For some reason I decided I should publish a zine about 8bit music. I'm not entirely sure why I decided to do this, but here I am.
There are some simple questions you are probably asking yourself that I am also asking myself, so let's answer them together.
Q: Will Raised by Gypsies still review/interview/etc. 8bit?
A: Absolutely. This will just be a bit more about it and dedicated solely to it. In no way is this saying "Such and such isn't good enough for RBG, but he can go here" because I'd honestly like to have some people crossover into both just to give them that added exposure they deserve. For the cover story and a running review for each issue, I was considering asking an 8bit musician who has actually already been interviewed for RBG.
Q: Will you be the only one writing about the music and contributing to this published zine?
A: Probably, but if anyone else is interested in helping out shoot me an email.
Q: Why the name?
A: It seems positive and one of the things I always remembered best about playing the original NES was mashing buttons to try and get the little guy to get back on the bike faster in Excitebike.
Q: How often will this zine be published?
A: I'm going to start by looking at some of the most influential albums within the 8bit and seapunk universe, then write about them and see where we go from there. If enough music comes out (and it has been) this could become a regular thing, but I just want to do the first issue then see how long it takes until the second develops. Time won't allow me to do this monthly unless I get *a lot* of very good help. But I'd like to ultimately have 4 to 6 issues per year, if we can really get this thing up and running, which of course I believe we can or I wouldn't have started it.
Q: How many pages will this zine be?
A: It depends upon the content. I have to see how much I can get, but it's not going to be over 100 pages by any means. Something in double digits for sure. I'll just have to see based on the first issue and what I can put into it.
Q: How will people be able to get this zine? What will it cost?
A: It will be available through a number of websites as well as probably on our Etsy, but it won't ever make it to "mass retail" in the sense of Barnes and Noble or anything because I really don't want to be bothered by such things. If it ever does get that big, it will be because of someone else's efforts, not mine, haha.
As far as cost, I would love to print the first issue and mail it out to those interested for free. But I have no idea how many people would want one, so I'd have to do a limited run and see what was within my budget at the time. Ultimately (and through the learning experience of the first issue being free) I'd love to have some advertisers support me so it can stay free always. I believe in free media for sure. Why would anyone pay $10 for a magazine full of information they could read online for free?
That's all I can think of right now. I will be back when I have some more progress made.
