My email to Scratch Magazine

HollywoodColeHollywoodCole 184 Posts
edited April 2005 in Strut Central
They put Eminem on the cover of the new issue and I took time out of my day to say:Ok, first I just want to say that I love your magazine and what you are doing is excellent and looong overdue. You represent an important piece of the Hip-Hop puzzle that other magazines either ignore completely, or give minimal coverage. Now I know selling magazines is a business, but I have to disagree with your marketing tactics when you put major rap figures on your cover just to try to get ???The Source crowd??? to buy your magazine. You have to understand that your magazine caters to a certain group, and that group is not impressed with Eminem, Lil Jon, or Neptunes covers. Don???t get me wrong. I???m not one of these Old School haters. In fact I???m a fan of all those people, but when you put out a magazine about producing, Djing and other technical aspects of the culture, people will take it seriously, especially with your excellent coverage. So it???s almost like you???re compromising your integrity. I doubt you???ll sell more magazines with Eminem on the cover than you would if you had Premier or Pete Rock because you already have a core audience and people who are only interested in celebrities don???t care about 2-channel mixers. Matter of fact you???ll probably sell the same amount of magazines if you just had equipment on the cover instead of people. Your magazine is too good and too important to insult and/or alienate the people who respect it the most. And yes, I say insult because I know a lot of your readers are going to be pissed that you put someone on the cover who is a mediocre producer instead of established legends. Now like I said, I???m a fan of Eminem. He???s an excellent MC, but everybody knows that his production is not the best. So why is he more relevant to your magazine and its readers than The Beatminerz, for example? C???mon, that???s like a slap in the face. Now that I???m done bitching and moaning, I hope your magazine goes monthly and as soon as I get a permanent address I will be buying a subscription. Peace.
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  Comments


  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Fool, I bought the mag specifically for the Neptunes article.

    Eminem though, I don't know.

    But seriously, the Beatminerz? What record have they made in the last 10 years that makes them worthy of the cover?

  • Your magazine is too good and too important...






  • EscalanteEscalante 197 Posts
    I Completely agree with what your saying, I've been thinking the same exact thing. But I remember reading a letter like this in one of the issues. They're response was something like it being a business and would be hard to pay someone like premier for the cover when they wouldn't get a return. I don't know. This is all off of memory so I could be way off on the reply. I'll just stop typing now...

  • EscalanteEscalante 197 Posts
    Yeah..Alot of the people buying the magazines are probably young teenagers just getting into producing. It is sad but they might not be as persauded to buy the mag with Premier or Beatminerz on the cover. Shit...some of them probably can't name 1 beatminerz produced track. I don't know, if they put 9th Wonder on the cover they may fly off the racks...

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    I doubt it.


    I don't know why it's so hard to fathom, but most producers and musicians, outside of this insular community, want to read about the current hitmakers, not some guy that had an acclaimed underground record last year or 10 years ago. I mean, sure, run an article, but the cover??? Again, why is this hard to fathom?

    I think the people that buy this mag work in studios or run project studios or aspire to be producers themselves.

  • EscalanteEscalante 197 Posts
    I doubt it.


    I don't know why it's so hard to fathom, but most producers and musicians, outside of this insular community, want to read about the current hitmakers, not some guy that had an acclaimed underground record last year or 10 years ago. I mean, sure, run an article, but the cover??? Again, why is this hard to fathom?

    I think the people that buy this mag work in studios or run project studios or aspire to be producers themselves.

    Don't get me wrong, a Lil Jon, or Eminem album might not be my cup of tea, but i still find it interesting to read about what they are using. As a producer I try to keep up on everything coming out, and alot of times I do want to know what the hell Neptunes are using. I'm gonna buy the magazine no matter whos on the cover, because so far they have been on point with the info.

  • So why is he more relevant to your magazine and its readers than The Beatminerz, for example?

    Relevance is your key man.

    And, is there really a stone left unturned somewhere about Beatminerz, or Pete Rock, or Premiers production techniques, bio, history, or discog somewhere. Get your googe on for that.

  • you right, but I was mainly talking about the Em cover. C'mon, Eminem?? Out of all the dope ass producers out there, its obvious they only put him on there to attract kids, and when those kids pick it up and see a bunch of turntables, amps, and boards, they aint gonna give 2 shi-yats about the magazine. They should be worried about keeping the readers they DO have than attracting kids who will pick it up wanting to find out about 50 cent and Fat Joe beefs or something like dat.

