Arthur Magazine Saved by Readers Donations
The Los Angeles Indie Music Magazine Received $20,000 in Two Days From Readers
By LEE COCHRAN
July 3, 2003—
"Arthur magazine needs $20,000 by July 1, or it will die."
It wasn't a ransom note but a plea for help from the editor of Arthur, a small independent Los Angeles-based magazine that covers the indie music scene and has garnered a loyal following.
And Arthur's readers are so loyal that they responded immediately when editor Jay Babcock posted his appeal on the magazine's Web site late last Thursday afternoon. By Saturday, just two days later, the donation counter had gone to more than $21,000, with 264 contributors. Arthur was rescued, at least for now.
"It has been a harrowing experience, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy," Babcock said of his financial woes.
Babcock found himself neck-deep in debt after he bought out his partner, maxed out his credit cards and borrowed money. Having exhausted all resources, he decided to follow Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's similarly unconventional fundraising model and ask for small donations.
Responding to his cry for help, readers contributed anywhere from $2 to $1,000.
Babcock's fundraising scheme is not unusual for small independent magazines like Arthur, Samir Husni, chairman of the journalism department at the University of Mississippi and a business and magazine consultant who is known as "Mr. Magazine," said. The editors of such publications "feel they have created some kind of community within the readers and subscribers, so there can be this plea: Support us, donate," he said.
Arthur appears to have built quite an extensive community, with donations coming from all over: Brooklyn, N.Y.; Nevada City, Nev.; Australia and Japan. Although he was reluctant to reveal contributor's names, Babcock shared that one of the more high-profile benefactors was Grant Morrison, a popular Scottish comic artist known mostly for his nonlinear narratives and counterculture leanings.
Morrison's support does not come as a surprise to Babcock, who said the magazine appeals to everyone -- "not just the hippies, but the beats before them, the punks after them, the ravers in the '90s and anyone doing anything interesting and progressive now."
The magazine, with 75,000 free copies distributed bimonthly nationwide, highlights counterculture wherever it occurs, "if it has something to say to us in the present," Babcock said.
The publication's primary focus is independent and counterculture music. Music's collaborative and cooperative efforts, Babcock said, show what our evolving society looks like where there's "more autonomy and more sharing."
Babcock, who views his publication as revolutionary, said the success of the fundraising venture is an indication of the progressive power of the magazine.
"The magazine has been run as a labor of love on a shoestring budget," he said. "And look what we've been able to accomplish -- the praise we've attracted, the loyal readership we've gained and the ideas we've incubated. If we had even a fraction of the budget of a regular magazine, just think what we could do."
Steven Cohn, editor in chief of Media Industry Newsletter, said he was excited about the indie magazine's success but worries that $20,000 is nothing more than "just a Band-Aid, since it isn't that much money in the scheme of things."
Babcock disagreed. He said the $20,000 will solve the magazine's immediate problems, while other ventures should lead to long-term success.
He said there are plans to release a film documenting Arthur's 2005 music festival, which featured artists like Yoko Ono. He also plans to create Arthur World Service on the Internet, where readers can see live music videos. Later, he hopes to publish a shopping anthology of the first five years of Arthur.
While Babcock is optimistic about the future, Husni said he has doubts about the magazine's long-term viability.
"It might be a nice shot in the arm to keep them going today, but it's not a sustainable business," he said.
For one thing, Husni said, small independent magazines like Arthur, which are almost entirely dependent upon advertising revenue, are suffering as the economy continues to go south.
Husni also questioned whether Babcock's "nice pipe dream" plans will generate enough revenue to sustain publishing and marketing the magazine for the future.
"No," he said. "At least, that's my prediction."
He doesn't want to discourage small magazine editors' hopes, "but the chances of him pulling it off are the same chances of him winning the jackpot."
For now, Babcock is basking in the bliss of having saved his beloved publication.
Having passed the July 1 deadline, he shared his plans to celebrate: "I'm going to get a sixer of beer, go back to my apartment, smoke a cocktail, drink a beer and finish the magazine. And you can quote me on that."