Forums > Social Discussion > Spinning Magazine - would you buy one?

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ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
if there was a quarterly spinning magazine full of loads of technical articles pretty pictures up and coming festivals around the globe for the quarter, interviews and all the other things u come to associate with magazines would you buy one possibly with a vcd of ppls lovely spinning

if yes what would u want from it and how much would you pay for it assuming it was professionally done? bearing in mind im thinking about an internet order based thing so ud have to order it online

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


The Real Fryed FishGod's illgitament son
1,489 posts
Location: state of confusion


Posted:
not just yes, but hell yes! as for what i would want in it, damn i dont know it would be cool just to have it ya know........pricing, huh, that should depend on the over head cost of the magazine and how much is in it...........but a ball park figure.......$3-$5 US? i dont know

You can't avoid pain by fencing yourself from it.
Some times you need the help of others more than anything else
But you have to let them close enough to help......
People want to be needed, I found that out too


VixenSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,276 posts
Location: Oxfordshire/Wiltshire, United Kingdom


Posted:
Yeah i think thats a real good idea - esp for ppl like me who are a bit out on thier own with no other spinners.

Price wise - thats not really an issue aslong as its not something really silly! xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.


HavokistBRONZE Member

2,530 posts
Location: Manchester, United Kingdom


Posted:
A spinning magazine would be a great idea, and the most i'd pay for one is about £5 UK. As long as it had a variety of spinners from a variety of places, and not just one city or town then i think quite a lot of people would be interested in it.

We are the music makers, We are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers, On whom the pale moon gleams;
We are the movers and shakers of the world for ever, it seems.


Same as Dostoevskiymember
54 posts
Location: vodka-country... and it's VERY COLD here


Posted:
i'd prefere publishing one of theese as soon as we'd have favorable market conditions

when it gets colder that -25, you don't really care


VixenSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,276 posts
Location: Oxfordshire/Wiltshire, United Kingdom


Posted:
Surely it would just be like a HOP magazine?? xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.


Sir_Sheepold hand
725 posts
Location: Chester, UK


Posted:
Why do you need a magazine, when there's a multitude of webby's already containing all the information which you said would be included?

Spoiling Christmas for small children since 2003.


Same as Dostoevskiymember
54 posts
Location: vodka-country... and it's VERY COLD here


Posted:
you can earn more with a magazine

when it gets colder that -25, you don't really care


ado-pGOLD Member
Pirate Ninja
3,882 posts
Location: Galway/Ireland


Posted:
and people that dont have access to the net will have something to look at.



nice idea ben.



I'd like to see things about buying and making saftey, toys, moves - names and breakdowns, illustrations, vids, types of body movement, stretching, events, classifieds, reader contributions, how to make coloured flames and how to make sparkly poi.



all that and whatever else you could pack in there.



maybe an option to buy a dvd that focuses on one of the above



looking forward to hearing more



a

Love is the law.


The Real Fryed FishGod's illgitament son
1,489 posts
Location: state of confusion


Posted:
so basicaly ado-p wants it to included the FAQ that all of us are tired of answering wink plus some extra goodies

You can't avoid pain by fencing yourself from it.
Some times you need the help of others more than anything else
But you have to let them close enough to help......
People want to be needed, I found that out too


DominoSILVER Member
UnNatural Scientist - Currently working on a Breville-legged monkey
757 posts
Location: Bath Uni or Shrewsbury, UK


Posted:
I quite like the idea, sounds a bit like a HOP Digest, but that's the problem, HOP has all this stuff and more although it can be a little difficult to find something specific. Price would really depend on the size.

Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand and I can beat the world into submission.


Mint SauceBRONZE Member
veteran
1,453 posts
Location: Lancs England


Posted:
Sounds like a good idea I would pay fore it.

Could have guest articles, safety stuff, new moves, tutorials. Readers picks. Is a very interesting idea would love to see how it develops

before i met those lot i thought they'd be a bunch of dreadlocked hippies that smoked, set things on fire ,and drank a lot of tea but then when i met them....oh wait (PyroWill)


NYCNYC
9,232 posts
Location: NYC, NY, USA


Posted:
I don't think spinners would buy it.

I think people would SAY they'd buy it, and if you bought it FOR them, they'd read it.

