# BBC Music Magazine or Gramophone???



## luismsoaresmartins

I've decided to subscribe a classical music magazine, but I'm divided between Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine.
Which one do you recomend, and why?
Best regards, Luís Martins.


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## powerbooks

I have BBC for almost 20 years. Much cheaper than Gramophone at $5 something. The review may not be as comprehensive as the other, but I much prefer complete work in accompanying CDs than selections. I know it is a hit or miss, but I can always find some interesting listening.

Gramophone is also more popular and I have access of it in couple of libraries. I buy 2 or 3 issue every year depending on if I make a trip to a magazine shop.


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## Vesteralen

powerbooks said:


> I have BBC for almost 20 years. Much cheaper than Gramophone at $5 something. The review may not be as comprehensive as the other, but I much prefer complete work in accompanying CDs than selections. I know it is a hit or miss, but I can always find some interesting listening.
> 
> Gramophone is also more popular and I have access of it in couple of libraries. I buy 2 or 3 issue every year depending on if I make a trip to a magazine shop.


Same...except for the 20 years part. About three for me.

Let me warn you, though. Record review magazines are frustrating. I end up wanting to hear at least 60% of the records reviewed plus some of the ones just advertised. Fortunately, I can get a lot of them to preview in about two or three months from my local library system, but that still leaves me tempted to spend far more than I can or should. Caveat emptor!


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## joen_cph

"Gramophone" used to be the best, but the standard has gone down somewhat during the recent decade IMO, especially as regards the reviews, where I usually find "Music-Web or "Fanfare" more interesting. Or, concerning re-issues of recordings, "Gramophone" pre-1985, which can also be found on the web as a public archive. But the BBC reviews are usually laconic - and even sometimes predictable.


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## Jared

BBC Music Mag for me... its pitched very nicely at my level and I look forward to it dropping on the doormat every 4 weeks...


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## joen_cph

( Sorry about my previous post being grunting; of course there are plenty of nice reading experiences to be had ;-) )


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## powerbooks

Just finished reading the June issue of BBC Music magazine, and the piece about utterly daft music really make me laugh!

"From engagingly amusing to downright odd, we reveal classical music's 15 wackiest works"

Hope there is an online access of this, so I can copy and paste here!


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## Vaneyes

I'm skeptical of most, if not all, because of payola.


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## luismsoaresmartins

What about Fanfare? Very expensive in my opinion, but is it worth it? I'm interested not only in the recording reviews, but also in articles regarding composers or other similar stuff...


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## Lenfer

At the moment I subscribe to the *International Record Review*, great magazine full of reviews and upcoming releases however it has little or no interviews etc.

From speaking to my news agent who subscribes to all three, I think in days gone by the *BBC* magazine was seen to be the magazine with the most mass appeal with *Gramophone* firmly in the middle between the *BBC* and the *IRR*. However I think *Gramophone's* standards have slipped and he agrees with me.

I haven't read the BBC magazine but I'm now considering subscribing to the *BBC* magazine just for a bit of light reading and the free CDs are a nice touch. I will continue to read this thread with interest thanks for sharing your views.


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## Orpheus

Vaneyes said:


> I'm skeptical of most, if not all, because of payola.


The BBC magazine should be relatively free of this at least; it can always call on the ostensibly non-commercial BBC itself for funding and therefore has no real NEED to rely on record industry bribery, though I wouldn't like to say it never happened behind the scenes with private individuals who write for the magazine, especially the freelancers. With the BBC magazine, though, I'd be more concerned over the personal idiosyncracies and prejudices of some of the spectactularly opinionated journalists they like to employ than I would about whether their opinions had been paid for in advance.


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## Vesteralen

I had the extra incentive of BBC MM allowing me to subscribe by issue instead of for an extended period. The relatively small cost per issue charged monthly is a lot more palatable to me than shelling out a huge subscription payment every so often.


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## Kevin Pearson

I have read both magazines but much prefer BBC Music over Gramophone. I like the articles and reviews more in BBC but I occasionally pick up Gramophone when they have an interesting subject. I get my U.S. subscription through BBC America's website because it was cheaper than than the main website. I paid $56.98 for 13 issues and got an even better deal by renewing 6 months early. I think like around $50.00. I pretty much read it cover to cover. I agree with Vesteralen about wanting to hear CDs reviewed but I have found that Spotify has most of them and I add them to my queue to be listened to.

Kevin


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