No Depression Magazine to Cease Publishing

Seattle-based music magazine No Depression will cease publishing after its May-June 2008 issue. No Depression is a bi-monthly print music magazine focusing on the umbrella of American roots music - covering artists as varied as Willie Nelson to The Shins.

The magazine has been offering their take on American music since 1995, when they published their first issue. In an open letter to their readers, the publishers of No Depression explain how they've come to their heart-breaking decision.

Barring the intercession of unknown angels, you hold in your hands the next-to-the-last edition of No Depression we will publish. It is difficult even to type those words, so please know that we have not come lightly to this decision. ...[The circumstances surrounding this decision] are both complicated and painfully simple. The simple answer is that advertising revenue in this issue is 64% of what it was for our March- April issue just two years ago. We expect that number to continue to decline. The longer answer involves not simply the well-documented and industry wide reduction in print advertising, but the precipitous fall of the music industry.

The magazine has plans to continue and expand their website, to continue providing their unique expertise on the music they cover and care so much about. The loss of No Depression is a loss to all music fans. The magazine has been a source of well written and researched features and reviews, featuring bands who are often ignored in the mainstream music press. Amidst all the trends and changes in music, No Depression remained true to what they felt most passionate about and never dumbed themselves down for wider readership. In a sound-clip driven society, they remained dedicated to long-form articles and thoughtful, nuanced criticism. They will be greatly missed.