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State Magazine Issue One out now!

By on Wednesday, 5 March 200856 Comments | Print this post | Email
State Magazine Issue One out now!

The day has finally arrived. Issue One has left the State nest and flown around the country to as many shops, newsagents, petrol stations and magazine outlets as possible. We are very very proud to finally share it with you all.

Issue One might well contain:

  • Cover feature: Kara Manning face to face with Michael Stipe of REM in NYC.
  • Sinead Gleeson in conversation with Goldfrapp
  • John Walshe on The Jimmy Cake and Lightspeed Champion
  • Niall Byrne talking to Cadence Weapon and Adele
  • Phil Udell on Ham Sandwich and Stiff Little Fingers
  • Jeff Weiss in LA with Los Campesinos!
  • JJ Worrall on La Rocca

Sleeve face Stipe
The State staff get their Stipe Sleeve Face on…
It also includes an extensive review section, a look at the Irish electronic scene and a whole host of regular features that we don’t want to spoil for you until you feel the lovely matt-printed paper in your hands for yourselves. Go and grab a copy, then come back here to tell us what you think!

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  • http://www.gasun.net Enda Casey

    The Eagle Has Landed ….

  • http://www.bespokecommunications.ie Neil O’Gorman

    Best of luck, guys. Hope it goes well and that you stick around for a while. Could do with another music publication in Ireland. Look forward to seeing issue one!

    Neil

  • http://doss-spot.blogspot.com Joe

    Can’t find it anywhere which is either a very good sign for you all or a bad one – 3 newsagents and a tesco later and still no sign.

  • http://www.state.ie Niall

    It’s not in Tesco. Distribution is slow to get out for some reason. It should be in every Centra, Londis, Spar , newsagent by the afternoon.

    If not, ask behind the counter, as some shops have it but haven’t put it out yet.

    If anyone else has a problem getting their hands on a copy, do let us know, but they all should be on the shelves by tomorrow at the latest.

    There are copies in Tower at the moment for sure.

  • aims

    I just went looking for one in a Texaco garage, Eurospar & Fresh and none of them had it yet :(
    looking forward to reading it guys!!!

  • Barry

    just got a copy it looks very sweet i must say (nice review of billy bragg so u get my vote)

  • Matthew Kiely

    tried to news shops-no copy, was hoping to have browsed it before the launch in Tower today, but had to wait till then to pick up a copy, good launch enjoyed Ham Sandwich but they have to change the name I think (of the band)

    MK

    two pivo’s please John, Slavia Toh dah Ho

  • http://TheDeclineIrl.blogspot.com TheDecline

    Picked mine up today at the launch in Tower, a good read. The Free USB Key was a nice touch too, always handy to have one. Keep up the good work.

  • Damien

    Looks good lads. Hope you’re hear to stay for a while.

  • Roger

    Easons on O’Connell Street actually had it in stock yesterday!

  • http://www.myspace.com/lpxireland Leigh O’Gorman

    hey niall,
    anyway to subscribe to it – tis obviously not available over this way

  • Brian Chris

    Best of luck, shall pick it up this avo.
    Yaw.

  • http://tenacioustimothy.wordpress.com/ TenaciousT

    Hey Niall-
    Had a flick of the mag and like the feel and content. Very clear to read and like how the majority of the ads are confined to separate pages so you don’t have to read around them. Very good writing for the articles and reviews and as I said to you down in Tower- great job on the website!

  • JB

    Not available in Bon Espresso on Mount St either

  • JB

    That’s Mount St in Dublin incidentally

  • http://mp3hugger.com hugger

    Very best Niall and everyone else in the State gang.

    Will there be a subscription service?

  • Rachel

    Good luck, hope you kick Hot Press’s ass!! :)

  • http://welldonefillet.blogspot.com/2008/03/i-didnt-wash-today-i-may-not-wash.html Manuel

    best of luck with that n all………couldn’t find it in Belfast though today…..any ideas? Subscription service?

  • http://doss-spot.blogspot.com Joe

    Found it yesterday evening – really impressed with the layout, it’s very readable and as said before the ads are not intrusive. The content is good too, but just wondering if there is going to be a live review section or will that be limited to the site?

    And a subscription service would be nice!

  • Fergal

    Picked up a copy yesterday in Tower and am impressed with issue 1. It’s very well presented, put together extremely well and the writing is excellent. Initial thoughts indicate balance, no clutter (no ad explosions in sight) and very professional in it’s look, feel and opinions on all things musical. I look forward to Issue 2! Good luck and well done.

  • Roger

    Re. Belfast – there is distribution in the North, the shops are just a bit slow at putting mags out onto the shelves. Ask in the store and that might help.

    Re. Subs. We will have something on the site for physical subscriptions today or early next week. There’s also a digital subscription service running – link on front page.

  • flynnduism

    congrats, very i was very impressed!

  • Chris

    Looking forward to reading it. Looks great.

  • Anthony Byrne

    I have managed to purchase the first issue. My first reactions to it are that it is too expensive. €5.50 for 96 pages as against €3.50 for a much improved Hotpress with as far as I know more reading. Also Uncut magazine manages to include more reasing for I must admit a more expensive price.

    I also find the album reviews could be a bit longer and the rating system used is unclear. It is not clear from reading the reviews whether the reviewer recommends the album or not.

    Also the film and games reviews were I would consider a bit short. Also why an interview with REM/Michael Stipe when the Hotpress also included one in its most recent issue? Is there no one else to interview or feature? Prince springs to mind given the fact that his concert in Ireland was announced recently.

  • http://www.state.ie Niall

    Also why an interview with REM/Michael Stipe when the Hotpress also included one in its most recent issue? Is there no one else to interview or feature? Prince springs to mind given the fact that his concert in Ireland was announced recently.

    Our interview was conducted in late January. We can’t be held accountable for what other magazines choose to put on the cover obviously.

  • Anthony Byrne

    Niall,

    Why no comment or observations on the main argument of my comments namely the value and price of your magazine.

  • http://www.state.ie Niall

    OK…

    I have managed to purchase the first issue. My first reactions to it are that it is too expensive. €5.50 for 96 pages as against €3.50 for a much improved Hotpress with as far as I know more reading.

    Face to face international interviews and commissioned high quality photography will always cost more. Quality not quantity is the most important thing for State.

    I also find the album reviews could be a bit longer and the rating system used is unclear. It is not clear from reading the reviews whether the reviewer recommends the album or not.

    Fair enough. We may have a grid next month to make things clearer.

  • http://www.noclarity.co.uk Eddie

    Haven’t managed to find it in Belfast but looked in loads of shops; WH Smith, Reeds, Spar. I’m itching to read it, excited by the 10 page preview online. Will just have to be a bit more patient!

  • conehead

    Hey guys. Just wanted to wish ye all the best. Like the format. 1st issue is pretty tight. All the best.

  • http://toofamoustogetfullydressed.blogspot.com/ Dave

    Also why an interview with REM/Michael Stipe when the Hotpress also included one in its most recent issue?
    Rumour has it that question might be better directed towards the Hot Press editors.

    I haven’t been able to find the magazine anywhere in sunny Dublin 14. Tonnes of issues of Hot Press everywhere though, as well as adverts in every newsagent’s window in town; they’re really pulling it out this week.

  • http://hifipopcorn.blogspot.com Bobby

    st8 rox!

  • http://hifipopcorn.blogspot.com Bobby

    i mean

    st8 is gr8!

  • Gordon

    Best of Luck, preview looks great. Will pick it up tomorrow hopefully.

  • Roger

    If you have trouble finding it in a shop just ask for it, it has been delivered everywhere but it takes some work to get the shop-keepers to actually put in on the shelf.

    State will be in promotional stands in 60 Easons stores around the country from Monday and it already is in Hughes & Hughes in the airports.

  • http://www.RCNPhotos.com Ryan

    Robbed a copy of someone in college when they left it in the darkroom haha. Loved it. So nice to see another music publication here at last since the death of the short lived NME Ireland. Love the whole feel of the mag too with the hard spine. Really nice all round.

  • Josh

    I think it’s great there’s no clear out-of-ten review system, makes you actually read it, €5.50 is kind of expensive alright, but I would pay it above HP…got it no problem in Galway.

  • Padraic

    All good so far. Definitely a good range of features, bands i know,dont know and so forth. Love the font adn general lay-out-y business

    Trying to get my head around the reviews though. Ratings need a bit of clearing up

    On a negative side, for a guy who i really like as a dj, i though dan hegarty’s piece was crap. Same old, same old labels/myspace/blah stuff

  • http://thewarehouselife.blogspot.com Kevin

    Picked up a copy of the magazine today. It looks great – nice balance between the graphics and the text – and at first glance has some really interesting articles. Re the rating system – I actually thought it was really refreshing to not have a star system at the bottom. Why not go with the strength of your convictions and leave them out altogether so we can make our own minds up on the strength of the review. Best of luck with for the future.

  • Matthieu

    It’s like a local derby between Hotpress and State, although I reckon State might actually have a slightly different market.

    Fascinated as to how it’s all going to pan out and hope that State pulls through – there really needs to be an alternative to Hotpress. It’s run by a sanctimonious old git and the reviewers are so up their own bottoms that a colonscopy is clearly required.

