Ten years!
This issue marks issue number 120. That’s 120 months of The Marquee, or ten trips around the sun.
This is the longest I’ve done anything, except maybe love music.
I’ve known my wife for less time. I once had a dog that lived to be 14 years old, but I adopted him when he was four — so it even beats that.
In addition to the baffling length of time we’ve been around, even more amazing is that our existence today, statistically speaking, is pretty much the equivalent of hitting the Powerball. A recent study found a 90 percent overall failure rate of magazines launched between 1985 and 2003, with a 50 percent failure for new launches within the first year.
There’s been a whole lot of luck bestowed upon us, as well as a ton of hard work given back, and of course some good, old-fashioned stubbornness cloaked as perseverance.
That stubbornness didn’t come blindly, though. It came from the fact that we believed in what we’re doing here. We believed it back when we started and we believe it even more so today. We’re not the biggest publication in the area, not by a lot, but we’re real and we’re honest and our unwavering dedication to our readers, the bands we cover, and the music scene as a whole is an enormous part of why we’re here.
But we’re here mostly because of our readers. You guys are the ones who read us and buy a ticket to that show, or visit local venues — particularly the ones that can’t afford to advertise with the “big boys.” You support the businesses that support us and that is what allows this whole circle to keep going around.
To me, it’s a testament that we’re not all going mushy in the brain. You’ve proven to us that people will still stop long enough to read an entire feature that actually has substance. You don’t just care about Top 10 lists and frat boy humor, you also want to know the real scoop behind the acts that you’re going to see. It warms our hearts, and gives us hope that we’re not a doomed society.
We’re planning a couple of grand parties to commemorate this event, but due to some contractual obligations of the bands, we can’t announce just yet who is going to play. As soon as we’re allowed, we’ll scream it from the mountaintops.
I’ll be gushing from this soap box over the next several months, with more acknowledgements and thanks and details as we begin a roll-out of sorts for our celebrations.
Thank you!
See you at the shows.
