Indian Music Magazines

When it comes to media related to music, India doesn’t have a good repertoire. But thanks to some publishing houses that there exist few good magazines whose main content is ‘music’. I found two magazines that currently deal with music in international and national scenario. They are The Record and Rave.

The Record

I love this magazine. Priced at Rs. 50/-, it gives insights into artists and interviews. It’s just like any other music magazine but concentrates more on international music. It is published from Mumbai.The magazine has been in publication for 7 years. The magazine claims to have over 75,000 readers per month.

I like to read the articles and features in The Record magazine. The best feature of it is that it contains more interviews with artists. There ar special columns like DJ Speak, Rockin’ India (which features latest bands in Indian music), Origines Des Musique etc. Photography and design is good but can be rated below vis-a-vis Rave.

It comes out late in the month (maybe at the middle or at the end of the month). That’s a major drawback for the magazine. The content is truly remarkable and the writing style is perfect for a music magazine. Each month it features two to three pinups but it comes with no poster.

The magazine’s website can be reached at http://therecordmag.com/ The site isn’t quite comprehensive but it’s impressive. It features archives and tidbits of the current month’s magazine. You can subscribe online. Subscription rates are Rs. 300/- (for 12 issues). You’ll save half the money if you subscribe. The site will be updated once the issue is out.

Pros: Interviews, artist profiles and more content on international music. Better subscription rate. Sometimes you’ll get sampler CD’s free with the magazine.
Cons: Doesn’t come to the newsstands at the beginning of the month. Website isn’t comprehensive and lacks features.

Rave

I prefer ‘The Record‘ to ‘Rave‘. Rave may be popular than The Record but its content fails to impress me. The design of the magazine and photography (I was totally impressed by the photography for an article on Dixie Chicks in April 2007 issue) are outstanding but its content is a bit flawed. Once, I found the same article about Gwen Stefani in Rave that was published in The Record’s previous issue. It may be due to content syndication (just a guess!). But, the effect it’d have on its readers is tremendous. Moreover, it focuses on Indian music and artists more. It’s also sold in USA,Canada, South East Asia, the United Kingdom, the Gulf and Kenya.

Its price is same as The Record - Rs. 50/-. 10 issues come at a subscription price of Rs. 350/-.

It contains extensive number of reviews. Some articles are printed in very small letters. The paper quality is very good. Its promotional campaigns are outstanding. Unlike The Record, it comes at the beginning of the month. It’s published from Bangalore (maybe! that’s one of the reasons. I stay in Bangalore now. So, I don’t know whether it hits newsstands everywhere right at the beginning of the month!)

You can reach Rave’s website at http://www.raveindia.com. It is well designed and far better than The Record’s website. It also contains a web radio, archives, information about events, a newsletter and much more.

It could have been better if the magazine focused more on international content. The magazine explores fashion (jewellery, accessories and clothing), dance (traditional, contemporary and pop), film (Bollywood, international and independent), photography, technology, performing arts and lifestyle topics such as cuisine, yoga and spirituality. Musically, RAVE covers everything from Indian classical music to rock, jazz, and world music spanning Africa, South America, Europe and Asia. RAVE has sponsored 75 shows.

Pros: Better design and eye-catching photographs. Comprehensive website. Includes a poster every month.
Cons: Less focus on international music. Content is widely spread across many genres of music and so, specific interests aren’t served.

Apart from these magazines, there’s also another music magazine named RSJ: Rock Street Journal (An imitation of Wallstreet Journal?). I never checked out this magazine because its availability is less compared to the other two magazines. It’s priced at Rs. 35/-. Its website can be reached at http://www.rsjonline.com. They have revamped their site and now, it looks impressive. It basically aims at new and upcoming rock musicians and bands in India. It’s published from New Delhi. It has a circulation of about 42,000 copies every month. This one’s for a complete rock fan. It also has an online store for purchasing the albums released by Indian rock bands.

You may check out these magazines at Crossword or Landmark . That’s where I buy them. I guess it’s a bit hard to find RSJ. I saw some copies of RSJ at ‘Magazines’ store located near Brigade Road, Bangalore. You’ll find Rave in any newsstand or bookstore in Bangalore.

~ by Saawan on May 16, 2007.