You'd probably sell 4 copies and have them passed around the community. wink

I find the firespinning community to be VERY hesitant to reach into their pockets and purchase something like that.

I don't think a magazine suits the clients.

Well, shall we go?
Yes, let's go.
[They do not move.]


The Real Fryed FishGod's illgitament son
1,489 posts
Location: state of confusion


Posted:
how can we be hesitant to purchase something like this? as far as i know there is nothing like it (in print any way) so what are basing that statment on NYC?

You can't avoid pain by fencing yourself from it.
Some times you need the help of others more than anything else
But you have to let them close enough to help......
People want to be needed, I found that out too


spritieSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
2,014 posts
Location: Galveston, TX, USA


Posted:
All I will say is that a little over a year ago, the idea for a fire spinning e-zine was passed around. It would have many of the same features as you describe here. There was some interest for it, and the person in the lead had even gathered several others up to help write articles and such. As you can see, though, the e-zine never materalized. I think a more formal/expensive magazine might fall the same way. In theory it is nice.

One complication I would see is mailing it out. Where would base the magazine from? Mailing rates vary greatly from OZ to the states to Europe. One would have to factor that into the cost. So, if it was published in OZ, it would rather expensive to get it to the states. I'd assume the same would be true for getting it to Europe. I'm basing this off of what it would cost for me to get a subscription to another magazine published in OZ here in the states...in OZ, it's about $40 (oz dollars) a year, but for me to get it here in the states, it is about $110 (us dollars). Right now, $40 OZ dollars = $30 US dollars.

MillenniuMPLATINUM Member
Hyperloops suck
595 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
Roger Lai, a spinner that many of you know as he has travelled the globe meeting spinners, has had this idea for quite a long time now. He has been throwing around this idea for quite a while, and is pretty serious about getting it up and going.

peles_paynimSILVER Member
member
80 posts
Location: the fascist states of amerika, USA


Posted:
well...if you do....please include a section on shakeoff cans and the detrimental effects of most coloured flames on the environment.....
-------------------------
tree-hugging dirt worshipper

real eyes
realize
real lies


onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
Written by: NYC


I don't think spinners would buy it.

I think people would SAY they'd buy it, and if you bought it FOR them, they'd read it.

You'd probably sell 4 copies and have them passed around the community. wink

I find the firespinning community to be VERY hesitant to reach into their pockets and purchase something like that.

I don't think a magazine suits the clients.




Written by: Fryed Fish


how can we be hesitant to purchase something like this? as far as i know there is nothing like it (in print any way) so what are basing that statment on NYC?




I think he's basing it on his experience of spinners smile

and he's probably right.

However, I think there could actually be a biggish market for such a mag amongst some of the people who probably wouldn't call themselves spinners, but who would like to get into it.

Especially if the mag had loads of informative articles, some geared towards total beginners, or to people who can spin a bit about how to get into fire (safely).

And if it also had stuff on other skills like juggling, diablo, a bit on off-road unicycling etc; there's signs in the UK of another big wave of interest in circus skills.

With that market topped up by the proportion of spinners who'd buy the mag, maybe it could sell enough to make it worthwhile.

Such a mag, if well done, could actually help to stimulate public interest in spinning and related arts, further boosting its sales.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


filthy 23BRONZE Member
member
136 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
OH, I know how hard publishing a magazine can be, did a monthly for a while ~ whew! It's funny you mention it though, me and my friend were predicting a poi magazine... and yes, I would definately buy it!!! I'm an incurable packrat and love to collect anything related to all of my interests, ESPECIALLY zines and propaganda. I would also tell all my friends about it and they'd probably buy it as well because I wouldn't want to loan mine out to just anyone because most of them would bend the edges of the pages. I have 2 very closely trusted book-loanable friends. Those 2 would borrow it and like it so much that they'd have to own their own.

I AM working.


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
Let's see.

Burn Syndicate. E-Zine. Several people volunteered to write articles. It was supposed to eventually go to print as well. Never made it past the first edition.
People crapped out. People moved on.
One of the editors has a line of clothing now though.

Fire Magazine.
Concept went all the way through to article submission. No one signed up for subscriptions, which the money was needed to fund the first printing. It was never printed due to lack of support from the community, despite all of the positive feedback the idea recieved.
I am not even sure where the guy who wanted to publish it went.

