Modern Drummer magazine

[musicman691]

I know we've got a few drummers here and that there's a drum section of the DUC but that hasn't had any traffic since late 2019 so I'm posting this here.

Does anyone subscribe to Modern Drummer magazine? I have for several years getting a paper copy of the monthly magazine. The last print issue I got was July of 2021 that had Sheila E. on the cover. Been trying to work through their subscription support which is via email only and getting no response lately. I still can login and read the digital issue no problem. My subscription is up (supposedly) in April. Emails to them go unanswered and if I call their phone number their auotresponse system says that all subscription inquiries must go through their email and I promptly get disconnected with the 'trunk line busy' rapid beeps.

Hesitant to blindly renew given my recent experience. I've gotten no notices in the snail mail about renewing - usually one gets renewal notices months before the sub end date. Nothing online either and there's nothing in my isp's Spam folder.

Not writing just to bitch and moan as much as I'm asking/wondering if anyone here has had any recent experience with Modern Drummer magazine subscriptions or their support system. Drum! magazine went away about two years ago and Drumhead mag picked up their subscribers for the remaining part of one's Drum! magazine subscription.

[albee1952]

Hmm, I'm not a subscriber to MD, but just wanted to offer some related opinion; I have let several magazine subscriptions go as many of them have gotten thinner and thinner, with less real information and more ads and rehashing of stuff that's been gone over plenty already. Food for thought

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by albee1952

Hmm, I'm not a subscriber to MD, but just wanted to offer some related opinion; I have let several magazine subscriptions go as many of them have gotten thinner and thinner, with less real information and more ads and rehashing of stuff that's been gone over plenty already. Food for thought

Understood. Seeing that in Recording mag as well. Unfortunately in the drumming world there's not much out there in the way of non-Internet material. The only other drum magazine is Drumhead; they picked up the orphaned subscribers when Drum! magazine folded a while back. I'm a beneficiary of that deal. But that's bimonthly.



Considering what you wrote and adding in that current one year renewal for print and digital is $120/year I may well not renew. Can't get a print only. Digital is $5/month billed monthly. I'm old school and prefer to have the magazine in my hands. I don't have a smartphone or iPad to read digital stuff and I don't feel like sitting at my computer to read it either.

[The Weed]

Is it possible for you to save a digital copy as a PDF and then print out the articles you're interested in? I can do that, but I'm on Windows.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by The Weed

Is it possible for you to save a digital copy as a PDF and then print out the articles you're interested in? I can do that, but I'm on Windows.

Yeah I can do that but you're missing the point. Most of the time I'm not interested in just one article; I also like to read the whole magazine. It's a pain juggling multiple loose pages. I know - put them in a binder but that's cumbersome. It's not like a manual where you might only printout a few pages. Doing what you suggest is no better than putting the pdf on an iPad (if I had one and I don't - don't want or need one).


There are only two magazines where I even get the digital version. One of which is QST (the ham radio magazine from the ARRL) and American Rifleman (magazine from the NRA). Recording magazine, Sky and Telescope I get the print issue.

[Emcha_audio]

I'm afraid the days of paper magazine is going away.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Emcha_audio

I'm afraid the days of paper magazine is going away.

As Shakespeare would say: more's the pity.

[Cowboy Bob]

Originally Posted by musicman691

As Shakespeare would say: more's the pity.

What platform is he on?

Just joking of course. I tend to agree though. I like books and magazines that are paper.

[TOM@METRO]

Originally Posted by Emcha_audio

I'm afraid the days of paper magazine is going away.

Sad and true.

[musicman691]

Well I finally got a response from MD and it goes as follows:

"I apologize for this situation but I have to let you know that the whole world is having a lack of paper production, which we use to print our magazine, for that reason, we are behind in our printed publications almost three months behind schedule but we are working hard to catch up as soon as possible. In the digital version, you will find the current month's issue without delays. In addition, as printing and paper costs have increased to the point where a print only subscription does not cover our manufacturing or shipping costs we had no choice but to stop sending these subscribers to the Unites States and Canada after the July 2021 issue. That said, you can choose to have a digital subscription or request a refund for your remaining printing issues. Also, if you want to have hard copies of the magazine we invite you to subscribe to All Access, with this subscription you will not only get the hard copies, but you will also have access to more than 500 issues on our website and exclusive content.

Thank you for your understanding and patience."


I'm not buying the poor excuse that the whole world is having lack of paper production issues. Magazine with an equal or lesser subscriber base like Sky & Telescope, Recording Magazine, QST (ARRL ham radio journal) are able to get their paper issues out on time. MD has been late getting things out these before but they always came out.

There was nothing communicated to subscribers about this either via email or on the website. Subscribe to All Access? At $120/year? My last 2 year renewal to MD in 2020 was just under $58 for print issues.