Endless Summer Quarterly feedback

[ESQ Editor]

I wanted to start this thread for active subscribers on this message board to submit letters to the editor, and give me your thoughts on each edition.  

What did you like about the last two issues?

What do you want to see?

 

[metal flake paint]

David, I invariably discover something new about the group with each issue. There were revelations in the latest issue in Craig's sessionography and Mike's interview about the All Summer Long album, particularly about the writing of I Get Around.

I found the photos of Carl at the Fender factory in 1965 most intriguing in issue 104! Being a details person, for me the only thing missing was a sessionography for Shut Down Vol. 2.

This subscriber will be happy if ESQ continues to include exclusive interviews, photos, and contributions from the collection of Chris Woods!

Also, I hope to see more Endless Sky DVDs one day!

[Emdeeh]

I especially liked the format of the All Summer Long issue, with the questions about recording the album above and the sessionography info below on the pages. Excellent work!

[southbay]

Thanks for the open forum Dave.  Obviously, ESQ is a premier publication.  I have been a subscriber since I received the inaugural edition from Rick Edgil and Phil Mast back in 1987.  You have certainly taken the publication leaps and bounds since then. Honestly, I don't think I recall ever seeing an interview with any of the guys where they were asked to comment on an album track by track as you did in the last issue with Mike and ASL.  Surprisingly, it's a simple idea but I just don't remember seeing it before with the BB's. I would like to see more of that with the guys in the future. I could personally do with less of Jan and Dean, but that's just me...

[The Shift]

I could personally do with less of Jan and Dean, but that's just me...

…It's me too. What I love (and crave!) is a mag that's about the BBs and nothing more, nothing less. Having Mike comment on each album track sounded like a potentially dull exercise but it works tremendously well – well done! – and I'm delighted that Craig's session notes are appearing in print here too -  many thanks for providing that.

In fact, if a whole issue was to be devoted to those notes I wouldn't object. They're an admirable body of work.

I haven't subscribed for long enough to ESQ…

I assume the accompanying CDs have reached the end of the line David?  A shame as there was some great music in those… very well curatored.

[LeeDempsey]

On the subject of another ESQ CD, I'll speak for Dave (and ESQ), since I control the purse strings...

We are currently looking for a way to afford to include another CD in an issue of ESQ.  Quite honestly, every time we have included a CD in an issue of ESQ, we have actually lost money on that issue due to the cost of manufacturing the CD, and the additional cost of the postage to mail it.  ESQ's by themselves can be mailed at a less expensive Large Envelope rate (around $4.00 to Europe) because the envelope is flexible; ESQ's with a CD have to be mailed at a more expensive Package rate.  In the past two years, the USPS International First Class Package rates have more than doubled; an issue with a CD mailed to Europe now costs us $12.75 USD in postage alone...  Also, now the US Postal Service has more rigorous Customs regulations, and we have to hand-fill out a Customs form for every issue with a CD that we mail overseas.  Considering that we have over 250 international subscribers, that's over 250 Customs forms to fill out by hand...

We're weighing our options.  One option might be to do an issue with a CD as a single issue outside the normal subscription, at additional cost - such as MOJO does with its MOJO Limited Editions.  Another would be to find an advertiser that would be willing to subsidize the additional cost of the CD, in exchange for advertising.  And maybe we can pay a mailing service/freight forwarder to file all of the Customs forms for us.

David and I are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to work something out in the next 6-12 months.  Stay tuned!

Thanks,

Lee

[Emdeeh]

Thanks for the update, Lee. I've always enjoyed the CD projects.

[drbeachboy]

On the subject of another ESQ CD, I'll speak for Dave (and ESQ), since I control the purse strings...

We are currently looking for a way to afford to include another CD in an issue of ESQ.  Quite honestly, every time we have included a CD in an issue of ESQ, we have actually lost money on that issue due to the cost of manufacturing the CD, and the additional cost of the postage to mail it.  ESQ's by themselves can be mailed at a less expensive Large Envelope rate (around $4.00 to Europe) because the envelope is flexible; ESQ's with a CD have to be mailed at a more expensive Package rate.  In the past two years, the USPS International First Class Package rates have more than doubled; an issue with a CD mailed to Europe now costs us $12.75 USD in postage alone...  Also, now the US Postal Service has more rigorous Customs regulations, and we have to hand-fill out a Customs form for every issue with a CD that we mail overseas.  Considering that we have over 250 international subscribers, that's over 250 Customs forms to fill out by hand...

We're weighing our options.  One option might be to do an issue with a CD as a single issue outside the normal subscription, at additional cost - such as MOJO does with its MOJO Limited Editions.  Another would be to find an advertiser that would be willing to subsidize the additional cost of the CD, in exchange for advertising.  And maybe we can pay a mailing service/freight forwarder to file all of the Customs forms for us.

