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To do: Save Punk Planet

Joe Uchill | 7/07/2006 10:59 am | ...

For almost fifteen years, Punk Planet magazine has been a leading voice in the underground rock community. But that legacy almost came to a close ten months ago when their distributor declared itself unable to pay the magazine revenue from newsstand sales. Cheated out of a critical source of income, Punk Planet put out a call for help to its readers. In Madison, Crustacean Records co-owner Jake Shut has taken up the cause.

Shut has organized a massive benefit concert for the ailing publication that will take place at the High Noon Saloon this Sunday. Through his work with his independent label, Shut has seen firsthand why magazines like Punk Planet are important.

"There are three main music outlets who have reasonable ad rates for independent labels and make the review section easy for grassroots organizations to get press without hiring a multi-thousand-dollar publicist: Punk Planet, Maximum Rock'n'Roll and Razorcake," Shut said.

Punk Planet's devotion to giving small companies space goes beyond content choices and keeping advertisements affordable. They refuse to take ads from major labels, making the distributor's role in the success of the magazine that much more important. Associate Publisher Anne Elizabeth Moore estimates that a full 70% of the magazine's budget comes from newsstands.

So it came as a shock for Punk Planet to find that their distributor, Big Top (which has since changed its name to Indy Press Newsstand Services), would not be sending a check. As a stop-gap fundraiser they put a notice in their next issue asking readers to buy back-issues and tee-shirts

"Immediately, our readers jumped in and were really, really helpful," said Moore. "Unfortunately, at the time, we thought our distribution problems would only last for a couple of months. Our distributor was telling us that it should be resolved very soon. And it turns out not to be resolved today. We've still only seen about a fifth of the money they owe us."

Soon, readers escalated their efforts to help, throwing benefit concerts in Chicago, then Milwaukee and now in Madison.

Though they've begun the hunt for a new distributor, they likely won't receive the money from their current issues for quite a while. Payment is based on the number of issues that sell from newsstands - a number which is calculated by the number of issues newsstands return. The magazines Punk Planet puts out today will generate income only after a few months.

Despite the crunch lasting nearly a year, Punk Planet's staff has had no turnover. The publication has continued as a labor of love - although the staff wouldn't be averse to being fully paid again.

"Our staff is ridiculously dedicated," Moore said. "Still, we can't wait for this show."

The Madison benefit features eight acts, representing punk styles ranging from the most hardcore to the most melodic. Likewise, the concert features acts from a bevy of Wisconson's labels (and not solely Shut's Crustacean). Instead of tying the benefit to a consistent genre or his business interest, Shut actively decided to focus the event on the breadth of music Punk Planet encompasses.

"I wanted to make the show about the magazine," he said

Support has come not only from musicians, labels and fans, but from other media as well. Madison-based radio station WORT is helping Shut promote the show.

"As the big music labels put out albums on labels with names that look independent, and get them reviewed by magazines like Spin (which is owned by Hartle Media) or coreweekly (which was owned by the Wisconsin State journal), Punk Planet is a completely independent music 'zine. We definitely have an affinity for anything like that," said Sybil Augustine, music director for WORT.

Moore is appreciative of all this help - she's even attended every benefit show thus far. But she assures her supporters that as dark as it seems, things are looking up. Moore is certain that the magazine will live through the current crisis.

"It's dire financially, but financial reasons are not the reasons we make Punk Planet," Moore said. "It's about community and about giving a voice to the underground. Those things are going to continue."

On the web:

What: Punk Planet Benefit featuring Merrick, Modern Machines, Murder of Crows, The Wake, The Gusto, The Takebacks, Clamorous and 24 Inch Pythons

When: Sunday. July 9 at 5:00 pm

Where: High Noon Saloon

How Much: $5-$20 donation

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