According to an article in Audience Development… http://www.audiencedevelopment.com/2012/consumer+magazines+see+disappointing+second+half+2011

…single copy sales were down 10% compared to the same period last year.  Some of the more notable declines featured in this link include:

• Oprah…down 32%
• Taste of Home… down 29%
• Martha Stewart Living…down 17%
• Fortune…down 17%
• Economist…down 13%

A quick scan of the Fas Fax Report also reveals a staggering list of losses for many top U.S. brands (stop reading now if you are easily horrified):

• American Photo -33%
• Better Hones & Gardens  -12%
• Boston -22%
• Brides -26%
• Chicago  -19%
• Cosmoploitan -7%
• Discover -20%
• Ebony -18%
• Elle -18%
• ESPN -39%
• Esquire -17%
• Field & Stream -8%
• Fine Cooking -14%
• Fine Gardening -5%
• Fine Woodworking -17%
• Fly Fisherman -21%
• Four Wheeler -7%
• Glamour -10%
• Golf Digest -11%
• Good Housekeeping -15%
• GQ -14%
• Harper’s -28%
• In Style -14%
• More -18%
• OK -28%
• Parenting -19%
• Parents -18%
• Philadelphia -15%
• Redbook -20%
• Road & Track -16%
• RollingStone -18%
• Sail -21%
• Saling World -19%
• Scientific American -16%
• Shape -30%
• Ski -29%
• Sky & Telescope  -13%
• Texas Monthly -12%
• US Weekly -10%
• Vanity Fair -20%
• Wired -31%

Here in Canada, the news is more positive. Overall, single copy sales are down a smidge over 4% on ABC-audited titles…much better than the average 10% loss reported in the U.S.

Notable Canadian brands posting significant gains include:

• BC Outdoors Sport Fishing +43%
• Bel Age +30%
• Best Health +21%
• Canada’s History +11%
• Chatelaine +32%
• Cool +21%
• Elle Canada +38%
• Flare +13%
• Hockey News +4%
• L’Actualite +47%
• Lou Lou +15%
• Maclean’s +77%
• Our Canada +13%
• Today’s Parent +6%

On the flip side some notable brands posting declining newsstand sales included:

• 7 Jours -22%
• Canadian Art -33%
• Canadian Business -22%
• Canadian Gardening -16%
• Canadian Geographic -27%
• Chez Soi -38%
• Clin D’Oeil -37%
• Fashion -14%
• Les Idees De Ma Maison -26%
• Le Lundi -18%
• Les Affaires -15%
• Moi & Cie -15%
• Money Sense -31%
• More -23%
• Pacific Yachting -14%
• Renovation Bricolage -18%
• Toronto Life -16%

Keep in mind that many magazines, both here and in the U.S., did post gains with SIP’s, which helps offset some of these numbers.  Also, some titles had outstanding sales in the same period of the prior year, which makes it tougher to repeat.