Crains reports that 525 US magazines went out of business last year and that so far in 2009 40 magazine titles have closed.
The terrain is not as harsh for magazine publishers here in Australia because of the newsagent network. In the US, most sales come through subscriptions whereas here in Australia, retail, newsagents especially, provide a cost-effective channel to market. I suspect, however, that the economic climate we are currently experiencing will see many Australian newsagents finally act on underperforming magaiznes.