Al McWilliams, Master of the Universe at Quack Media, describes his approach for economically distributing art magazines.
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In this 10 minute segment (download iPod compatible, 51MB), Al McWilliams, Master of the Universe at Quack Media, describes his strategy for marketing Found Magazine. Found, created by Davy Rothbart, might best be described as an art magazine with an edge. Unlike the Michigan Business Review or Metro Parent, also covered on this site, Found's main source of revenue is not advertising, but the cover price, "Always 5 bucks".
The main question then is how to make money. Al's approach has been two pronged. First, via a remarkably simple process he describes in the video, he has convinced distributors that Found Magazine is not a magazine but a book. Having the publication classified as a book means that distributors will keep it on the shelves more than the sixty days typically allotted to periodicals. This added time is important for an art publication, since the back issues tend to sell as well as the current one.
Second, Al has renegotiated Found's distribution deals to keep retailers at around a 50% margin, allowing him to at least break even on the project. As Al notes at the end of the segment, margin is what the distribution business has always been about.
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