David and I are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to work something out in the next 6-12 months.  Stay tuned!

Thanks,

Lee

How about a digital download using PINs printed in the special edition?

[Eric Aniversario]

I love ESQ!

As for suggestions, I may be in the minority here, but I'd like to read more about the later albums...from Love You to Summer in paradise. Interviews, etc. An underappreciated time in their career.

[The Shift]

Wow, many thanks Lee for the facts regarding the CDs and what it takes just to post them. The UK too has seen costs soar and qualifying criefria messed around with, as if the Rogal Mail/Post Office organisations actually want everything to be delivered electronically in future - in other words cutting their own throats.

I could, knowing this, fully appreciate why you might never include a CD again.





But I hope you find a way!

[ESQ Editor]

I'll ask this question…

Anyone out there want to financially assist ESQ in the endeavor? 

[ESQ Editor]

I could personally do with less of Jan and Dean, but that's just me...

…It's me too. What I love (and crave!) is a mag that's about the BBs and nothing more, nothing less. Having Mike comment on each album track sounded like a potentially dull exercise but it works tremendously well – well done! – and I'm delighted that Craig's session notes are appearing in print here too -  many thanks for providing that.

In fact, if a whole issue was to be devoted to those notes I wouldn't object. They're an admirable body of work.

I haven't subscribed for long enough to ESQ…

I assume the accompanying CDs have reached the end of the line David?  A shame as there was some great music in those… very well curatored.

Craig's notes are great, but it i snot for everyone in terms of a main article.  We do have female subscribers, and based on their feedback, they appreciate the pictures and interviews.

[ESQ Editor]

Thanks for the open forum Dave.  Obviously, ESQ is a premier publication.  I have been a subscriber since I received the inaugural edition from Rick Edgil and Phil Mast back in 1987.  You have certainly taken the publication leaps and bounds since then. Honestly, I don't think I recall ever seeing an interview with any of the guys where they were asked to comment on an album track by track as you did in the last issue with Mike and ASL.  Surprisingly, it's a simple idea but I just don't remember seeing it before with the BB's. I would like to see more of that with the guys in the future. I could personally do with less of Jan and Dean, but that's just me...

I did this with Mike in the Spring 2014 edition too with our discussion of the Shut Down Volume 2 album.

As for J&D.  They were side by side with the Boys in 1964 and hosted THE most important concert of 1964 in the TAMI Show.  You will see a bit more J&D coverage in the next few upcoming editions because of musical output / importance during one of the most influential times in pop history.

If nothing else, my goal is to reveal the quality of music coming from both groups.

[ESQ Editor]

Thanks for the open forum Dave.  Obviously, ESQ is a premier publication.  I have been a subscriber since I received the inaugural edition from Rick Edgil and Phil Mast back in 1987.  You have certainly taken the publication leaps and bounds since then. Honestly, I don't think I recall ever seeing an interview with any of the guys where they were asked to comment on an album track by track as you did in the last issue with Mike and ASL.  Surprisingly, it's a simple idea but I just don't remember seeing it before with the BB's. I would like to see more of that with the guys in the future. I could personally do with less of Jan and Dean, but that's just me...

Can I use this in the next ESQ as a letter to the editor?  If so, I need your actual name.

[ESQ Editor]

I love ESQ!

As for suggestions, I may be in the minority here, but I'd like to read more about the later albums...from Love You to Summer in paradise. Interviews, etc. An underappreciated time in their career.

Eric, with so much great material having come from the 1964 period, it is a bit tricky to squeeze in other stuff, but we are willing to accept submissions. 

[Niko]

I've been meaning to subscribe for a while - just bought a year-long subscription as well as the latest summer issue...I'll add to this thread when it gets here 

[The Shift]

I love ESQ!

As for suggestions, I may be in the minority here, but I'd like to read more about the later albums...from Love You to Summer in paradise. Interviews, etc. An underappreciated time in their career.

I'll second this - while there might well be some great 50th anniversary material from '64, there must be tenth, 20th, 30th and 40th anniversary material from 2004, 1994, 1984 and 1974 to be celebrated too!

In my opinion it would be a shame to include more peripheral material (on, say, the likes of Jan and Dean or the Bamboo Trading Company) at the expense of hard core Beach Boys matter. I accept the fact that these other acts have strong associations with our favourite band and have created some great music but the BBs are what I go to ESQ to read about, and we have to accept that the individuals might not be around for ever to enlighten us about the other periods in the band's history.

I don't envy you as an editor as it must be a real balancing act and a very tough decision when it comes to drawing the line!

[The Shift]

I'll ask this question…

Anyone out there want to financially assist ESQ in the endeavor? 

