In a rare venture into contract publishing, BBC Worldwide has
produced a commemorative magazine for the opening of the new Royal Opera
House.
The publisher hopes to sell 70,000 copies of the magazine, priced at
pounds 4.50. The 100-page special has been produced by the BBC Music
editorial team with advertising sold by sales house, Bluebird Media. The
34 ad pages include opera supporters and high net worth advertisers such
as Coutts, PowerGen, SmithKline Beecham, HSBC, Gold Coin Joailliers,
Astra Marketing and Prudential.
Commenting on the decision to use a sales house, deputy editor Jonathan
Gifford said: ’The advertising for BBC Music is very different and is
much more focused on the music industry, such as labels and new
releases, and this one-off might have stretched the ad sales team too
much.’
The premium cover price reflects the high production costs and the fact
that as many as 30,000 copies are to be given away to people who attend
Royal Opera House performances in December. The retail copies will be
sold through the newstrade as well as HMV, Tower and Virgin outlets.
