TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:54 pm

Just wanted to give you guys a heads up. VW Trends is returning. I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but am happy to report I can share a link that will give you more info about how to support this endeavor! There are some VERY cool things in the pipeline so check out their website to learn more! Let’s get this thing off the ground!

https://vwtrendsmagazine.com/

Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:30 am

Dont forget the two page ads for the dick drugs.........another reason this rag will fail...........along with the full ads for GEX, CIP etc.......Just rehashed Hot VWs junk. Lets NOT get this "thing off the ground". Just another opinion of why this rag failed in the first place.

Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:14 am

Sounds like a lot of money for for 4 issues that are already out dated information that's available free on the internet.

Signed and numbered copy is a Beanie Baby of the future.

Here's what you get for $200:

Signed and numbered Commemorative Issue
1 Year subscription (1st year is quarterly)
T-shirt
2 Stickers
Invite to VW Trends Jam 2022

Can't wait to see the full page color ad for GEX, Mid America, CIP and the other bottom feeders.

Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:47 am

Exactly who is signing it? How are they famous or why are they special? What makes the old issues valuable when you can get as many as you want at VW swap meets for 50 cents each.

$59.99 for the 1st signed & numbered copy? No thanks.

Only 4 times a year? common man, print media is dead.

I agree with Glenn. Another beanie baby scam. But hey..... we can always hope for the new Transform transaxle ads featuring the "Freeway Flier"

Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:06 am

I think purchasing it is optional.

Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:36 am

Just tossing these out there... I miss the days of getting a new car magazine and spending time reading and discussing the stories. So...

Is print really dead?
Has the net killed it off?
Is this what we want?
How much would we pay to have it?
Does anyone know what it costs to produce an issue after all expenses are paid?
What would we want in a print magazine that we don't now get off the web?

I expect that there are many old farts like me who would like to still see vinyl albums and not just drops. But maybe car mags are where the music biz is?

Mon Mar 22, 2021 2:20 pm

Hey folks. We're really excited about bringing VW Trends back to life. Just to clarify what we're up to; This is a fundraiser, much like Go Fund Me or Kickstarter. There are some pretty good perks in the Platinum level (the VW Trends Jam Party 2022 is going to be epic). Plus NONE of the four people involved are taking any sort of draw off the funds raised. EVERY PENNY (at least for the first year ... most likely more than that) is going back into the magazine so we can get it stable and take care of all the behind the scenes legal stuff and paperwork. So while you may think the prices are high (which I get), remember it's all seed money. The plan is to go quarterly for the first year, bi-monthly the year after, and then monthly the year after that. Once we dug into it, we realized it takes a LOT to create a publishing company and re-create a print magazine. So please keep that in mind if you should choose to support the project. Thanks to all of you who choose to support what we're doing. www.vwtrendsmagazine.com. Thanks again!

Mon Mar 22, 2021 2:30 pm

KTPhil wrote: Just tossing these out there... I miss the days of getting a new car magazine and spending time reading and discussing the stories. So...

Is print really dead?
Has the net killed it off?
Is this what we want?
How much would we pay to have it?
Does anyone know what it costs to produce an issue after all expenses are paid?
What would we want in a print magazine that we don't now get off the web?

I expect that there are many old farts like me who would like to still see vinyl albums and not just drops. But maybe car mags are where the music biz is?
I have been in the printing industry for about 33 years since i was 17, Yes printing is falling by the wayside. i know of tons of shops that have closed through out the years. Luckily for me the past 25 years i have worked at a shop that produces Pharmaceutical inserts & labels ( the directions for the doctors & patients) so we are never slow but Big Pharma companies are trying to convince the FDA & Congress to do away with inserts and go to online inserts to save them money. We are talking pennies on the dollar. Not everyone has internet especially the elderly. I enjoy reading car magazines, sitting on my couch or wherever. Good writers like Bill Bowman (Bullibill) make the articles a good read.

Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:45 pm

disneyherbie wrote: Just wanted to give you guys a heads up. VW Trends is returning. I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but am happy to report I can share a link that will give you more info about how to support this endeavor! There are some VERY cool things in the pipeline so check out their website to learn more! Let’s get this thing off the ground!

https://vwtrendsmagazine.com/

Not sure about this sworn to secrecy stuff beings my original post was only 10 minute older than yours, and I got the info from Facebook.
I always loved VW Trends mostly for it's 80's Vibe,
so yes I'll spend what I need to spend to get the first year of the new.
Print is dead, only if print choses to die, Interestingly Print is choosing to die.
as an example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_Trend_Group
These boys used to get a shitload of cash from me every year.
Hot Rod, Motor Trend, Circle Track, European Car, Roadkill, Automobile, Car Craft, Chevy High Performance, Hot Rod Deluxe, Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road.
All but Hot Rod & Motor Trend were closed by TEN.
Sad because of all that is lost, each one of these Magazine Titles has years of content, photos, tech knowledge that is now lost.
I wouldn't have closed them,
I would have digitized, and cataloged every bit of it, and made it available to subscribers of the print magazines only.
I have digital subscriptions to several major nationally know Newspapers,
because trying to get real news from Fox, CNN, or MSNBC is foolish.

Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:59 pm

I still like print. I guess I'm in a minority. Oh well, I'm old. My grand-daughter was selling magazines for school a couple years ago so I had to buy something. No VW mags so I chose Hemmings. X dollars for 12 months. The magazines came regularly and looked like I remembered Hemmings to look. Thick, lots of adds, lots of articles, etc. I didn't renew when it expired and they kept after me. Finally, this year they offered me 12 issues for $20. Sounded good, so I signed up. When the first issue arrived, it was about half the size of before! I chalked it up to COVID and less people selling cars but who knows. Subsequent issues are not getting any bigger and there does seem to be less articles too. Again maybe COVID and maybe the death of print. Only time will tell.

Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:30 pm

https://letstalkdubs.libsyn.com/

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Tue Mar 23, 2021 8:44 am

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback! I was really sad and angry when a lot of the mags I remember from my days at MMY & Primedia (not to mention the GR8RIDE.com days) got destroyed by people in power who didn't "get" what an enthusiast publication was about. I heard stories of staff being cut in half, freelance budgets being cut and management STILL expecting the magazines to look good and draw advertisers. It was a sad day to see VW Trends get the axe. But I'm really glad and excited to see how the next generation of the magazine moves forward! Again, if you feel like you'd like to help, go to www.vwtrendsmagazine.com and see if you'd like to participate! Thanks again!

Tue Mar 23, 2021 3:04 pm

if they put them in the dollar tree for 1$ they would sell a lot more and save the magazine. also add a few coloring pages to each edition every month. :wink:

Tue Mar 23, 2021 8:23 pm

Ryan had me doing cartoons for the old Trends the last couple of years. It was fun, but I could feel the end coming as the magazine racks got smaller every month. Sounds like quite the leap of faith starting a print issue. Most of the world has the attention span of a tweet and thinking should be done by others.
I'm old enough to remember that magazine rack being the fuel that started a fire in our imaginations. Best of luck! :wink:

Wed Mar 24, 2021 9:04 am

I agree it was fuel for all of us. now it will just be ass wiping tissue when there all gone. it's been years since I have bought a new magizine. why? because I cant find any vw mags around hear. and Im smart enough not to pick up any hot rod mags.....for fanning the fire. I do still buy a few books.

Wed Mar 24, 2021 9:58 am

DanLeadbetter wrote: I heard stories of staff being cut in half,

:shock: somebody knows where the bodies are...

Wed Mar 24, 2021 11:17 am

finster wrote: DanLeadbetter wrote: I heard stories of staff being cut in half,

:shock: somebody knows where the bodies are...

Never join a club that would have me dismembered.

Wed Mar 24, 2021 11:59 am

Abscate wrote: finster wrote: DanLeadbetter wrote: I heard stories of staff being cut in half,

:shock: somebody knows where the bodies are...

Never join a club that would have me dismembered.

You bet your life!

Wed Mar 24, 2021 3:57 pm

Dear VW trends, go fuck yourself. You cheated me out of a two year subscription and sent me some fucking magazine I didn’t ask for then stopped that too. I’ll never buy your magazine, stick it where the sun don’t shine.

Wed Mar 24, 2021 8:19 pm

Zundfolge1432 wrote: Dear VW trends, go fuck yourself. You cheated me out of a two year subscription and sent me some fucking magazine I didn’t ask for then stopped that too. I’ll never buy your magazine, stick it where the sun don’t shine.

You mean you didn't like Sport Tuner?!?

At least they could've substituted European Car and used some unpublished air-cooled material for filler. I had let my European Car subscription lapse a few years prior, as I had absolutely no interest in overpriced, water-cooled sports sedans that were completely worthless when the third-world electronics crapped out in 8-10 years and parts were no longer available.

Dan was long gone by the time VW Trends went belly-up. I'd love to hear how he got the rights to the VW Trends name.