Bluegrass Now

Bluegrass Now, which has been published since December 1990, will be just another chapter in the bluegrass history book at year’s end.

The publication, which in May stopped its print edition and went to an online-only product, has announced it will cease that effort with December’s edition.

The announcement is being given via e-mail to online subscribers by publishers Wayne and Deb Bledsoe. The announcement is also available on the e-zine’s Web site at http://www.bluegrassnow.com/article.php?id=208.

BluegrassNow began publication at the end of 1990 with a stated commitment “to provide fans and bluegrass industry leaders with a publication whose content and graphic appearance would reflect the high level of professionalism that was carrying our music to new levels of popularity.”

According to the Bledsoes, “Although Bluegrass Now has avoided the magnitude of problems afflicting the major publishers, the economic downturn has impacted us in a variety of ways. After prolonged deliberations, we have decided that rather than compromise the integrity and quality of the magazine, which we have sought to maintain since its inception in 1990, we will cease publication at the end of this year.”

“Deb and I have enjoyed tremendously our 18-year run with Bluegrass Now. We sincerely hope that the magazine has been instrumental in helping to advance the industry, because it has brought us priceless friendships with a multitude of fans, artists and industry leaders. I find it especially gratifying that a significant number of our writers and technical staff has been with us from the beginning and there is no way to thank these people for their support and unwavering confidence.”

But don’t count the couple out of the bluegrass circle. They say they will remain and be viable forces in the industry.

“While the time has come to cease publication, we are not ending our association with bluegrass,” Wayne Bledsoe wrote. “We will continue to be active members of the International Bluegrass Music Association. I will continue to produce and host three bluegrass radio programs for the University of Missouri (KMST-FM), and will also continue my emcee duties at various festivals. Make no mistake about it, however: our main focus, beginning in 2009, will be to experience the joys of retirement, particularly the increased time with our grandkids.”

And, this note, aimed at Bluegrass Now’s subscribers: “”If you’re a subscriber, you’ll be hearing from us by e-mail regarding our obligation to you; we appreciate your patience as we sort everything out, and work to close up shop.”

Caroline Wright, the magazine’s editor, said she understands the Bedsloes’ decision, but is nonetheless saddened by the final chapter.

“I understand the Bledsoes’ inevitable decision to end their magazine’s 18-year run,” she wrote in a farewell column on the Web site. “They put together a complete issue every month for almost twenty years, and then, in just a few years, came a crushing host of new developments for the periodicals industry: sharply rising paper and postage costs, the booming popularity of Web-based content, and the faltering American economy. Practically speaking, I completely understand and support the decision, but that doesn’t make it any easier to accept it.”

I have loved Bluegrass Now for years, and have never been more honored to work for a publication.