No Depression Ceases To Publish

[Ben Elder]

I got stuck with some Paste magazines (no choice in the matter) as part of an ebay auction, the point of which for me was some ND back-issues. Paste is no replacement...not even a poor substitute. I couldn't junk them fast enough. No Depression was a positive and enlightening force for this traditional country and bluegrass fan trying to sort through...whatever that is that they wrote about. (As an XM subscriber burdened with X-Country Channel 12, I'm hard-pressed to hear the Americana and alt-whatever that ND championed, although I still believe it's still out there. Just beyond XM 12's myopic vision.)

[Mark Eaton]

There are still a lot of book stores with thousands of volumes in stock, and it seems like there are more magazines being published about any number of subjects than at any time in history.

I understand the reasons why No Depression is throwing in the towel on magazine, and why it will try to exist in some reduced volume content on-line version, but it has more to do with the state of the record industry, particularly from advertising revenue from smaller labels, than it does from the downward spiral of the magazine business. I'm not ready to nod my head in agreement for the "death knell" of the on paper publishing industry.

I like to get away for example, from my computer terminal during lunch hour at work, and get some peace and quiet while reading a book or a magazine while eating my sandwich under a shady tree on a park bench - and I see a fair number of other folks still doing the same thing.

And I agree with some of the others - ND had a unique niche, and some of the other mags suggested will only fill a little space in that niche.