  • DubiousDubious 1,865 Posts
    that seems like some bogus action there man.

    as a producer shouldnt you at least be curious to read about the hottest producers in your game?

    i mean lil john and the neptunes held shit DOWN.. whether you like them or not you have to acknowledge that they have their game on lock and you can always learn something from somebody who has mastered their game.

    one of the best articles i ever read about production / sampling / makin tunes was an interview with fatboy slim fer pete's sake. Didnt make me want to hear his music or anything but it did clue me into a bunch of interesting things i hadnt stumbled across myself at the time.

    i mean you really want to read ANOTHER article with some dude harpin on and on and on about his sp1200?

    don't we already know it makes "beats real grimey"?

    and as much as eminem is musically worthless to me i'd still pickup the mag flip thru.. skim the article.

    i think there's always something to be gained from reading about another producers working methods... ESPECIALLY dudes who arent doin the same thing as you.


  • Sun_FortuneSun_Fortune 1,374 Posts
    my favorite was the cover with Kanye. He looked cool with that ten dollar lets 'get it on' record.

    "I hope somebody got fired for that gaffe."

    I kind of like that its main stream in a way. Keeps me updated.

  • EscalanteEscalante 197 Posts

    i mean you really want to read ANOTHER article with some dude harpin on and on and on about his sp1200?

    don't we already know it makes "beats real grimey"?


    Oh Man....That comment made my day. That's real though...

  • EscalanteEscalante 197 Posts
    [quoteI kind of like that its main stream in a way. Keeps me updated.
    Usually if I read about a producer I ain't heard of, i'll usually track something down they've produced.

  • All I was saying is that they don't need to put the most popular cats on the cover to sell magazines. Like they said, they didn't sell shit with Dre and the 'Tunes on the cover so it would make no difference to put someone on who's work is more respected by the people who DO buy the magazine. AND wassup with no DJ's on the cover?

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Lil Jon is a DJ.

    I don't think you understand - Dre, Neptunes, Timbo etc ARE more respected by people that buy the magazine... just not by you.

  • aight, you not getting my point. Honestly, I didn't care about the Dre, Kanye, Neptunes, even Lil Jon covers, cuz I dig all of their stuff. And I'm not an Eminem hater or non of that bullshit. But the truth is that most of his production is ass, and people who read the magazine know this. Thats like a muscle car magazine putting a Honda Accord on its cover. There's a hundred DJs and producers more deseving to be on the cover of a magazine dedicated to Hip-Hop producing, DJing and engineering. I still like their mag, but I lost a little respect for them.

  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    I think you're not being very accurate with what you think is the magazine's target audience.

  • People who are interested in the technical side of Hip-Hop music. Honestly, I think the can put a big ass picture of a Rane TTM-56 on the cover and they wouldn't sell any more or less magazines than they have in the past.

  • GrafwritahGrafwritah 4,184 Posts
    you right, but I was mainly talking about the Em cover. C'mon, Eminem?? Out of all the dope ass producers out there, its obvious they only put him on there to attract kids, and when those kids pick it up and see a bunch of turntables, amps, and boards, they aint gonna give 2 shi-yats about the magazine. They should be worried about keeping the readers they DO have than attracting kids who will pick it up wanting to find out about 50 cent and Fat Joe beefs or something like dat.

    Why? It's a business, not some sort of philanthropic tribute to bygone beatmakers. They need readers to sell advertising. Pop music is called pop because it's popular. Makes sense to me.

  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    Honestly, that magazine doesn't really touch on the technical side of hip hop production very much, if at all. It's a cool magazine to read for interviews but ain't like dudes are all "yo this is how i do my drums." I see it as pretty much a magazine full of interviews and gear/CD reviews.

  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    People who are interested in the technical side of Hip-Hop music. Honestly, I think the can put a big ass picture of a Rane TTM-56 on the cover and they wouldn't sell any more or less magazines than they have in the past.


    As someone who is interested in the technical side of hip-hop music, I want to read about the production techniques of people who have huge studios, racks and racks of equipment, and hit songs.

    I do not want to read about Pete Rock, Primo, Walt, Dee, or anyone who I've already read about a million times and who use a 950/MPC/SP/ASR like this was 1993. The most interesting article I can think of like that was the Scotty Hard article in Wax Poetics a while back, and I can't see that on the cover.

    Again, as someone who is interested in the technical side of hip-hop music, I would not buy the mag if it had some DJ mixer on the cover. I could care less. That has zero to do with how a record ends up sounding. I would, however, buy the magazine if I saw Just Blaze or Jazze Pha or Battlecat or Buckwild or Dre on the cover.