Spin and Burn.
Had articles. Had a dedicated staff. Had a bunch of people who said "Oh yes, we will buy it." But no one ended up paying for it. Sample copies went out and while it was extremely strong in concept and content, it was done after the sample.

The start up funding for a good quality magazine (which it would have to be in order to support the illustrations needed for visually based people during technical explainations) is really high. We have a super diverse mindset in the spinning community which means it is a hard group to please, and one which turns over rapidly (*many* people jump on the spin wagon and are off of it in less than 2 years) This means you really can not rely on subscriptions, and pre-pay for single issue is not something most people want to do, and is really not enough to fund the printing of an entire mag. That is not counting staff and, previously mentioned, mailing.

This is where advertising comes in. Then you can hit up companies to pay and advertisement fee and defray printing costs. However, then people will complain that the mag is laden with ads and full of commercialist propoganda, being the free thinking artiste types that spinners are.

There are publications which are portable with this information in them. Many books and such.
And with the numerous websites, computer portability, personal teachers and simple trial and error readily available, there is *alot* of competition.

I am also curious. Things change extremely rapidly in this community. Not just the people involved but also the quality of products fluctuates. The "hot" move changes on a near daily basis. Even safety regs change alot. How would a quarterly stay on top of all of this?

Yup. I am with NYC.
Seen it. Wrote for a couple of the ones who tried. Heard all the "I'll be theres." and sat with the others wondering where they all went when it was time to buy a copy.

I don't mean to diss the dream, and if it is what you want to do, go for it. Just don't put all your eggs in this basket, because history has proven, it is not a money maker.

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
- Why do you need a magazine, when there's a multitude of webby's already containing all the information which you said would be included?

not everyone has the time to be constantly reading forums and they can be quite hard to find the information you want it as its often random information indispersed with chat not to mention everyone has their own way of describing things and there are often no pictures just horrid text descriptions that are like reading another language

- I find the firespinning community to be VERY hesitant to reach into their pockets and purchase something like that.

alot of spinners are like that i agree, i find it quite disgusting that there are always loads of spinners at spitz and sometimes euan has trouble covering the rent because they are to tight to pay 3 quid. these ppl are not the target audience i have in mind, hop however has a large base of ppl who buy things online in the shop and a theres a large portion of ppl who never post

-One complication I would see is mailing it out. Where would base the magazine from? Mailing rates vary greatly from OZ to the states to Europe. One would have to factor that into the cost. So, if it was published in OZ, it would rather expensive to get it to the states.

definately true which is why i would want to have someone in the uk (volunteers?) and america (roger) to be apart of the process so that they could organise printing in both places

- I think the safety aspects would have to be reiterated in every issue.

id thought about that and really i think all the safety stuff could quite easily be summarised in a page or two

- The start up funding for a good quality magazine (which it would have to be in order to support the illustrations needed for visually based people during technical explainations) is really high.

i was thinking of applying for a government grant as there are quite a few around for starting up new ventures type stuff

- This is where advertising comes in. Then you can hit up companies to pay and advertisement fee and defray printing costs. However, then people will complain that the mag is laden with ads and full of commercialist propoganda, being the free thinking artiste types that spinners are.

i was thinking of only having ads relevent to the arts ie for performance groups, event coordinators, different products

- There are publications which are portable with this information in them. Many books and such. And with the numerous websites, computer portability, personal teachers and simple trial and error readily available, there is *alot* of competition.

i havnt read the poi books so i cant really comment on those but for staff theres only the one which is very dated with no contact content.

- I am also curious. Things change extremely rapidly in this community. Not just the people involved but also the quality of products fluctuates. The "hot" move changes on a near daily basis. Even safety regs change alot. How would a quarterly stay on top of all of this?

maybe its a poi thing i found when i was travelling round the uk every new trick i learnt was several years old

im somewhat keen to see it all happen but with a release date of either sept 2005 or dec 2005 depending on funding. so for anyone thats keen to write something or help out pm me smile

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
ps thanx everyone for all the comments its helping me work things out in my head so keep em coming smile

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


onewheeldaveGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,252 posts
Location: sheffield, United Kingdom


Posted:
Good luck with it.

