"John Atkinson" wrote in message
om...
(Bruce J. Richman) wrote in message
...
Nousaine wrote:
"Michael McKelvy" wrote:
"tor b" wrote in message
. com...
Anyone think he pays retail? ;-)
Do you think anybody who writes for any audio magazine pays retail?
Actually that's one of the 'draws' of the trade. The 'writing' certainly
doesn't pay that well ....I'm hoping that Mr Atkinson will wil drop in
and tell use exactly what the Stereophile "writers" are paid....but the
availability of products at an industry accomodation price (roughly 65%
of MSRP) for review samples (read that as "used" pieces) is an
attraction. And the long-term loans are an even better deal.
Are you willing to divulge what the writers for Sound & Vision or
other magazines you write for are paid? For that matter, why should
any magazine editor or writer discuss their fees with the reading public?
I agree, Dr. Richman. I don't think this is something that needs to be
made public. Note that this is not the first time Tom Nousaine has
referred
on r.a.o. to the subject of how much Stereophile's writers are paid.
Well, Nousaine knows he's a loser but he cannot quite quantify how MUCH of a
loser he is. The fact that he's less of a loser than Krueger doesn't mean
much.
But in regard to the initial question I'm guessing that Mr Atkinson
personally pays for very little. Either he gets products for long-term
loans OR his employer pays for all the other products at accomodation
pricing.
Does that differ from the practice in effect at other audio magazines?
I believe that Stereophile's policies are more rigorous than those at
other
magazines, but I don't have hard information on the latter, of course.
Speaking for myself, I have personally purchased almost every piece of
audio
equipment in my system, at the usual accommodation price, which tends to
be
the price the dealer pays. This is not "corrupt," as the offensive thread
title states, and must be put against the need for reviewers to have more
than one reference available.
I wonder if the super exclusive and small outfits like Rockport and CTC
Builders, for example, have accomodation prices?
Howard Ferstler seems to be a good example of a reviewer whose equipment are
of such pedestrian quality that he has become everyone's audio joke. His
reviews are like judging Cabernets using his customary prune juice as
reference.
In my opinion there's nothing especially wrong with the practice but
readers should be aware of what it might be.
That same level of awareness should then apply to all audio magazines.
I agree.
Few readers are dense enough to be ignorant of the practice.
And regarding all the silliness in this thread about my "Mercedes
collection," I don't see the relevance of this to audio. Surely how
I choose to spend my disposable income is up to me?
Well, John...you know the answer. You are a winner in the world of audio.
You love it, you made it popular and you made it pay off. In the process you
have directly and indirectly created a lot of jobs, attracted capital to the
business - in other words, you've created something valuable and you got
compensated for it. That's the way our economy works and you are to be
applauded for your achievements.
This is in stark contrast to Krueger and Nousaine whose bitter rants on the
internet amount to ZERO economic, cultural or intellectual value. And our
economy has rewarded them accordingly. :-) What these audio losers have not
understood is that one needs a total package to succeed - brains,
personality and manners- to name a few.
Cheers,
Margaret
PS. Got your SLR yet? ;-)
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile