These are perilous times for many industries, but especially for entertainment based ones. Not only are shows no longer taking place, but no one knows when shows will be able to return or even if audiences will be there when they do. New Jersey Stage is hurting as much as artists and art organizations are, but we know we only exist because you do. So we are offering up to 25 free full-page ads in our monthly magazine to help out.
The ads can be used to promote whatever you wish and are entirely free. We see them as a great place to reach out to the New Jersey community for donations, sponsorships, or to promote items they may purchase. Even non-arts related businesses can register for an ad. We know they are struggling as well.
There’s no catch, but there is a deadline. You must register online by Friday, April 17th at 5:00pm. Think of it as a 60-hour flash sale. The form only asks for your name, email, and URL.
If you miss out this time, we will likely run it again next month.
This is not a time to charge advertisers in my opinion. The core of New Jersey Stage advertisers are venues, theatre companies, orchestras, and artists. All are struggling without the ability to earn revenue from shows. And, without their shows to promote, we have less and less to write about.
For the first time since launching the monthly digital magazine five years ago, we are actually debating whether or not the magazine should continue. Our last issue was largely non-event driven features as is our upcoming issue. We can do this for a while, but it not only changes the feel of the magazine, it makes it harder and harder to produce. If you’re struggling for content or forcing yourself to write about something, it shows in the end result.
We miss talking with musicians about record release shows, theatres producing World Premiere plays, and creating previews of film festivals. Our theatre preview section alone has been providing information on roughly thirty plays a month.
New Jersey Stage has had arguably the largest audience for an arts & entertainment specific site in New Jersey over the past few years. We did this by focusing on all of the arts instead of simply the major stars. Our audience has grown year by year with solid readership for every genre. In fact, our most shared article of all time was a preview of a dance performance. We’re very proud of that. We’re not just a music site or just a theatre site, we’re the site that covers the arts from the smallest venues in the state to the largest; from professional theatres down to high school theatre groups; and from artists in any genre with fanbases of any size. Instead of being celebrity-driven, we are driven to help artists become celebrities.
The offer for free ads also includes free ad design if needed. We regularly create ads for 5-10 advertisers per month. A proof of the ad will be sent in advance for approval. All ads are full-color and include links back to your website and/or social media pages.
Since our first issue we have believed that digital magazines were perfect for the arts. The medium allows us to make the arts come alive with audio, video, and photo slideshows. We are able to include color on any page, embed complete movies, and be read anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice!
We never see digital as a step down from print, but as a step beyond.
One thing the pandemic has shown us is that arts & entertainment is not just a big part of our lives, but an important part. People cannot wait for sports to come back and to be able to see shows in person again. When they do, New Jersey Stage will once again offer previews, artist interviews, and reviews of the events. We hope the free ads might help some get through to that day.
