You may have noticed we’ve been quiet recently. This wasn’t a choice, but a symptom of a much wider reality of the music industry. Well, we have some good news.
As soon as we released Zine Issue 14 in May ’23, we started work on our next release. Getting the writers and our desired artists together, constructing the pieces and piecing the zine together was no different to previous editions, but the stumbling block came in securing an advertiser.
Since we launched in 2018, we have never made a penny from Secret Meeting, nor have we wanted to. We were – and still are – a collective of like-minded music fans who had a passion for using our writing to amplify artists that we love. Unfortunately, the rising costs of paper, printing and postage has made the securing of a paid advertiser an essential part of getting the zine to you. The subscription cost used to cover just the postage, but it doesn’t even do that now, and we never wanted to increase the price.
We were due to release Issue 15 back in October 2023, but were left facing the reality of being unable to partner with anyone to fulfill this vital role. With the pieces in place and the zine ready to go to print, we were unable to proceed because of this financial reality. This reality, of course, is a reality that faces so many people in the music industry, including the artists at the heart of it.
We are pleased to announce that Issue 15 is now with you in the form of a PDF. Once we accepted that we couldn’t place a paid ad on the back page, we decided to partner with SAMARITANS to help spread their mission through our zine. They are a wonderful charity who deserve everyone’s support in the vital work they do.
Timing wise, our cover artist, MJ LENDERMAN, is currently riding a wave after appearing on the brilliant new Waxahatchee album. Plus we have further features from one of our favourite acts ever – THE WALKMEN. And artists who put out two of the best releases last year, LAURA GROVES and LILTS.
TO ORDER A FREE COPY OF ZINE 15, PLEASE EMAIL US AT info@secretmeeting.co.uk – & we’ll get a PDF sent straight to you.
If you’d like to donate to help support us with future zines, it would be hugely appreciated!
The next piece of good news is that we are very close to securing an advert for Issue 16, which we hope will be hitting postboxes this summer.
The music industry is a tricky ecosystem, but we believe that music journalism has a vital role to play in its continuing evolution. We have put a lot of love into Issue 15, and look forward to returning to printed paper for Issue 16.
Thank you, as always,
Secret Meeting
