Reaching the print / digital tipping point

For some while at AP we’ve been sitting Canute-like at the edge of a riding tide of digital media, wondering how long it would be before the waves started lapping around our ankles. Just before we reach the point of having to wring out our socks, we’ve taken the bold decision to end the print version of ArtsProfessional.

Why now?
You are probably an arts professional yourself and are no doubt acutely aware of the turbulent environment facing the sector, so we hope very much that you will understand why we have taken this decision. A heady combination of the rapid trend towards digital consumption, the 24-hour online news culture, the sharp contraction of the cultural sector as public funding cuts start to bite, the squeezing of arts organisations’ budgets for ‘non-essential’ purchases and the rising costs of print and postage have conspired against the economics of print publishing. The print/digital tipping point is upon us and we can ignore it no longer.
 

What next?
Fortunately, while the tide has been coming in we have not been idle. We’ve been building a boat in the form of our brand new website at www.artsprofessional.co.uk – a process that has succeeded in transforming the magazine into a flexible user-friendly resource where you can instantly and easily access all the news and features that you have come to value in print. And the even better news is that this is all free of charge. It won’t cost anyone a bean – zilch… zippo… nada. No paywall, no subscription fee, just an open and accessible site where the arts community can gather. And if going to the website is inconvenient for you, you can sign up for a concise weekly digest of arts sector news and jobs direct to your inbox, and a weekly summary of the features, blogs and good reads that we think you’ll find both interesting and useful. What’s more, this is all free as well.

Can it get any better? …well, if you follow us on Twitter @ArtsPro, @ArtsJobFinder and @ArtsPro_Events, you can join around 27,000 people who pick it up there too. We’re leaving no stone un-turned to make sure that absolutely no one involved in the arts is excluded.
 

How will AP be funded?
You might think that we have suddenly had a grant-funding windfall to enable us to do this; but we haven’t. As ever, we remain staunchly independent, proud to stand up for what we believe in and unafraid to raise the issues that others can’t – or don’t. The truth is that we’re taking a risk, because from now on ArtsProfessional will survive or fall according to the value of advertising revenue it can generate. And this is where you can help.

We can hand-on-heart say to you that ArtsProfessional’s online recruitment advertising is second to none for the appointment of professionals to roles in the arts sector. So by placing your job vacancies with us, you win both ways – great candidates and a high quality news and editorial service that your new member of staff will really value when they start working for you. Could you mention this to whoever in your organisation is responsible for recruitment decisions? It helps us if they know about AP and how we can help them.

But maybe you don’t recruit staff, or do so very rarely. In that case you might be keen to promote a conference or an event that you’re involved with, or to raise the profile of your own products and services among arts professionals. We can help you with that, so please think of us whenever you need to make contact with the rest of the arts sector.
 

Last but not least…
We are conscious that we owe some subscribers some money. With the exception of those who pay by direct debit, subscribers pay for a full year’s subscription in advance and may still have outstanding months remaining. We want to make sure that no one is out of pocket, so we're offering full refunds to our print subscribers – a letter is on its way to them now. 

Thank you for reading ArtsProfessional. We hope you have enjoyed us in the print era, and will continue to enjoy us online, on email and on social media in the years to come.

Please keep in touch.