Stop! Have you noticed that this month’s Midwest BEAT has less pages than our February issue? Did you notice that the February issue had less pages than any of our issues from 2004? There is a reason. The economy in Chicagoland sucks. It sucks worse in Northwest Indiana, where it is getting tougher and tougher to keep bands working, clubs open and publications like this in print. If you feel this publication and the spin-off events we sponsor are not valid or important, than please turn the page now, because if our actions over the last few decades have not convinced you, than these mere words surely will not fare any better. However, if you feel Midwest BEAT and what we do have some redeeming value to the area music scene, than please continue reading. Know that this editorial is not a case of begging, whining or demanding. It is merely a reality check. It is a reminder to those of you who enjoy and/or benefit from our efforts, that to do what we do each month costs money. Any business has operating expenses...it is simply a basic fact of economics. That is also true in rock ‘n’ roll. Most of you who are still reading these words, most likely know and feel the financial pinch to which I am referring. Your funds are also tight. I understand this. This publication has been in print with me at the helm in one incarnation or another –– from its beginning as Night Rock News in the late 1970s, through its’ present identity, Midwest BEAT. During that quarter-plus century, I have learned that a tight economy ultimately means that only the strongest and smartest survive. This publication and I have been here throughout, so I would like to think that we have made enough of an impact on the last three generations of the local musicians and fans, to warrant your continued support. Music fans! Now more than ever, we need you to support the bars, bands and businesses that advertise in these pages and with me on the Night Rock Radio program, which spins a fair share of “home-grown” regional music and more each Sunday night from 6-9p.m. For more information on Night Rock Radio and the list of regional artists we do or have spun during our first year of broadcast, point your web browser to: www.nightrock.6string.net The honest truth is that Advertisers are the life’s blood of any free publication and any independently-produced show such as Night Rock Radio. Without our advertisers, the coverage, support and exposure we give to the Chicagoland music scene will simply cease. That said... I am compelled to remind club owners, bands and businesses, that history has proven time and again, that promotion and advertising does the most good for a business during the leanest of times. With the consumer dollar spread thin, a business/band needs to keep their name prominently in front of the consumer if they expect to get a piece of that dollar. A wise business owner will want the consumer to think of them first when planning a night out or when the consumer is in need the goods of services they supply. If that business’ competitor is advertising and they are not, guess who will be thought of first in most cases? You got it! The business who pulls back on advertising and promotions during these kind of economic “rainy days”, ultimately will find that the rain has washed away their business. Employ the umbrella of advertising to keep ahead of your competition. Even budget-savvy small ads and promotions help, compared to no ads and no promotions. Yes... this IS a pitch to promote more advertising in our pages and with our affiliated radio program, so that we can keep doing what we do. More so, it is also just a common sense reminder of the old adage that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” and that to survive, one must strive to win. I am “preaching to the choir” with these words, when it comes to those long time, stalwart supporters of this publication. To area businesses such as –– Cronies Charhouse & Gin Mill, Music Lab, Soprano’s, 2nd Dimension, The Spot Recording Studio, Shuddup & Drive, Thunderclap Studio, Star Plaza Theatre, CD Trading Post, Hidden Assets and others –– whose advertising dollars have been there for this publication each and every month over the years, I say... “Thank You!” To other regional businesses out there, I ask you to help pick up the slack and join these advertisers in doing your part to help us keep offering exposure and coverage of the regional music scene. Please consider using a small portion of your monthly advertising budget to keep alive the “grass roots” efforts of Midwest BEAT and Night Rock Radio, by supporting our varied efforts with your advertising dollars. Those dollars make possible not only the monthly publication and the weekly radio program, but also make possible Midwest BEAT’s promotional “Rock In The Region” club calendar segments on X-ROCK 103.9, along with spin off events like our annual Star Plaza Theatre Region Rumble, our annual Midwest BEAT Music Awards gala, and other original music showcases. Advertising dollars keep it possible for us to continue profiling area bands, spin their music on a respected Chicago market radio station, assist in many of the local benefit events, and help encourage aspiring young talent looking for their first splash of media ink. There are more bars and bands out there who read and benefit from this publication than one can shake a stick at... I know this, because this publication is distributed to hundreds of locations each month whose clientele picks up and enjoys us. We get dozens of bands every month requesting our support in print or on air, as they send in press releases, demos for review and full press kits with CDs. We try to do what we can with what we have to work with, but our budget to keep doing this is shrinking monthly. That is why you may have noticed that last month’s publication was down to 28 pages instead of our usual 36 pages. And why this month’s issue is down even further to 24 pages. When ads are down, we must likewise downsize and trim out a good deal of the coverage we can give. While we love doing our part and doing what we can to support and expose regional talent and music, remember that radio air time is expensive, operating off-set web presses are expensive, and newsprint is continuing to spiral in cost. The raw price of newsprint has increased by 35% in the last 12 months. We have bit the bullet and always kept our prices stable and budget friendly (please compare our ad rates to our competitor’s prices) through the years. Surprisingly, most of our prices right now are the same for most display advertising sizes as they were back in 1979 when we flew the banner of Night Rock News. In closing, I am confident that (as we have in the past) we will all be able to ride this economic crunch without raising advertising costs. But to do that is going to take the help of the area’s bars, clubs and yes...the bands themselves! For advertising information in either Midwest BEAT and/or Night Rock Radio, call me at (219) 934-9133 or Lisa at (708) 259-6298. Tom Lounges spins Region Rock on his Night Rock radio Show every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on X-ROCK 103.9 | |||||||
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