Magazines face the music

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Nov 15, 1995 by Cris Beam

Is there any room in music stores for The Economist's Greatest Hits? Or how about Egg Industry's Soft-n-Easy Favorites? Such compilations may not be so far-fetched, as more and more publishers license their names to record labels and churn out compact discs filled with songs somehow relating to their magazines.

"I've certainly noticed this trend," says Keith Ferrell, editor in chief of General Media's Omni, which has made seven music CDs since August 1994. "It's the nineties, and the growth of multimedia has made people aware that [a magazine's] name as well as its content can be effective as a product."

Ferrell says that Omni's CDs, produced by DCC Compact Classics, reflect the publication's "futuristic thinking." They feature a body of music that could be called New Age,but that ferrell himself defines as more "cosmic and millennial." Although he won't release any figures, Ferrell says the CDs are selling well enough in nationwide music stores that he plans to keep doing three or four each year.

"Magazines that target a specific audience where a certain kind of music resonates with readers would be successful with CDs," notes Out editor Michael Goff. Out signed on with Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) in June to produce Out Classics, a compilation of classical music written by gay composers. Goff says the idea made a lot of sense, considering that 95 percent of Out's readers bought music in 1994-three-and-a-halftimes the national average.

Indeed, more than 25,000 copies of Out Classics have been sold in music stores across the country, landing the CD at numberthree on the Billboard classical music chart. Says David Kuehn, director of marketing at BMG Classics, Red Seal: "We help with the recognition of the Out logo, and they put a stamp of acknowledgment on our products, showing we know that a large part of our audience is gay."

Another gay title, The Advocate, recently licensed its name free of charge to the Knitting Factory record label to produce Out Loud, an alternative music CD to benefit the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. As Stephanie Spina, promotions director at The Advocate, points out, the disc is "a good product for a good cause," as well as a good way to help the biweekly news title reach a younger audience.

Sound marketing

Music is often called the international language and marketing CDs overseas can be a good way to increase brand recognition and ultimately boost foreign circulation. At least, that's the thinking at Hearst, where both Cosmopolitan and Esquire are marketed outside the United States.

In September, Esquire released four jazz CDs with Blue Note, which distributes internationally. David Graff, vice president of brand development for Hearst, expects the CDs to go over well in the United Kingdom. and in Japan, where jazz is exceptionally popular, and where special versions of the magazine are produced. Cosmopolitan, which has released several rock'n' roll compilations in the United States and the United Kingdom over the past three years, is now putting out a classical CD created specifically for the British market.

Hearst also released a Good Housekeeping Christmas Collection with Angel Records two years ago, in addition to several Victoria classical CDs with the same label. Although Graff won't divulge any specific financial information, he says the deals are paying off. "It's a minimal investment," he notes. "It's not going to make you a millionaire, but it's good for your magazine and good for your readers."