  • http://www.state.ie Phil

    Thanks for your comments people, both positive and otherwise. Just to let you know that we’ll have our subscription system up and running early next week, plus a detailed list of outlets. As for HP, this really isn’t an us and them situation – just two different titles in one, admittedly small, market. Anyway, here’s hoping we can both keep each other on our toes.

  • http://mp3hugger.com hugger

    No else has mentioned it yet but I think State is the best smelling magazine I’ve ever smelt. Must have a looked a bit odd on the Luas as I sniffed away, will be putting it in a brown Easons bag from now on.

  • Padraic

    Meant to mention the smell! it’s amazing

  • Chris

    I walked in the doors of Tower Records and before I seen the magazing I could smell it, man. And I have the sniffles!

    Yeah, State has a different market to Hotpress. I was never really fond of Hotpress. State comes at a perfect time for me. I enjoyed the Lightspeed Champion article.

    Keep up the good work.

  • Killian

    Really great layout and the price is fine,pretty much average or cheaper than most other magazines of similar size and type.A half decent ratings sysytem would be good but the quality of reviews was excellent so you dont need a score out of ten to encourage or discourage a purchase.
    Seems as you have Jenna Wolf writing a piece any chance in some future issues of syndicating Matt Lauer,his pieces on music and politics are always worth reading.
    Any sport or comedy pieces going to be part of future issues.
    Keep up the good work.

  • http://www.myspace.com/nippons cash

    tried to buy it in eason busaras yesterday before i got the bus home, but it wasn’t on the shelf….

  • mike

    Picked up a copy of State in Easons with the intention of buying it. After looking through what you covered in your first issue, I didn’t..

    Like the design, nice and clean. Could be a bit more adventurous though to be honest, it looks like a less interesting foggy notions. With regard to subject, I’m really not sure what your trying to do… It’s far too close to Hotpress’ output. Ham sambo?, Adele?, R.E.M. ?, I thought you guys were tyring to be different? The price too.. over a fiver? For a wee bit more, foggy notions were giving away a free cd.

    I’m still going to buy a copy though, with the hope that you can produce something better in the future..

  • http://www.state.ie Niall

    Hey Everyone,

    You can now buy a print subscription to State Magazine:

    http://www.state.ie/blog/print-subscriptions/

    Thanks

  • http://thetorturegarden.blogspot.com shane

    yeah, it has to be said, it smells pretty good.
    nice articles all round, too.

  • http://www.kilkennymusic.com Ken McGuire

    Finally found a copy in Kilkenny yesterday afternoon. The Book Centre said “come back during the week” when I queried the 23 copies they ordered but hadn’t hit the shelves, the Kilkenny book shop had zero copies but Happy Times newsagent had a pair on the shelf for me :)

    Enjoying the first read of the magazine, plenty to flick through, good open writing, nice to handle and hold, very clean on the design front.

    Glad there’s a print-sub option now, I’ll be splashing for it to save my trek around KK’s shops.

  • Liamóg

    “Face to face international interviews and commissioned high quality photography will always cost more. Quality not quantity is the most important thing for State.”

    Indeed, why shouldn’t the punter pay top dollar to subsidise a jet-set lifestyle for your writers.. Or are these international face to face interviews conducted by people from outside Ireland, in which case are you even an Irish publication?
    Also, are you implying that you had to pay michael stipe in order to interview him?

  • http://www.state.ie Niall

    Indeed, why shouldn’t the punter pay top dollar to subsidise a jet-set lifestyle for your writers.. Or are these international face to face interviews conducted by people from outside Ireland, in which case are you even an Irish publication?

    International pieces are largely commissioned to writers in the place of the interview if possible. We are an Irish publication with a team of mainly Irish and some international writers.

    Also, are you implying that you had to pay michael stipe in order to interview him?

    Obviously not.

  • http://www.beastie100.hypermart.net Ciaran

    Excellent magazine Niall and co. I’ll Definatley be hooking up a Subscription to it, It looks and reads brilliantly. Was great to see a Studio 60 Review and the Cadence Weapon Interview was super. Really looking forward to The Next Issue!

    Nice one lads

    Ciaran

  • Captain Smiggy

    Hmmmmm, appears to have the same cover as HotPress? Wait, it’s just a little similar, it’s still good, it’s still good.

    No sign of politics or self-righteous preaching invading a magazine I really hoped was just about music! Rough around the edges but tight articles! Lengthy reviews that aren’t overly wordy! Truly fantastic smell! Finally, but most importantly, decent quality paper! RESULT(or possibly results?)!

    J’approve

  • http://mp3hugger.com hugger

    Niall, since most of us are web based will there be a digital subscription option? Might be a neat angle.

  • http://www.state.ie Niall
  • Zane

    Its days like these i wish State Magazine was still around.

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