Michael Brooke, skating in Austria.

It’s no news that the health of the longboard skate market continues to thrive. But if any validation was still needed, the market got it in spades when Billabong announced earlier this summer that it had acquired longtime longboard skate market leader Sector 9 for an undisclosed price.

Perhaps no one watches this niche portion of the skate market closer than Michael Brooke. As owner, publisher, and founder of Concrete Wave skateboard magazine, Brooke has been a longtime advocate of all forms of skateboarding—even when that wasn’t the “cool” thing to do.

It’s a strategy that appears to be paying off. With thicker issues and steady, incremental improvements in production quality, Concrete Wave has become a distinct voice in a market saturated with magazines and web sites clamoring for attention. The fact that Brooke has found success by shining the spotlight on often-neglected portions of the market makes his story all the more interesting. So what’s his take on where the market goes from here? Surfexpo.com caught up with him recently to find out:

Brooke (in yellow) at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich with Concrete Wave's northern correspondent, Markus Suchaneck.

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Surf Expo: Does Billabong buying Sector 9 make you feel at all vindicated? After all, you were telling the world about longboard skateboarding and its popularity long before some people seemed to be ready to listen.
Michael Brooke: I think it’s an amazing thing that’s happened. Sector 9 has put an enormous amount of hard work over the years. This is a tremendous accomplishment.

But I don’t think the word to use is vindicated. I guess I feel validated. I always felt that there was something remarkable about longboarding—and I sense this is just the beginning.

What is the health of the "niche" skateboarding market now? Are these markets more recession proof than others or are retailers pulling in the reins?
I would say the overall health of the niche skate market is very good indeed. There are a tremendous number of excellent products. The ingenuity and creativity that I find astounds me on a daily basis. I would say customers are spoiled for choice—as evidence I would point to our 2008 buyers guide which hit over 160 different skate companies.

I think the reality is that a lot of niche skate companies tend to keep a lower overhead. The emphasis is on building and investing in exceptional products, rather than spending a bucket load on marketing average/mass-market products. The fact is that street hardgoods are pretty much a commodity. While there are pockets of ingenuity, the fact remains that most skate shops don’t have much of a margin left.

All that changes with niche products. In fact, not only can retailers make more money, they can sell to folks they never would have sold to before. When you combine good margins with new/growing markets you can at least dampen some of the affects of the downturn/recession.

What’s your guestimate on the number of retail doors selling real longboarding and other niche products?
I would suggest there are about 1,500 to 1,800 retailers who are selling longboards and other niche products.

If you go to Yellow Pages, you’ll find about 2,100 skate shops and about 1,550 surf shops—so I’d say we’re in about 50 percent of all skate/surf retailers. This means there is a vast opportunity. Again, I want to reiterate, this is merely the beginning. I see huge potential.

With 160 companies involved in your buyer’s guide, it does sound like a lot of choice for consumers. Does that great number of companies involved in the market translate over to the health of Concrete Wave as well?
Concrete Wave took the stance that we’d focus on the act of skateboarding, rather than the fashion of skateboarding. This is nothing against all those great shoe and clothing companies. Hell, they keep the lights on for retailers worldwide. We’ve always believed in supporting all types of skaters and all types of skate companies. In the marketplace of ideas, and with so much choice, only the very best companies will thrive.

I am fully aware that Concrete Wave presents a very different view than what the other magazines present. This differentiation has meant that the magazine has not only survived, but thrived. Then again, a large number of skaters are puzzled by what Concrete Wave showcases. We may or may not acquire them as readers. I don’t lose sleep over this. I just keep trying to figure out ways to stoke the hell out of the audience—both readers and advertisers—that do enjoy CW.

It can’t be an easy time for traditional skate media these days. I found the news that Slap was going all digital very interesting. What’s the view look like from your chair?
I’ll admit I am one of the many thousands who lurk over there, but never post. Well, I posted once and got “slapped” pretty hard. What Slap has accomplished with their message boards is remarkable. The discussion ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous to the insane…but I find it truly entertaining.

Slap is not the first skate magazine to move to 100 percent digital. Naphte, a skate mag based in Quebec, Canada did this a while back.

The truth is that if you’re a magazine publisher and you see yourself in the business of providing information, you might find that the Internet will come to bite you hard in the butt. There is more written on skateboarding in one day on the Web than I could publish in a decade’s worth of the magazine. This is why I don’t feel Concrete Wave is in the business of providing merely information. We are about building a community, about fostering change within skateboarding and connecting skaters, shops and companies worldwide. It’s an enormous task, but it’s why I believe in the power of print.

The printed page is still something exciting—for a number of reasons. We’ve made the magazine so incredibly focused that readers tell me that they consider the ads like editorial.

Print, by the very fact that it requires a huge amount of capital, echoes back to the concept of “the medium is the message.” Think of it this way: in North America there are about sixteen skate magazines that are physically printed. Now with Slap going 100 percent digital, we have one less. If you Google “skateboarding” you’ll wind up with 30 million pages. Even one percent of 30 million is 300,000.

Skateboard magazines are rare compared to what’s available on the Internet. Yes, the Internet is a powerful medium, but so is radio and so is television and so is print. Some skaters will strictly embrace the Web and other skaters will want both the Web and a physical memento of their experiences with skateboarding. This is why I will continue to push forward with both Internet strategies and the printed page. There is room for both.

In 30 years, magazines will be dusty, but legible. Who knows where you’ll be able to find that crazy post about Sheckler…

On the other hand, Print ain’t dead, but if publishers aren’t offering something truly remarkable, they will be.

Don’t Miss: Slalom and Freestyle Demo

Surf Expo, in association with Concrete Wave Magazine, presents a demonstration of slalom and freestyle skateboarding.

Location: 100S

Friday, September 12

Demo Times: 10:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, September 13

Demo Times: 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, September 14

Demo Times: 10:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m.