I'm sure most if not all overseas subscribers wouldn't object to stumping up some extra postage to cover costs, especially if it could be planned far enough ahead to be factored into the subscription price, rather than being perceived as an additional cost.as for the customs labelling, could those not be pre-printed rather than filled in individually? Again, add the extra cost to the subscription as part of the legitimate overheads.

I wish I had a billion bucks to sponsor the CD project…

[Smilin Ed H]

How about a collection of some of the best material?

[Lowbacca]

How about a collection of some of the best material?

Surreal - I was about to ask a similar question. In the style of this kind of publication (only as softcover) or similar fanzine anthologies perhaps:

[southbay]

nm

[southbay]

Thanks for the open forum Dave.  Obviously, ESQ is a premier publication.  I have been a subscriber since I received the inaugural edition from Rick Edgil and Phil Mast back in 1987.  You have certainly taken the publication leaps and bounds since then. Honestly, I don't think I recall ever seeing an interview with any of the guys where they were asked to comment on an album track by track as you did in the last issue with Mike and ASL.  Surprisingly, it's a simple idea but I just don't remember seeing it before with the BB's. I would like to see more of that with the guys in the future. I could personally do with less of Jan and Dean, but that's just me...

Can I use this in the next ESQ as a letter to the editor?  If so, I need your actual name.

Of course Dave, this is Jerry Pearson

[ESQ Editor]

I'll ask this question…

Anyone out there want to financially assist ESQ in the endeavor?  

I'm sure most if not all overseas subscribers wouldn't object to stumping up some extra postage to cover costs, especially if it could be planned far enough ahead to be factored into the subscription price, rather than being perceived as an additional cost.as for the customs labeling, could those not be pre-printed rather than filled in individually? Again, add the extra cost to the subscription as part of the legitimate overheads.

I wish I had a billion bucks to sponsor the CD project…

It takes about $3,000 to cover costs.  Do you think we could drum that up on here?

[guitarfool2002]

I'm thinking out loud here about the CD issues.

Regarding the CD issue and mailing/manufacturing costs: "drbeachboy" has already made the suggestion of using digital downloads with PIN access, and I agree that is a good option, eliminating the additional manufacturing and shipping expenses. The concern there might be how to coordinate and organize the individual PIN access codes going to each subscriber with the actual database or host where they'd be entering the PIN and accessing the music. It might turn into something beyond just uploading the tracks and giving people codes to access them. Unless someone can do this in-house, it might need something like an outside administrator or host to even begin managing uploads/downloads, especially where distributing access codes is involved too.

This spring I took part in a musicians' roundtable, and learned a lot about media and marketing in terms of 2014. My mindset was still in the CD/tape format of sending a demo to various booking agents, venues, etc to get gigs. A professional who books shows told me he now gets submissions via press kits or promo kits loaded onto a thumb drive. These can be bought in bulk for not much money, they're small and weigh virtually nothing, and the band can put much more multimedia content including print, photo, audio, and video into a small package. By the time the costs are added up, that band could have saved considerable money on CD/DVD dupes, printing color pages and hi-res photos, and instead of separate pages and discs/media, it's all on a thumb drive.

I still prefer reading actual pages in books and magazines, but it's hard to deny how many millions of readers use a Kindle, or simply read on their laptops, pads, work computers, whatever the case. And I know there are many companies who do their promo and marketing at trade shows and conventions by handing out these thumb drives full of media rather than separate paper and disc packages. The portability is there, the cost of printing and duping and packaging separate elements is reduced to a digital format.

I'm not try to sell anything   , although I wouldn't mind being in the thumb-drive promo marketing business at this point considering my finances at the moment, but considering it's replacing disc and print packages in areas ranging from bands trying to score gigs to car companies rolling out their new model, the thumb drive format might be a radical shift for a publication but one which might be worth looking into, especially where multimedia is involved. And depending on what the content is and clearances and all that, you could even include a video file with the special edition, something as simple as an interview unique to the magazine.

[guitarfool2002]

I'll ask this question…

Anyone out there want to financially assist ESQ in the endeavor? 

I'm sure most if not all overseas subscribers wouldn't object to stumping up some extra postage to cover costs, especially if it could be planned far enough ahead to be factored into the subscription price, rather than being perceived as an additional cost.as for the customs labeling, could those not be pre-printed rather than filled in individually? Again, add the extra cost to the subscription as part of the legitimate overheads.

I wish I had a billion bucks to sponsor the CD project…

It takes about $3,000 to cover ll costs.  Do you think we could drum that up on here?

Some joker on Kickstarter just made close to 40,000 asking for donations so he could make potato salad. No joke! As distasteful and ridiculous as that may sound, I'm thinking if the word is put out to subscribers to help offset the costs, and a Kickstarter campaign is in place, it might be covered. Surely a more worthy contribution than some clown making potato salad...