Ok, I have an idea...

[minya]

I've stopped my subscription to nylon, I-D & flux recently, as I realised, I already knew everything that was being printed before the editors even knew what they were putting in that issue. Why? because of the internet...

it's places like superfuture, that are the instrumental reason behind the demise of print based media & places like superfuture that are now contributing to the significant loss in sales that has hit printed magazines.

it is pretty obvious that the advantages internet has over print is the zero time lag between information getting to an end user and circumnavigation of that expensive real-world process called 'printing'. magazines need 2 - 4 month lead times...

having said that - supertalk is a relatively open-ended un-edited chunk of data that could do with some filtering and editing. the bigger it becomes the greater the need to keep the existing data relevant - aside from search functions. developing a packaged and edited version of supertalk content is something we are interested in... [and have been working on]...

These are the two main points, to focus on. Like jhaime said, the internet has, in many ways, rendered magazines irrelevant. Why buy a magazine if you can read the same shit on the internet, for free, whenever you want?

the advantages of a magazine are there, though. Standing in line, taking a shit, keeping yourself distracted on the bus, you name it. Magazines are handy for that kind of thing. Frankly, I wish there were more cool magazines out there. I'd probably buy them.

but like wayne says, magazines are a pain in the ass for a variety of reasons. They're fucking expensive and keeping them afloat is a mindfuck of a task. But like he also says, the amount of information on this forum is simply enormous, and offering it in a distilled version for the casual reader would be a brilliant idea. Is a magazine the best medium of delivery for such a thing? I don't know. But it's a really cool idea.

[showbiz00ditc]

i think we should just compile a bunch of shit over a 6 month period... then just make one print issue with that. if it fly's then we could do like an issue or two a year. but i doubt anyones got it in em to be poppin off an issue a month.

[Servo2000]

Yeah, once or twice a year might be interesting. I would definitely buy that, but every month seems iffy.

[jhaime]

i'm seriously sceptical guys, I just can't see it being a long term fixture & that's forgetting who would bankroll the operation?

If a print based publication was to be successful from superfuture, it would HAVE to be centred around the superfuture index, regarding reviews on stores etc...and in depth! and then that information would have to be removed from the site, or not added, otherwise people would just frequent the site instead of buying the issue.

that's my opinion anyway, as that is essentially what superfuture is all about & why the majority of the traffic this site attains come here.

I just think with the explosion of fashion sites & fashion blogs/forums & now with myspace trying to generate a fashion aspect to their site to go along with the music, there is too much competition already out there for the print based media to take on!

what you would maybe find is that the first couple of issues would fly off the shelves, however once people who weren't originally aware of the site, became aware of the site, sales would begin to gradually decline.

[poly800rock]

fuck all this serious stuff, just quote the supertrash threads. and thats the magazine. done

[jhaime]

haha, good luck finding a financer for that.

or a paying customer?

[Rockn]

I'd finance it the project, but only if i felt there was enough interest. The idea would be to pre sell the magazine to break even.

For all you skeptics who say this is a evolving magazine, keep in mind there is a lot of crap threadsd and it would be nice to have a magazine that highlighted the more important and cooler stuff.

[will_i_am]

wow. i've avoided this thread for a while.

i'm down for whatever.

writing/design/taking pics with red.

[thelion1856]

i think if we did it as a seasonal mag (4 issues a year) or even as a bi yearly (2 issues) and kept the mag preferaly large with LOTS of pictures it would be worth it.

people would buy it just for the detailed pictures of some of the rare jap denim out there. how many times do u open a new thread bout some jap denim some dude is talking about but there is no pic included just words describing it.

also throw in something limited like a shirt, dvd or cd or something. shit put out one issue each release with a golden ticket willy wonka style that the finder of the ticket wins a pair of brand new samurai's or gift certificate from BIG. And tell me then nobody will buy the magazine. I garuntee a sell out each time if u do that.

