I received my annual email from Genii that my subscription was expiring this month. I’ve been a subscriber for close to thirty years and a reader for many more years. When I lived in Western Pennsylvania, I would visit my favorite magic shop and the latest Genii was a regular purchase. Since moving west, I’ve been a subscriber as it’s been easier.
I’ve lived through the years of Bill Larson with his erratic publishing schedule, suffered through the Dante Larson era, and grateful for Erika Larson’s work to keep it on life support. Like most, I was excited about Richard Kaufman purchasing it in 1999. Richard’s twenty five years were very good overall. His sale to Randy Pitchford made sense. Magic, like most art forms, needs a patron. (A complete history can be found here).
Since the team of Julie Eng and Jim Steinmeyer has taken over, the magazine seems to be adrift. They added to the editorial staff and increased the number of contributors. All of this requires money whether the contributors are paid with in-kind advertising or not. The magazine has been bleeding money for years as Pitchford stated at Magic Live a few years ago that he gives the magazine more than $100,000 to keep things afloat.
The subscription fees were doubled to try to keep pace with costs . I expected an increase however the doubling was a shock. Richard had left the old prices in place for too long. An incremental increase would have been easier to swallow.
I found myself asking if $70 digital subscription was worth it. Unfortunately my answer was no. The increased cost is a factor but not my biggest reason. I’m just not a fan anymore. I don’t look forward to reading the new issue and often forget to read it. It was time to move on.
