In putting together this issue’s Editorial, I keep hearing in my head the song “Down With Disease,” by my favorite band, Phish. (Yes, they’ve surpassed the Grateful Dead in my personal rock music pantheon.) The song’s chorus is anthemic, with legendary Phish frontman Trey Anastasio singing:

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful but now I’m on my way
But when I think it’s time to leave it all behind
I try to find a way but there’s nothing I can say to make it stop

You see, this first L&NW issue of 2020 is also my last as editor. I started my Label & Narrow Web journey in 2008, and I can say it’s been an eventful, challenging and above all rewarding 12 years. Indeed, it’s truly all been wonderful.

I’ve grown a lot during my time as editor. While the label industry has changed dramatically over the course of a dozen years, so have I.  Together – meaning along with my industry colleagues and loyal readers – we’ve watched the industry go digital just like the rest of society at large. Social media and smart technology have exploded and are now integral parts of everyday life.  Also, publishing has changed so very much. Feature articles are now just one piece of the media puzzle. Today’s content comes in many forms – podcasts, blog posts, slideshows and video together form a comprehensive multimedia experience.

Paralleling these changes has been my personal evolution. When I started here, I was a bachelor living in a one-bedroom apartment paying rent month-to-month. Today, I’m a proud family man, married to my wonderful wife, Nicole, with two amazing kids, Dylan and Grace. I even live in a house in the burbs!

While it might sound amusing to the layman, the label converting industry has profoundly changed my worldview.  This job has taken me to places I never even dreamed I’d visit, filling up my passport with trips to India, China, Israel, Indonesia and too many places in Europe and North America to list here. But it’s here that I am saying thanks, to Rodman Media – in particular L&NW publisher Kathleen Scully – for giving me so much support; to Jack Kenny, L&NW’s founding editor who hired and mentored me; and to Greg Hrinya, who I am passing the editorial torch to and whose efforts as associate editor have made me look really good. The same goes for the many industry experts who I’ve interviewed and quoted in putting together countless articles about labels, printing and packaging – thank you.

And speaking of this great label industry – I’m not going anywhere. Moving forward, my plan is to take these dozen years of label converting knowledge and contacts, launch Steve Katz Media, and help printers and their suppliers find new customers, gain new business, and reach new heights.

To my industry friends who would like to stay in touch, hit me up at [email protected]. See you around!


Steve Katz, Editor
[email protected]
Twitter: @LabelSteve