I think Pele made some excellent points, and I think you've reflected on them and proposed ways of dealing with them.

Obviously the fact that all similar ventures in the past have failed is highly relevant; then again there's been other times when, after multiple failures, someone comes along who learns from the past, gives it the right slant, and, whilst everyone else has given it up as a bad job, gets it up and running.

If you can get the government grant for new ventures that would take out some of the risk and give you an advantage over those who came before.

I'm in the process of setting up a off-road-unicyle project with funds obtained from a governmant grant; it can be a fair bit of work/stress to put in a decent application, but it's worth the effort.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!


mechBRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
6,207 posts
Location: "In your ear", United Kingdom


Posted:
i would agree there will eb large problems with the start of this mag.

the one i was wondering about is the videos...

your proposed a vcd, and someone else talked of a dvd, how would you fund this?

how would you square it off with those who have or will produce vids to go on the cd,

if you look at most sites, ie pip soton, you have to be a member to download (somthing, somtimes im not always in agreement with, but thats a seperate thing, dont mena to cause offence), but what if they wnated money for allowing you to use their vid?

how would you authorise the gloabl use of music on the videos? ie how would you sqaure it with the artists used by teh performers to authorise their music to go global on a cd?

you have to cover copyright, would images to be used in the mags, be paid for aswell?

would you get sponsorship to cover these things?

would you take a section for advertisments from performers in the different countries?

Step (el-nombrie)


My hairs on fireIf its got pistons or boobs, its gonna be expensive...
515 posts
Location: Cyprus


Posted:
Ide definitely buy a spinning magazine.

Of course there are great spinnig sites on the web **thank you malcom!** but its always nice to ave sum pretty pictures in your hands or have somthing to read on the train/at the park/genrally when your bored and need to fill time!

the vcd/dvd idea i think is great but it will most probably become a problem in the initial stages...

But then again what newly introduced magazine hasent had teething problems with funding/re production!? And its quite obvious that all of the copy rights and blah blah leagal blah blah would have to be looked taken care of (thats just details tho, i wont ave to deal with it!) but i still think its a great idea!

You can put my name down for a suscription boss smile

Henry Hill - 'One day the kids from the neighbourhood carried my mothers groceries all the way home, you know why? It was out of respect'...

ahmet_20valve_ahmet(at)hotmail(dot)com
Hope all is well : )


VixenSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,276 posts
Location: Oxfordshire/Wiltshire, United Kingdom


Posted:
I think that a magazine has to cover all the basic point of spinning and try and cater for a millions of different stages of ability.... I can see that a magazine is gonna have to cover all the things that so many people just cry "Do a Durbs!" at! xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.


OrbitSILVER Member
enthusiast
270 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
Obviously my brain has been thinking about this for over a year now -- but I've been in some ways too disorganized/lazy/having-too-much-fun-spinning to get it done.

Before I forget, I should mention that I've named it Perpetual Motion. It's meant to cover spinning and "flow toys" of all kinds -- poi, staff, poi, hula hoops, poi, devil sticks, poi, and maybe some diablo or yo-yo. And poi. Pele forgot to mention InFlame magazine, which published 1 issue. It was too caught up in how beautiful fire is and writing poems about how inspiring fire is. No, we will write stuff that people want to read, not just what people want to write.

The idea is NOT to be comprehensive, all-things-to-all-people... BUT, if you've got a few things that appeal to each person, that's hopefully good enough. How much is a tip that leads to a big breakthrough worth to you? How about ideas for how to make your own poi? (not many people outside of London/HOP spin with socks, for instance, or know about commercially made cone poi) What if you found out about a Flam Chen, Te Pooka, or other show that was going to be in your town? OR, would you pay to read about some of Menik's training regimen, or about a little town in India where old guys in parks spin fire using wire cages filled with crushed coals? What if we had stretches you can do to help learn BTB moves, or tips on what to pack in your first aid kit for fire?

The advertising is part of the idea -- there are loads of people teaching, people making toys, and people putting on shows. There should be a way for us to find out about those things and helping to support financially the people who are doing all of this work. This is real world stuff -- can't starve for ever. If you object, don't buy our magazine. It's that simple -- you're not a potential customer, pretty much by definition.