[onemancult]

i think the question of content needs to be examined more closely. is this seriously just going to be forum material, professionally edited? that's definitely not worth anyone investing their time, money, or effort into. while the information in the forum can definitely serve as a springboard for where the magazine should go, it should not at all be indicative of what's going to be printed on the pages. especially considering the severely limited scope of the 'good content' in the forums, in regards to information that should be considered for being printed.

as thelion1856 states, a large-format magazine with a lot of visual content would be great. something, perhaps, like Purple magazine, in terms of photo to word ratio and size. and, things need to open up a lot to let some air in so that the entire thing isn't just ringring's denim knowledge and photos from WAYWT.

there is a world of culture and art that informs all of the style and substance behind SF that i feel is too often ignored on the board itself in favor of discussing the clothes themselves. i think the ultimate purpose of a SF magazine would be to expose the background behind the everyday chatter.

[adsurgo]

im willing and able to write. ive taken journalism classes as well as other advanced writing courses. im also down for pictures.

[Rockn]

Well, the magazine wouldn't be the exact same thing as SF, but printed on paper. The idea would be that everyone on the forum would contribute in areas they good and we would all put input on what we would like to see.

I mean if you look at magazines like Complex, they basically do there own what are you wearing today.

I am still trying to figure out if there is enough interest to buy the magazine and if enough people would be willing to help put it together.

[Oldboy]

I honestly don't think this is gonna fly. Superfuture represents a very small portion of the fashion crowd. Who will buy this other than SF members?

Please don't take it the wrong way, I applaud what you're trying to do but I just don't think there's a market for this. I agree with what others have said in that Superfuture is sort of like an online magazine that gets "updated" every minute.

[thelion1856]

the magazine in my opinion should be 60% pictures, 40% words. Nicely done, high gloss cover, 300+ pages. but thats a far cry.

I dont think the mag would compete with S.F. It would be something like a side kick.

who cares if S.F.er's r the only peeps who will buy it.

Either way this mag will be made in the USA weather its from S.F.ers or some smart rich dude who decides to make a magazine on future/street, fashion/culture magazine with all the brands S.F.ers like. They will make a shit load of money and the mag will be looked upon as a prime in its genra, it wil be like PLAYBOY of porn mags, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED of sports mags, MAXIM of men's mags, COSMO of women's mags.

So either do this now or wait exactly 1 year when these S.F. brands go mainstream enough for a new mag.

[silax]

sounds like a great idea and all, but free help will only last so long. If the magazine becomes successful, people will be thinking of profits etc.

You will lose all the free input and there goes your magazine, back to square one. You'll either need to hire people, pay per article or make it a non profitable community magazine.

[jhaime]

again, it's all very well pushing ideas etc, but you'd really need to focus on the logistics of it all.

personally, if I was chief editor for this mag, i'd forget basing the emphasis of the magazine on the illiterate crap that gets posted on these forums boards for a start, cause nobody in their right mind is going to pay to read that, even more so when the fact they can log on and read it for free???!!!

I'd probably have an editorial on the top 10 posts compiled, or run an in depth feature into the top post (voted for by the users of the site or something). That would be as far as it went regarding the forum boards for the reasons above.

fundamentally, this site is soley based upon the superfuture index!!! While the minority of us post away on these boards, we seem to be forgetting that the intentions of this site, is to provide detailed reviews, on locations with co-ordinated maps on how to get there, for people who wish to travel. The majority of the traffic frequenting this site, utilise that vast index!

personally, I feel that is a far more unique selling point, than the discussions of BAPE fanatics on the forum boards. It's also a far better representation of what superfuture is actually all about!

all you guys seem to be hell bent on, is puting together a mag, that has loads of pictures, of clothing, you all like to talk about. Any mug can do that, infact i'm sure there are magazines out there who already have that kind of content.

