San Jose, CA - Enter Music Publishing, publishers of diverse drum/percussion magazines worldwide, has experienced tremendous success with Traps Magazine (www.trapsmagazine.com). Referred to as the magazine that covers “The Art of Drumming" TRAPS premiere issue sold at a highly efficient rate of 57% on newsstands in the United States and abroad. As a result of this response from a readership of pro drummers and baby boomer bangers returning to the instrument, TRAPS has upped U.S. distribution with an agreement to sell additional copies at Border stores nationwide. As discussed in the launch announcement of Traps, the magazine is well-position to groove in on the percussion/drum equipment market, currently valued at $600 million, according to the Percussive Marketing Council.
“While we had done market research on our target audience, serious younger drummers and those in the 40-and-older demographic, this initial sell-through is really outstanding," said Phil Hood, publisher of Traps. “We certainly appreciate the support that we have gotten from drummers." The first issue of TRAPS debuted September 8; 2006 and featured Max Roach on the cover. The magazine also included a history of the drummers of Black Sabbath and a note-for-note transcription of Steve Gadd's famous solo on Steely Dan's “Aja."
The second issue was even heavier on jazz with a cover story on Jeff “Tain" Watts-the beat behind the Grammy-winning albums of Branford and Wynton Marsalis-while a feature on “The Drummers of Blue Note" explored fifty years of jazz recordings through the powerful work of Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, and Art Blakey.
This makes the initial acceptance and interest in TRAPS even more powerful, since these jazz drummers, though highly appreciated, don't attract nearly as much attention as rock legends. But the editors plan to mix it up. The upcoming autumn issue (on sale July 7) features an unpublished interview with none other than John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) on the cover, plus a family tree of Frank Zappa drummers. It's leavened by jazz features (Idris Muhammad, who plays with pianist Ahmad Jamal) one-on-one master classes (with Steve Smith of Journey and Vital Information), photo essays, and annotated transcriptions of jazz and rock masterpieces.
Distributor Acceptance “Going into the TRAPS project, we met with excellent acceptance for this new title at both the wholesaler and retailer level (which is basically unheard of these days), “ said Mike Werner, VP, Distribution, Rider Circulation Services. “We were able to secure a distribution almost the equal of With the first issue of TRAPS having been on sale for over six months, that issue has performed at levels above and beyond expected (with a sell-through above 50%). Results have been especially good in the all-important bookstore/newsstand class of trade. The international numbers are coming in strong as well . . . Looks like another hit. “
TRAPS plans to grow through both newsstand sales and subscriber promotions in the coming months, with expanded foreign distribution and more direct mail.
“I've never had a magazine get the initial response from readers that TRAPS has, “ says Hood. “They write us, email us, call us, and the drumming forums have lots of discussions about it. They seem to really respond to the long articles and professional emphasis. “TRAPS cover stories tend to run 25 pages long-an anomaly in today's publishing world, where most magazines assume readers have attention deficit disorder. “We believe there are people who love the subject and want to go deeper, “ says Hood. For all you rock drummers, the John Bonham issue hits the streets on July 9. Stay tuned.
About Enter Music Publishing Founded in San Jose, CA in 1992, Enter Music Publishing, Inc. is a leading publisher of drum/percussion magazines, with distribution in 50 countries worldwide. The company's editorial staff combined has more than 40 years of experience in the music publishing industry.
“While we had done market research on our target audience, serious younger drummers and those in the 40-and-older demographic, this initial sell-through is really outstanding," said Phil Hood, publisher of Traps. “We certainly appreciate the support that we have gotten from drummers." The first issue of TRAPS debuted September 8; 2006 and featured Max Roach on the cover. The magazine also included a history of the drummers of Black Sabbath and a note-for-note transcription of Steve Gadd's famous solo on Steely Dan's “Aja."
The second issue was even heavier on jazz with a cover story on Jeff “Tain" Watts-the beat behind the Grammy-winning albums of Branford and Wynton Marsalis-while a feature on “The Drummers of Blue Note" explored fifty years of jazz recordings through the powerful work of Elvin Jones, Billy Higgins, and Art Blakey.
This makes the initial acceptance and interest in TRAPS even more powerful, since these jazz drummers, though highly appreciated, don't attract nearly as much attention as rock legends. But the editors plan to mix it up. The upcoming autumn issue (on sale July 7) features an unpublished interview with none other than John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) on the cover, plus a family tree of Frank Zappa drummers. It's leavened by jazz features (Idris Muhammad, who plays with pianist Ahmad Jamal) one-on-one master classes (with Steve Smith of Journey and Vital Information), photo essays, and annotated transcriptions of jazz and rock masterpieces.
Distributor Acceptance “Going into the TRAPS project, we met with excellent acceptance for this new title at both the wholesaler and retailer level (which is basically unheard of these days), “ said Mike Werner, VP, Distribution, Rider Circulation Services. “We were able to secure a distribution almost the equal of With the first issue of TRAPS having been on sale for over six months, that issue has performed at levels above and beyond expected (with a sell-through above 50%). Results have been especially good in the all-important bookstore/newsstand class of trade. The international numbers are coming in strong as well . . . Looks like another hit. “
TRAPS plans to grow through both newsstand sales and subscriber promotions in the coming months, with expanded foreign distribution and more direct mail.
“I've never had a magazine get the initial response from readers that TRAPS has, “ says Hood. “They write us, email us, call us, and the drumming forums have lots of discussions about it. They seem to really respond to the long articles and professional emphasis. “TRAPS cover stories tend to run 25 pages long-an anomaly in today's publishing world, where most magazines assume readers have attention deficit disorder. “We believe there are people who love the subject and want to go deeper, “ says Hood. For all you rock drummers, the John Bonham issue hits the streets on July 9. Stay tuned.
About Enter Music Publishing Founded in San Jose, CA in 1992, Enter Music Publishing, Inc. is a leading publisher of drum/percussion magazines, with distribution in 50 countries worldwide. The company's editorial staff combined has more than 40 years of experience in the music publishing industry.
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