I imagine there will also need to be "sponsors" -- basically pseudo-charity (but we will not be a registered non-profit... so no tax benefit, just gifts from generous people who like what we're doing).

Every time you think "spinner" replace that with "skater" and you'll get the idea. I know some people want to keep this a small community, and a lot of people think that what you see on HOP is all there is... but the reality is, for every person you see actively practicing and learning, there are 4 or 5 people that you don't see who do it a little bit and wish they could do more. These aspirational spinners -- people who don't practice all the time (and ask yourself, if they don't have time to practice, how much do they read HOP forums that require digging through a lot of social chatter?) These same people will buy lessons, poi, etc. etc. from people who are more active in the community. I wonder... Malcolm, if you're reading this, how many people who buy things from you are active in the community section?

Again along the HOP-isn't-the-whole-spinning-world lines... I have, believe it or not, met plenty of spinners who've never been to Home of Poi. They learn through Burning Man, through a lesson at their yoga studio from an entrepreneurial teacher, or from friends on the beaches of Thailand (or Oz or NZ). All these people may potentially be interested. I've been slowly building my network so that I can get a better idea of what the greater poi world is like for the last couple of years -- and I've still only scratched the surface.

I'm considering starting out with an interesting project... an issue that talks about how much poi has grown in the last year or two. There would be a couple of interesting moves that your average person doesn't hear about. 2 or 3 variations of the Fountain for beginners, and BTB Waist Wrap for more advanced spinners. Someone would need to cover the high end of what's happened on HOP in the more technical threads that I never read (Simian? Glass? Arashi? Rev? SpiralX?)... I think 2 of the biggest changes that have helped the community a whole lot are the Video forum on HOP and tribe.net for the US community... so there will be something about those... Spherculism has been big for a lot of people... as has Meg's contact staff vids site. Events: Burning Man, EJC, BJC, festivals, Pismo Beach for those of us on the West Coast, Playa Del Fuego...

There's a staff spinner in LA who's a professional animator who might help with illustrations... or we can put something together by taking frames from a video. There are loads of people who've offered to help with writing or production, but of course actually doing the work will be another thing.

Thanks Ben for a big kick in the arse with this thread. It's a lot of hard work ahead though...

Um, what do y'all think?

ben-ja-menGOLD Member
just lost .... evil init
2,474 posts
Location: Adelaide, Australia


Posted:
- your proposed a vcd, and someone else talked of a dvd, how would you fund this?

well blank cds here are about 50 cents which is about 20 p so not massively expensive.

- how would you square it off with those who have or will produce vids to go on the cd,

for the first issue i think itll have to be like col and if its viable and makes money then ppl will get paid for the second issue

- if you look at most sites, ie pip soton, you have to be a member to download (somthing, somtimes im not always in agreement with, but thats a seperate thing, dont mena to cause offence), but what if they wnated money for allowing you to use their vid?

itll be all new content that wont go online. in particular i was thinking of some of the video content being complementary with tutorial stuff in the mag

- how would you authorise the gloabl use of music on the videos? ie how would you sqaure it with the artists used by teh performers to authorise their music to go global on a cd?

same deal as col

- you have to cover copyright, would images to be used in the mags, be paid for aswell?

in the second one yes

- would you get sponsorship to cover these things?

idealy yes but it would all be twirler specific

- would you take a section for advertisments from performers in the different countries?

i was thinking possibly of having 3 seperate prints done one for oz europe and america with a section of festivals for the year, kinda leaning towards a bi yearly mag with the release corresponding to a month before the festival season starts in oz and europe

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourself, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented? Who are you NOT to be?


OrbitSILVER Member
enthusiast
270 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
I go back and forth on the VCD/DVD idea... in some ways, people will pay more for a DVD than they would for a magazine, so that's part of the motivation. All rights would have to be cleared on everything from the start... there's probably plenty of material to work with (except the music thing) without having to do anything illegal. The video would be original, text original, and photos could be cleared easily enough -- besides, they're probably photos of our friends taken by our friends.

OrbitSILVER Member
enthusiast
270 posts
Location: USA


Posted:
I also definitely don't want to compete directly against Malcolm in any way.

Same as Dostoevskiymember
54 posts
Location: vodka-country... and it's VERY COLD here


Posted:
i'm with NYC

when it gets colder that -25, you don't really care


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