The international “Bluegrass Unlimited” magazine has gotten quite the upgrade since a pair of Owensboro companies partnered to take over publishing — and both businesses expect to see a positive long-term impact on the local community.
The magazine is now under the aegis of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, with Owensboro-based design agency Tanner+West taking over all aspects of production, publishing and distribution.
“It really continues what the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum has started in connecting Owensboro to the bluegrass world,” said Jason Tanner, owner of Tanner+West. “This magazine really goes even further in that direction. That’s why we are so intentional about including Owensboro everywhere we can, even on the cover of the magazine.”
Chris Joslin, Executive Director of the Museum, said he’s excited to offer a new product that will continue to give bluegrass music — and Owensboro — a voice on a broader scale.
“We tell the story of bluegrass music and are constantly underscoring how it’s uniquely Kentucky, and the roots of the genre are here in Western Kentucky specifically,” he said. “The fact that there is a partner to work closely with here locally just really puntucates the fact that this Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum is here in Owensboro for a reason. It’s legitimate that it’s here in Owensboro instead of somewhere else.”
The partnership began in the early stages of the pandemic, when places like the Museum had to close their doors and cancel events — leading to large revenue losses.
“When the pandemic hit, at Tanner+West we made the decision that we were going to do things that weren’t conventional money-makers, but we were looking for ways that we could help other businesses,” Tanner said. “Not to gain anything from it, but we have the ability here and we can help other businesses.”
The Museum had some small video production needs, and the two organizations began to work together. They set a vision of growing an audience on a much larger scale.
During that time, Joslin reflected on Nashville’s Hatch Show Print — an iconic letterpress and print shop in the country music scene — and the opportunity the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum had to bring that business under their brand.
Joslin said it would be a great opportunity if something like that were to happen for the Museum. A week or two later, Bluegrass Unlimited called him and said they were looking to pass the baton. He immediately contacted Tanner+West.
“It perfectly fit with what we want to do and it perfectly fit with (Joslin’s) mission,” Tanner said. “It was an easy decision to say we wanted to be involved. That’s why we formed the partnership.”
Joslin added that it was a “byproduct of investing in this relationship. The timing of this was almost just uncanny.”
Much of the focus so far has been on upgrading the print magazine — and the first edition under new ownership started arriving in mailboxes today.
“We win awards every year in this region and even nationally for our design work. I think we have some of the most talented people working on it,” Tanner said.
But they are also very intentional about the content inside, not just the looks.
“We’re really working within the 54-year history of the magazine to determine what people really want to see and what’s interesting to them and making each issue have a purpose,” Tanner said.
Beyond the magazine, Tanner+West has also enhanced the online aspect of a subscription.
“You get the print magazine, but it unlocks a lot of things online,” Tanner said. “We’ve already started a podcast. We’ll have more content and directories online as we are able to build and launch a new website for the magazine. The magazine is just a really good way to get plugged into bluegrass.”
Next month’s issue will focus on the 75th anniversary of bluegrass music, paying homage to the people that started bluegrass music.
“Bluegrass Unlimited” will also have a new editor in Dan Miller. Miller ran “Flatpicking Guitar Magazine” from its inception in 1996 until it ceased publication at the end of 2016.
Speaking in August to BluegrassToday.com, Miller said a primary early goal for the magazine is to get readership and subscription rates back up to where they were a decade ago.
Anyone interested in subscribing can do so at bluegrassmusic.com.
Joslin said there are subscribers in all 50 U.S. states and several other countries.
“To have a worldwide destination for a genre of music that’s here for a reason, I think that’s a big deal,” he said. “This magazine gives us an opportunity to start that relationship with people who are really serious about bluegrass music all over the country.”
This is the 9th printed magazine title produced by the team at Tanner+West under the banner of Tanner Publishing Co. Tanner was humbled that a small company gets the opportunity to reach an international audience and connect them to Owensboro.
“For us it’s a pretty big deal,” he said. “It’s probably one of the farthest-reaching things that we do. Everything is done right here in Owensboro, and it goes all over the world to thousands and thousands of subscribers. It’s a very Owensboro-centric product.”
Tanner also said he hopes people in the community can take a step back to understand the significance of having the Museum in Owensboro.
“I think people see the (Museum) building downtown and don’t realize the impact that bluegrass music has and can have on our community,” he said. “I can’t think of a better return on investment than investing in our bluegrass roots.”
Joslin echoed those sentiments, saying he hopes the magazine leads to a positive impact locally by drawing in people from around the world who are interested in bluegrass.
“The end game and the long view is to start that relationship with folks so that they begin to engage practically, not just with content but with our community,” he said. “I think people here in this community need to understand that our goal is to have an impact on this community and let this be an economic driver for us.”
Tanner is also a co-owner of Owensboro Times.
