Bass Player Magazine Ends Print, Goes Fully Online
After 32 years, Bass Player Magazine has announced the end of its print edition. The end of an era comes not as a result of readership or quality but the rising costs around the world.
“We’ve faced challenges over the last few years, through a difficult retail landscape and an actual pandemic, to maintain Bass Player as a profitable magazine, but 2022’s dramatic increase in costs for us and our suppliers – paper, printing, fuel, distribution to name a few – mean that its print edition is no longer viable,” they announced. “Arguably, Bass Player’s content has never been better, and sales and subscription numbers are healthy, so the problem is not that people don’t want to read BP. It’s the cost of publishing a physical magazine in an impossibly difficult market that has caused the end of the best bass mag ever.”
Although the print magazine will cease, the Bass Player spirit will live on in the digital realm as a channel on GuitarWorld.com. Bass Player Editor Joel McIver will continue his efforts in the online-only format.
“I’ll miss the print magazine, that goes without saying,” he says, “but I also think that the bass community will be much better served by us putting all of our efforts into Bass Player’s digital side, as part of Guitar World. Until now, Bass Player’s online content has only consisted of material from the magazine. Now we can focus on delivering new and exclusive stories and videos that appeal to the global bass community on a daily basis. We thank everyone who’s ever bought an issue of Bass Player, all the players who gave us their wisdom and their time, and all the writers, photographers, designers, bass players, educators and gear manufacturers who made the world of bass such a great place to be. We will strive to do you proud at Bass Player’s newly online home.”
The final issue of Bass Player goes on sale on September 13th.
We’d like to take a moment to recognize and thank all those who worked on the magazine, especially Joel McIver, for his incredible work and leadership.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
How much will the online subscription cost?
I still have about a year on my subscription of Bass Player. I’d like to know where I can find the on line version. I keep looking and can’t figure it out.
Hi there thanks for the update on the Bass Player mag .I have quite alot of these love them Cheers Pete B
Sorry to hear, loved this magazine. This means my editions will become collectors items, I better clean them up and get them into a case.
Not far.. no more bass player prints. Yet I counted while at a news stand 7 guitar magazines still in print. I hate on line reading hurts my eyes.
I am so sorry to hear that the Bass Player Magazine does not exist any more. I have been a subscriber from the very beginning. Every now and then some short pause, but anyhow. Bass plaer was my teacher and my friend all this time. I still play bass, of course, but as getting older my fingers got arthritis, so cannot play as much as I would like to. But gigs every now and then. I would like to continue digitally to stat with you. Bassis extremely important to me and also Bass Player Magazine has been. Thank you for it! I still have almost all the magazines. I will start to read them again every now and then and wait for your digital magazine.