Case Study: Modern Drummer Magazine achieves rapid digital subscription growth and a responsive web magazine with Leaky Paywall

How a drumming magazine leapt into digital subscriptions with resounding success

Modern Drummer, a 40-year print magazine for drummers, faced a fragmented and ineffective digital presence: a WordPress blog, podcast, PDF issues and an app all lived on different platforms, their best content was locked in non-searchable PDFs and flipbooks, and updates had to be pushed separately—making mobile, social sharing and scalable digital monetization nearly impossible without eroding print value.

ZEEN101 rebuilt Modern Drummer on a WordPress-based Anvil platform with IssueM for unified issues, a metered Leaky Paywall for previews and SEO-friendly access, UniPress apps for iOS/Android, and full third‑party integration and support. The result was rapid digital growth—subscriptions jumped from 0 to 900 in two weeks with continued double-digit daily gains—plus increased site traffic and social visibility and a responsive, cross‑device magazine experience.

Modern Drummer Magazine

Miguel Monroy

Digital Director