There is various types of people who visit superfuture, regarding avant-garde stores, restaurants/cafes, hotels & so on, just because the majority (if not 100%) of the topics on these forum boards are about street/urban influenced clothing, doesn't mean that the magazine should reflect that.

all you guys seem to be interested in, is creating a street/urban influenced lifestyle magazine, off the back of superfutures name, when infact the essence of superfuture, isn't just about that!

If this magazine was edited in the correct fashion, it would reach a far larger audience, & generate a far greater income & staying power, than if it was done in the direction you guys seemingly want to see it go in.

[BILLY HOYLE AINT NO CHUMP]

This is a HUGE task to undertake. I don't know how serious you're approaching this, but just from being on that side of things, I'll offer up some advice.

I've been writing for Sole Collector for 2 years now, and the complexities involved with getting stories, finding advertisers, getting the magazine even distributed and of course, most importantly, FUNDING are insanely difficult.

I'm not sure what quality of magazine you're looking at, in terms of paper and cover card quality, but I'd have to assume you'll want to add as much value as possible in such a niche item. Just like shoes, denim has a select audience, and while that audience may also be into higher priced and more exclusive items and pieces in their wardrobe, it's still a major challenge to EVERY single issue make sure you're making it worth someone's time and earned money.

I'd have to think 2-4 issues is a realistic annual goal initially, but I don't know if going past quarterly would be necessary. Another huge problem is just dealing with internet leaks. When you conceptualize, research and write stories...the absolute worst feeling is an online leak of a shoe right when you go to the printers. In this category, I could just imagine an in-depth story on a brand's next season being featured in your magazine, and 2 weeks before it hits, there's an online feature on a webzine (just a possible scenario). Brands and artists want to get their story out to as MANY publications/media outlets as possible, so basing an issue on one huge topic or brand's upcoming line can be a risky option.

While the denim world is different somewhat from shoes in this capacity regarding web rumors/leaks, I'd think such a magazine would feature more longform stories on the people, brands and history that denim has. But, how long could this format work? I can just tell you up front, advertisers will be VERY cautious and hesitant. Advertisers don't barely even care what your readers' income is as much as they care HOW many readers they can target. They look at their advertising budget to reach the most people possible. With a smaller, more narrowed readership to start, this is by far the greatest challenge.

Distribution -- It took Sole Collector over THREE years to be carried in Foot Locker stores. It's still a targeted approach in the top650-1000 stores depending on issue. If you're planning to offer the magazine at traditional stores like Barnes&Nobles or Borders, as we've done since the beginning, you'll also have to be willing to take a loss on unsold issues that they can and will return.

Finding boutiques and denim stores to carry the magazine will be a key focus for you, but I don't know how seriously you're approaching this. To be honest, if you're hoping to get rich from this or at least make a great living, it'll take at least a few years of hardships, and then even nothing is guaranteed.

From a cost standpoint, it can cost over $100,000 to print a single issue. Inserts, fold-out spreads and other printing options to increase the value of an issue can cost another $10,000 easily. Just to give you an idea of how many issues you need to sell and what advertising money you'll need to bring in, the cost is enormous up front. Again, going a cheaper route on paper/cover quality will make an impression on readers, as well as lose interest from some, so if you're truly thinking about doing this, it will take a huge capital investment to do it right.

I think 'jhaime' had the most level-headed response, as the internet truly is a beast for magazines. Another critical thing I'd say is it's better to cover ONE topic or subject well than cover several angles marginally. Just in looking over the list of topics you put together on page 1, it seems as though it would come off as a denim-focused version of Antenna. If you water yourself down to more of a lifestyle magazine, it's impossible to compete with something like Antenna, who has the luxury of Harris Publications backing in, helping with funding/printing costs/distribution/writers/advertising and marketing.

Feel free to email me at any time if you have any specific questions. [email protected]

[mike lowrey]

you do realize this was written a year and a half ago, right?

[BILLY HOYLE AINT NO CHUMP]

oh wow...totally dug this one from the grave...hilarious...

well...sounds like it didn't become a reality...

[azn8oi]

chump.

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