  • ayresayres 1,452 Posts
    Scratch is owned by a large publishing company. This company also owns another very large hip-hop magazine. That is how they are able to get all these multiplatinum producers for interviews and photo shoots in the first place. The big dudes approve the covers, so a lot of it has to do with that. If they don't think the Beatminerz are going to sell magazines, if they don't know who the fuck 9th Wonder is, they aren't going to pour money into a magazine that puts him on the cover. While the content is a lot more up to the editor of Scratch, the cover has everything to do with the bottom line so they put guys on it who will sell magazines.

  • I would, however, buy the magazine if I saw Just Blaze or Jazze Pha or Battlecat or Buckwild or Dre on the cover.

    EXACTLY. I feel everything you're saying, but I'm just dissapoited they put someone on the cover who doesn't deserve it, when others do, like the ones you mentioned. I saw the Eminem cover and I was like "Are they serious? Eminem beats are THAT hot?" Swizz Beats gets more props. Shit even Jermaine Dupri. Thats like Wax Poetics putting Puffy on the cover and doing a whole article on his beat-digging and sample useage.

  • EscalanteEscalante 197 Posts
    you right, but I was mainly talking about the Em cover. C'mon, Eminem?? Out of all the dope ass producers out there, its obvious they only put him on there to attract kids, and when those kids pick it up and see a bunch of turntables, amps, and boards, they aint gonna give 2 shi-yats about the magazine. They should be worried about keeping the readers they DO have than attracting kids who will pick it up wanting to find out about 50 cent and Fat Joe beefs or something like dat.

    Why? It's a business, not some sort of philanthropic tribute to bygone beatmakers. They need readers to sell advertising. Pop music is called pop because it's popular. Makes sense to me.

    I'm sure thats exactly what their answer would be...It's a money making business.

    But on anonther note, I know nothing about the magazine business, but doesn't most of the money come from ads? I know all in all the more copies you sell the more you can charge, and the more adds you get, but does the most revenue come from ads?

  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    Most of the money does come from ads. If no one ever looks at your magazine, ads are useless. A cover that entices people to read your magazine results in more ad views.

  • EscalanteEscalante 197 Posts
    Scratch is owned by a large publishing company. This company also owns another very large hip-hop magazine. That is how they are able to get all these multiplatinum producers for interviews and photo shoots in the first place. The big dudes approve the covers, so a lot of it has to do with that. If they don't think the Beatminerz are going to sell magazines, if they don't know who the fuck 9th Wonder is, they aren't going to pour money into a magazine that puts him on the cover. While the content is a lot more up to the editor of Scratch, the cover has everything to do with the bottom line so they put guys on it who will sell magazines.

    Breaking it all down...

  • DubiousDubious 1,865 Posts


    As someone who is interested in the technical side of hip-hop music, I want to read about the production techniques of people who have huge studios, racks and racks of equipment, and hit songs.


    word

    and while we are obviously in agreement about the quality of em's music... in particular his beats.. there seem to be plenty of fols out there feelin them... not least of all Dre and 50... so who are we to say his beats suck???

    by what quantitative analysis do they suck??

    they sell.. they're popular, they're all over the radio / mtv, he's got no problem finding mc's to spit on em

    sounds like dude's obviously a good producer.

    but yeah i wouldnt exatly consider skratch all that informative.. esp the cover stories.. the real meat seems to be on the inside ... i was feelin that article with some producer runnin various synths through their paces last issue..




  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    I would, however, buy the magazine if I saw Just Blaze or Jazze Pha or Battlecat or Buckwild or Dre on the cover.

    EXACTLY. I feel everything you're saying, but I'm just dissapoited they put someone on the cover who doesn't deserve it, when others do, like the ones you mentioned. I saw the Eminem cover and I was like "Are they serious? Eminem beats are THAT hot?" Swizz Beats gets more props. Shit even Jermaine Dupri. Thats like Wax Poetics putting Puffy on the cover and doing a whole article on his beat-digging and sample useage.

    yeah my main problem with the Em cover isn't some anti-pop hateration.

    it's because he's not a producer first and foremost.

    put Swizz on there, he's KILLIN IT right now.

  • even Missy Eliott would've made more sense

  • I agree with you that eminim doesn't belong there caues his beats are wack

    lil jon, neptuens, swiss beats....they all have an interesting sound and would be great articles to read....but i have never heard an eminem beat that has made me wonder "how did he get that sound"

    i never read scratch, so my opinion doesn't really matter on this one caues they are selling me anything....maybe if they put rich harrison on the cover i'd pick up a copy

  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    just blaze cover plz
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