Comments on: There is such a Thing as a Free Magazine

There is such a Thing as a Free Magazine

Carlos Quevedo — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 20:08:49 -0800

We Have ~~Cameras~~ Magazines: Why is Maxim offering a free, no-catches 2 years subscription to anyone who can be bothered to give them one of their spamsucker e-mail addresses? Hey, I hate Maxim but I'd take one if I lived in the U.S, if only to keep the postal service busy and ingratiate myself with my nephews. Will all magazines - at least the shittiest ones - be free in the future? Subscription rates, sales and advertising revenues keep falling and it seems the only bargaining chip magazines have left (to solicit advertisements) is circulation. And still new mags, like Radar, keep popping up. Good thing? Bad thing? You tell me.

By: Carlos Quevedo

Carlos Quevedo — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 20:23:45 -0800

And, while we're at it, here is Magazine City's fill-in form for other free subscriptions: "Please check off as many ~~or as few~~ magazines categories as may be of interest to you." ;)

By: Espoo2

Espoo2 — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 20:41:00 -0800

i'm scared.

By: skyscraper

skyscraper — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 20:42:00 -0800

But Carlos! It says right here (and I quote) "Your email address will not be given or sold to anyone"( including Maxim!!). So you don't have anything to worry about. I, for one, am signing up for Ferret magazine.

By: Espoo2

Espoo2 — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 20:47:18 -0800

I did get a free subscription to Tape Op magazine, a "creative music recording" publication. It's been great. They are still offering the free subscription, at the above link.

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 22:20:34 -0800

I get several trade magazines for free. You just typically have to certify (by your signature or your e-mail address that you're requesting them.

By: Blue Stone

Blue Stone — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 22:24:16 -0800

Give them a Spam Gourmet disposable e-mail address and it doesn't matter what they do with it. :)

By: Decypher

Decypher — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 22:35:29 -0800

I don't think I've paid for a magazine in over 3 years. Magazines normally give out tons of free subscriptions to boost their advertising revenues and brand name. This is one of many that you can get on the net.

By: QrysDonnell

QrysDonnell — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 22:56:16 -0800

Hmmm, looks like you can get Stuff and Field & Stream for free also. Too bad it's only soft-core porn they have.

By: dhoyt

dhoyt — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 22:59:19 -0800

Can anyone point me to the origin of the "We have cameras" joke? I kinda vaguely remember when someone first said it. /slight derail, sorry

By: normy

normy — Fri, 25 Apr 2003 23:30:13 -0800

Magazines normally give out tons of free subscriptions to boost their advertising revenues and brand name. There are several that I subscribed to at various times in the past who still keep sending magazines even though I haven't paid them anything in years. Frankly, I wish some of them would quit, even though they're free.

By: riffola

riffola — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:08:21 -0800

dhoyt, it's a classic NortonDC quote.

By: riviera

riviera — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 01:16:46 -0800

This is something that intrigues me, because the 'subscription' thing doesn't really translate to Britain. I buy a copy of Harper's in Borders, and see that I could subscribe to it in the US for two years for $24, saving, what, $118 from the cover price? By contrast, a foreign sub costs $41 per year, which is still a saving, but a very different deal. In Britain, most annual subs cost only a little less than the price of the year's issues: for instance, £92/$129 for 51 issues of the Economist, which saves around £1 per copy. I'm guessing that subscriber numbers really matter when it comes to US advertising sales. (The only notable discount sub I'm aware of in the UK is for Private Eye, which costs £19 per year, as opposed to £31.20 for 25 issues per year.) The cheapest deal I know of is a mate who has what's essentially a lifetime sub to the Onion, after alerting them to a piece that was plagiarised by Victor Lewis-Smith for the Eye's 'Funny Old World' section: his subscription label says that it's set to run out in 2140. As for Maxim: well, there are obviously other ways to pay for Felix Dennis's crack habit.

By: Espoo2

Espoo2 — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 02:58:12 -0800

dhoyt, it's a classic NortonDC quote. posted by riffola at 12:08 AM PST on April 26 I've seen it before, and in the original thread... but why is it funny? Is it a parody of something?

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 05:47:32 -0800

Read two comments up.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 06:38:46 -0800

Well, can't subscribe to anything now, the site is down.

By: G_Ask

G_Ask — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 08:22:25 -0800

You people just showed that you're willing to turn a blind eye when it is to your benefit. How does that make you any different from those you rail against? posted by marknau We have cameras. posted by NortonDC

By: Blue Stone

Blue Stone — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 10:08:44 -0800

Normy said, "There are several that I subscribed to at various times in the past who still keep sending magazines even though I haven't paid them anything in years. Frankly, I wish some of them would quit, even though they're free." If you don't like them, give them to a local dentist or doctor's surgery, or something, and give pepole something to take their minds off their hideous ailments and painful teeth. Anything other than 1972 copies of "Womens Circle" or "Family Choice," that can usually be found in such places, should do the trick.

By: Espoo2

Espoo2 — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 10:12:50 -0800

Hey PG, if you'll notice, I quoted the comment you told me to read... thus, the reason for my own post.

By: Zurishaddai

Zurishaddai — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 10:22:34 -0800

Also "free": Stuff (a little URL tinkering found only this other case of subscriber-desperation)

By: banished

banished — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 10:39:08 -0800

Will they charge you after two years though?

By: bargle

bargle — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 10:41:52 -0800

Here is the link to F&S: http://www.magazine-city.net/FieldStream/FieldStream.asp

By: Wood

Wood — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 11:07:56 -0800

Now THIS is what I read metafilter for. Seriously. Freefilter? Seriously, again.

By: fishfucker

fishfucker — Sat, 26 Apr 2003 12:20:10 -0800

Anything other than 1972 copies of "Womens Circle" or "Family Choice," that can usually be found in such places, should do the trick. and if you *do* have copies of 70s era Women's Circle, please get in touch with me. I collect these sort of things (I prefer late fifties through sixties editions, but anything pre-80s is usually damn good).

By: Cyrano

Cyrano — Sun, 27 Apr 2003 20:39:43 -0800

I like Maxim. Maxim has boobies. Boobies are good.

By: eas98

eas98 — Mon, 28 Apr 2003 07:59:21 -0800

Ok, I submitted with my fake name and fake phone number on the main 'Free Stuff' page. Now, how do I get that Hustler for free? :) Seriously, what now? All it did was say 'Thanks'.