Why do music fans buy magazines instead of getting the information of the internet?

A music magazine is a magazine centred around the music industry, including a variety of articles about important happenings in the music industry. Music magazines typically include:

• Reviews of albums/artists/concerts/songs, both famous and undiscovered.
• Important music news
• Posters of bands/artists
• Interviews with people associated with the music industry
• Exclusive photo-shoots
• Gossip about bands/artists
• Information on upcoming music events

People buy music magazine for the interesting, (generally assumed to be) quality articles about their favourite band or reviews new album that has just been released. The main controversy centred around buying music magazines is why people don’t just get the information of the internet where it is easily accessible and free? The magazine/print industry is under a lot of strain because of the ever-increasing popularity of social media and the Internet where all the information normally included in a magazine is available at a click of a mouse, free of charge. Also with the majority of the population constantly using smart phones with Internet access, you can also access the information on the go, just like you could with magazines.

Reason music fans would prefer to buy a magazine rather than find the information on the Internet:

• The design of a magazine is more attractive and appealing, instead of reading a whole lot of text placed in a standard fashion the magazine is strategically placed to look interesting and make the reader want to read it.
• Reading a printed magazine seems like a more enjoyable activity than looking the same information on Google. Surfing the web is very common activity in most people’s lives and most jobs require using the computer and the Internet, so reading all the information from a magazine differs from the normal task of using the web which is generally viewed as a tedious, bland activity.
• Also magazines provide all sort of information all in one place, so instead of having to search around, you only have to open the magazine and all the information you want is at your availability
• Since you have to pay for magazines it is generally assumed that you are reading good-quality information and it is not just any joe bloggs writing there opinion.
• Writing article in print press has more legal rules about the truthfulness and reliability of the information being said, so is therefore assumed to be more believable than a blog on the Internet, which doesn’t have as many legal restrictions.
• Being a dedicated music fan, buying the same magazine each month or week can bring satisfaction to the consumer that they have continued to be loyal to the magazine. Also there is an attraction for fans of a certain musical artist or band to buy a magazine purely because it contains information or and article about them, maybe because they feel they need to prove there dedication to the person(s).
• Finally the Internet doesn’t have the added bonus of posters to stick on your wall, due to it being a purely on screen experience.

It is solely the preference of the consumer as to whether they would like to buy a magazine or read it on a digital device, but unless people are in a very comfortably well-off, buying a magazine seem like a expensive option when you can get it for free on the internet.