"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well - Idolator Comments

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

syd1980 — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 14:13:02 EDT

So you're saying Spin is a better magazine than Paste because they have a larger circ? I think in "the little indie world occupied by Harp/Paste" and in general, size has nothing to do with quality. Is Filter better than Magnet because they have a larger circ. No way!! I'm sorry but Paste bores the hell out of me. It's not a terrible magazine, just not worth reading. The folks I know who pick it up occasionally do so for the cd only, they don't even read the mag.

If you aren't a Paste loyal (which I'm guessing you are), read both mags carefully and honestly tell me you think Paste is better.

syd1980

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

joshgibson — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:51:19 EDT

syd1980 - i figured you might point out that size doesn't necessarily matter with regards to the quality of a music pub - you're totally right about that...but in the little indie publishing universe occupied by Harp/Paste (and Magnet and Filter and all the others I suppose) it would seem relative size might indicate **something**? maybe i'm wrong but seems logical.

joshgibson

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

syd1980 — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:29:56 EDT

I'm talking quality not quantity my friend. Just 'cause Paste has more money to put more issues out there don't make them better....

Are you saying the only good zines out there are the ones with bigger circs? Some of the best zines out there worth reading have smaller circs, dude. Can't see how that matters at all.....unless, of course, you have a personnal relationship with Paste and want to put the information out there thinkin' it'l make Paste look better????

hmmmmmmmmmm, I wonder........

syd1980

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

joshgibson — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:46:03 EDT

paste vs harp? paste must be doing something right - last i checked their circulation was about 3 or 4 times Harp's....

joshgibson

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

syd1980 — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 12:16:25 EDT

Saying Harp is completely indistinguishable from Paste is like saying Jack Daniels is completely indistinguishable from Jim Beam. Come on, one is just a cheap knock off of the other. Have you actually read Harp?? I've read both zines and definitely think Harp is far superior to Paste in every way possible. Harp is a much smarter magazine (just less pretentious about it), actually has a sense of humor, has articles that I actually care about and isn't afraid to use the word FUCK, for God's sake!! Josh Jackson's editorials make me feel like I'm puking slugs.

syd1980

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Clevertrousers — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:50:02 EDT

White People music by and for the whitest people in the world. YAWN

Clevertrousers

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Homage — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 03:27:08 EDT

We're fighting for the design credentials of a magazine whose cover proclaims its title to be PaSt3? You have to be fucking kidding me here.

Still and all, get past the mIRC-1337ness of it all and that is a very pretty cover.

Homage

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Oldboy — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 09:20:35 EDT

Paste is preferable to Harp, which is published in the Washington D.C. suburbs. I don't want to read a music mag from our nation's capitol, thank you very much.

Oldboy

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Poubelle — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:53:40 EDT

@Lucas Jensen: Because bourgie (and white) people are willing to listen to him? See, he's "different" than all those other rappers (except, occasionally, for Common).

@amyk:Howsabout the South Side of the actual city? (I will say, as a city kid, I've spent far less time mocking south suburbanites than north ones.)

Poubelle

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Rochester — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 17:26:21 EDT

YC alludes to Paste not being willing to take on "challenging" artists (are you kidding me??) and he seems to suggest T.I. and Lil' Wayne are somehow challenging, and that Paste is somehow too uptight to understand the poetry, the nuance and the cultural complexity of "Making it rain on them ho's."

For years, snarky writers have been rightfully nailing Rolling Stone's balls to the wall for pushing trite mainstream crap ahead of lesser-known, more talented acts. We finally get a magazine that levels the playing field, covering the best of the mainstream and indie worlds, and YC still isn't happy.

And for what is easily, month after month, one of the best-designed and most visually appealing magazines of any kind, I thought it was telling to hear YC get his/her knickers in a twist about the "distracting, eyesore-ish" use of the color magenta.

I mean, what a whiner.

Rochester

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Captain Wrong — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:12:43 EDT

Burzum is some amazing stuff, even if I think it's creator is a pretty vile human. And I think your assessment of Paste is dead on. (Used to get this mag free when I was doing radio.)

PS- this is one of my favorite Idoliator features.

Captain Wrong

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

okiedoke — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 15:44:49 EDT

The deepest written and best art directed publication by the smallest staff ... bar none! Which is not to say it always looks good or is particularly readable on every page, but this is a journal of note. I've never thanked them personally, but my 55 year old soul is doing it publicly here. North America's market segmented counterpart to Mojo at the Borders/Barnes&Noble newsstand. Jann ... wake up, dude! You used to be able to do this effortlessly. Anybody else wonder why Starbucks doesn't have a mag rack? And you're right, Harry ... great paper! Most trees aspire to be Paste trees. Thanks, again.

okiedoke

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

blasphemy — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:42:02 EDT

He failed to mention how stunning Paste design is in the first place, anyway. And the cover! It's glorious. For pete's sake, don't nitpick. And though he's got the median age down pat (it is, in fact, people in their mid-30s), how else do you cover Kanye? I'd like to see him in a room with the rapper himself and see him craft a thoughtful piece like Marino. It's easier to criticize than create.

blasphemy

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Recury — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:31:05 EDT

I don't think My Correspondent should be calling anyone "windy and ponderous" after an article like that.

Recury

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

jopari — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:12:48 EDT

I'm a 19 year old college student, and I read Paste. Just wanted to pop in and point out that the majority of the bands featured in the magazine (The Shins, The Decemberists, Spoon) have a lot of fans around my age, especially at the college I attend. I would go as so far as to say that the majority of the magazine's readers are probably in the 18-24 age group. To write off the magizine as read only by white, upper middle class Starbucks visitors is just an indication of how the reviewer had a problem finding something inherently wrong or bad about the magazine.

jopari

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

amyk — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:02:21 EDT

Uh, if the South Suburbs of Chicago are upper middle class...

Dude we're the legendary red headed stepchildren of the Chicagoland area. That might just explain some of Kanye's attitude. Sometimes even I get defensive of my upbringing and I defected to the north side a long time ago.

amyk

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Harry_ThaBombShelter — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 13:01:32 EDT

Don't forget that Paste is printed on such fantastic paper!

I agree with everything YC mentions here, but as a Paste fan myself, if you're into the kind of music they usually discuss (and put on their sampler), it's a great resource. Not everyone WANTS to be challenged. I mean, I enjoy complex music every now and again, but often I prefer music that's just nice to listen to (See- Hem, Bishop Allen, Anathallo, Jose Gonzalez etc)

Harry_ThaBombShelter

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Lax Danja House — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 12:21:59 EDT

I'm guessing he's a bourgie because he was raised in an upper middle class home.

Lax Danja House

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

Lucas Jensen — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 11:49:32 EDT

So, Kanye is Bourgie because he, what?, doesn't wear gold chains or something? The man is talented and successful, so that makes him NOT worthy of being covered at Paste? They're kind of damned if they do, damned if they don't, huh? I think that attitude is a little shitty, to be honest.

Lucas Jensen

"Paste" Knows Its Audience A Bit Too Well

unperson — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 11:35:31 EDT

Paste is named in honor of the complexion of its readership.

unperson