Carol Beaugard has two interesting guests lined up for this morning’s (3/28) edition of Lonesome Rine RFD on WFDU-FM. Bluegrass Now publisher Wayne Bledsoe and jazz/bluegrass sax man Bill Evans are both scheduled for a visit.

Brance posted last week with the news that Bluegrass Now would cease print publication of the magazine after after the upcoming May issue, and Wayne will talk with Carol about their plans to continue publishing the magazine online. He’ll be on at 11:15 (EDT).

First up at 10:15 will be Bill Evans, whose Soulgrass project has been making waves in both the bluegrass and jazz music worlds. A number of bluegrass and acoustic artists have dabbled with jazzy hybrids, but Evans is the first to seriously combine bluegrass rhythms and instruments with a jazz ensemble. His recordings have featured the work of Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan and Jerry Douglas and he currently has banjoist Ryan Cavanaugh in his touring band, which occasionally features Sam Bush as well.

The show is broadcast from 9:00 a.m. to noon on 89.1 FM in the NYC area, and streamed live online at WFDU.fm.

We heard last week that bluegrass print magazine Bluegrass Now had made the decision to abandon the physical print format in favor of an online only distribution model.

The magazine has been in print for 18 years, having begun in 1990. The print edition has always been beautifully done with attractive graphics and nice glossy paper. Starting in May, you won’t be able to hold it in your had again. The May 2008 issue will be a landmark edition as the magazine ceases publication of the print edition entirely, and becomes totally electronic.

The press release describes a two year research effort prior to making this decision.

The decision comes after two years of researching marketing trends in the entertainment industry, amassing and studying data regarding the reading habits and preferences of consumers, consulting with a cross-section of major magazine publishers nationwide, and soliciting input from our current readership.

Although this decision was initially quite difficult for a retired academic who has lived by the printed word for more than half a century, I am truly excited about being in the vanguard of multimedia publishing in the bluegrass community.

The new, online only, Bluegrass Now should feel familiar to subscribers, as it retains all the elements of the print version: cover story, features, charts, reviews and regular columns. But the publishers plan to enhance the publication to take advantage of interactive features offered by the online presence.

…as readers explore the site, they’ll discover that our stories have been enhanced with audio and video clips. They’ll be able to hear samples of songs when they read reviews, and invited to contribute their own reviews if they desire. Readers will be invited to participate in our new “Fans’ Choice Music Chart,” as they cast a vote for their favorite song and artist of the month. All ads will carry hyperlinks for additional information and connection. Our readers will be delighted by virtual tours of festival sites around the world that explore what makes each festival a unique cultural experience.

Wayne Bledsoe, one of the publication’s editors, tells me that some of the content will be available free, to all who visit the site, while subscribers will have access to premium content. (more…)