Requiem for a (Former) Heavyweight: Car Audio's last issue
Sure, it had a lot to do with me spending nearly half of my professional journalism career at the magazine, but it also signaled the end of an era.
The aftermarket car audio industry has been experiencing tough times lately. And so have magazines and print media as a whole. But these are just the latest squalls in what has been a perfect storm of factors that have led to the shuttering of what was once an industry-leading and trend-setting magazine, which at its peak in the mid-90s had a circulation of close to 150,000 and an annual directory issue that eclipsed 350 pages. Circulation dwindled to around 35,000 in recent years.
So what caused this and why, just as it was celebrating its 20th anniversary.? And does the car audio aftermarket face a similar fate?
Better Factory Systems: For decades, automakers couldn't or wouldn't compete with the aftermarket car audio industry. Even years after Bose entered the market in the mid 1980s and began to offer the first "premium" factory systems, it was a given that if you really cared about music and high-performance sound in a car, the first thing you did was at least yank out the stock radio and speakers and replaced them with higher quality aftermarket gear. And if you wanted more power, more bass, more features and better sound, the aftermarket was your only option.
Then Lexus introduced its first Mark Levinson sound system in late 2000. It was a watershed moment -- and the first time I thought, "Uh oh, the aftermarket better watch out." Since then the Levinson systems have only gotten better, and we've witnessed other prominent names from the high-end home audio enter the market: Bang & Olufsen (Audi), B&W (Jaguar), THX (Lincoln and BMW), Naim (Bentley) and now Lexicon (Hyundai). Can you still get better sound from the aftermarket? Sure. But do you still want to?
More Difficult to Upgrade: Which brings me to my next point. Fewer people are willing or even able to yank out their stock system and start from scratch than a decade or so ago ,since vehicles -- even on the low-end of the price range -- have become much more sophisticated. The electronics of many audio systems are intertwined with other functions of the car, such as climate controls, Bluetooth and the like. The last time I installed a large A/V system in one of my own cars -- a 2001 VW Passat wagon with dual headrest screens, DVD changer, dual amplifiers and an 8-inch subwoofer -- and brought it in for routine service, I had to take the aftermarket head unit out and temporarily replace it with the stock radio just so the dealer could read the diagnostic codes. My installer added a "pigtail" to the car's wiring so I wouldn't have to go through this hassle again, but it was still a huge pain. And it soured me on ever doing something like that again.
Lack of Enthusiasm: Which brings me to my next point. The decline of the car audio industry is also due to a general lack of enthusiasm among the core target market. Or to put it another way, the group of enthusiasts who created the aftermarket's boom years (no pun intended) have aged and have mortgages, kids, and not as much time to pursue the hobby. And there's not a generation behind them to fill the void. And while the younger generations like to cruise and crank it up, there are now so many more electronic toys to attract their discretionary dollars than there were 20 years ago: iPods, videogames, personal computers, etc. Plus, we've witnessed a shift in quantity of music over quality of sound with the dominance of the iPod. There are still plenty of car audio enthusiasts out there -- just not enough to support a magazine like Car Audio.
Does this also signal the end of the car audio aftermarket? Not exactly. The industry has always existed by providing products and features that the automakers can't and won't, and it's still much more nimble and can react more quickly to the fast-pace of consumer electronics than car companies. But that may also be changing.
Another watershed moment was when Ford Sync system hit the road last year. It was the first time ever that the aftermarket not only didn't
introduce such an important innovation, but it has yet to respond with something in
kind.
So while I'm sad to see Car Audio and Electronic magazine die, it's evolution. And there's never been a more exciting time in car technology than right now.
You just won't be reading about it in magazines.
- Posted by
- Doug Newcomb September 13, 2008, 9:00 AM
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- Car Audio and Electronics
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- Car Audio, Car Electronics
Hmmm, Doug, I think there's a lot of life left in the aftermarket industry. When I went to install my aftermarket stereo at Best Buy 2 years ago, the place was busy! And I still always hear loud stereos blarring away, and I'm sure those are not factory systems.
Not that I'm saying your article is wrong.....I'm just saying there's still some fun left in aftermarket.
I really hate the way manufacturers install factory systems these days.....I'm sure it's almost impossible to upgrade!
Coming to think of it, that must explain why Alpine has dropped the V12 amplifiers. I have one and they're fantastic!
The aftermarket will, of course, continue to exist, just not at the levels we've seen in the past, due to the factors described in the post. And from what I hear from aftermarket suppliers and shop owners, times are pretty tough right now ... and have been for a while.
But one thing I didn't mention in the post that keeps my faith in the aftermarket strong: installers. These unsung heroes of the aftermarket are the ones who always find a way to make a system sound, look and perform better than anything from the factory ... which is why the industry exists in the first place.
And for those who want the absolute ultimate in sound quality, the latest features and customization, the aftermarket is still the only alternative.