitate using a conjunction, but I believe it's OK, but then I'm not a writer and don't claim to be!

I'm feeling guilty for appearing to criticize the magazine so I'd like to add some clarification.

While I've been on automotive forums since 'the Corral'  Mustang site in the mid 90's, but I remained devoted to print magazines for a long time.  The issue these days is that 99% of what's in GRM is more easily digested via the internet these days.  The written content of most articles is relatively short so is perfectly suited to a screen.  For pure information, the screen works better.  Even when I'm in the garage I have something like '101 projects for your Boxster' right there in front of me I still end up going and getting a lap top and viewing the same info on the screen.

When it comes to books, as in literature or novels though, I still prefer a physical book in my hand.  I've never fallen in loe with Kindles or the like.  Ditto for images and pictures.  I think that's why I like something like Motorsport so much as a physical magazine.  Their content tends to tell a story, and normally a very well crafted one.  Then add in really high quality pictures and that is a format far better suited print media, at least for me.  They also have some spectacular adverts (both full page and classifieds).  This may explain why what I read most oftern in CM is the stories of historically significant or old race cars.  That and the classified ads in both CM and GRM.

Again, this is not meant to be a criticism, but you did ask what would increase peoples actual readership.