That always used to sound like a coping mechanism, but the world has changed. Pop and rock music is no longer exclusively youth‑focused. In 2025, the average Sound On Sound reader is as likely to be figuring out how to spend their retirement as they are to be entering college.
The economics of the music industry are very different now to how they were in 1985, especially at the high end. Today, it’s not only commercial studios who are buying analogue synths and boutique compressors. It’s people who have done well for themselves and want to take their passion for music seriously. That is a market that manufacturers and magazines alike ignore at their peril.
Meanwhile, young musicians face issues that weren’t around when this magazine started. Live venues are closing down, and high ticket prices are freezing out younger audiences. AI music is a growing threat, while streaming services make the major labels of old look like charities. It’s harder than ever for young musicians to make a living. But if music becomes purely a pastime for the middle‑aged, it will eventually die.
That’s why I resist the idea that SOS should be the synth equivalent of Classic Rock magazine. We have to be here for those creating for the future, as well as those who love the music of the past. We must cater to everyone who’s serious about recording and electronic music now, be they a hedge fund manager living the dream or a teenager who dreams of scoring the next Bond movie.
To my mind, reading SOS should be like hiring a producer with a 40‑year track record. Producers aren’t employed to make the same record over and over again. Their function is to draw on what they’ve learned in the past to make each new project as good as it can be. Theirs is the voice of experience, not the voice of nostalgia. It’s a voice that informs, encourages, enlightens, entertains and, where necessary, challenges. And that’s how I see Sound On Sound.
No matter if your studio is in a wing of your mansion or a corner of your bedroom, Sound On Sound will always be by your side — and on your side.
Since 1985, we’ve witnessed great upheaval in music, publishing and society as a whole. The SOS team has lived through and learned from all of these changes. The magazine you read today distils 40 years’ collective wisdom from countless talented people. But it’s always directed at helping you take your next step forward, whether that means choosing a new piece of kit or learning a new technique. No matter if your studio is in a wing of your mansion or a corner of your bedroom, Sound On Sound will always be by your side — and on your side.
Here’s to the next 40 years. And life.
Sam Inglis Editor In Chief