Industry Update: Interweave aquires Four New Magazine Titles

Yesterday, via Folio, we learned that Nielsen Business Media has sold four of its titles to Interweave, a unit of Aspire Media. As of yesterday, American Artist, Drawing, Watercolor, and Workshop magazines are all Interweave pubs, and while that may not seem like a big deal, it indicates a strength in the economy of crafting and creativity that is not being exhibited elsewhere in the magazine world.

Nielsen (gigantic! world power! Nielsen!) is shedding a few titles to Aspire, who predominantly publishes enthusiast titles. Enthusiast magazines (think, Dog Fancy or Hot Boats--the ads cater to the reader) typically weather economic downturns well, while regular old glossy magazines (think People, Life--the ads are for a more general audience) do not. Since acquiring Interweave in 2005, Aspire has increased the number of Interweave magazine titles from six to 21. Wowza! Aspire is on a mainline to craft city by creating a huge creative title catalog and clearly sees a huge potential for the genre. All of which is good news for crafters. Craft suppliers will continue to advertise. Project makers and pattern designers will continue to publish. And more importantly, Marimello will continue to have something to read on the train.