dpnews.com

To subscribe or renew, go to dpnews.com/subscribe (the site's "Subscribe & Renew Here!" link). New subscriptions start with the latest issue while supplies last, and renewals made by the stated deadline are mailed with that issue's regular mailing. Between issues, orders are processed every 7–14 days, and magazines usually arrive within about a week of being mailed.

Start a new subscription

1. Open https://www.dpnews.com/subscribe.
2. Complete the subscription order there. If you have questions about subscription types before ordering, check https://www.dpnews.com/subscription-types-and-faq.
3. Expect your first issue to be the latest issue, as long as extra copies remain. The site states that new subscriptions begin with the latest issue while supplies last.

Timing note: DPN is a quarterly print magazine. The site's July 31, 2026 update says the August issue was behind schedule at the printers, and that printing takes about 7–10 days before mailing, with postal delivery varying from a few days to a couple of weeks. If an issue hasn't arrived by the second week of the following month (September, in that example), contact the editorial assistant.

Renew an existing subscription

1. Use the same Subscribe & Renew Here! link at dpnews.com/subscribe.
2. Renew by the deadline given in the current update to be included in that issue's mailing. In the July 31, 2026 update, the cutoff was August 7 to have the August issue mailed with all the others.
3. If your subscription had lapsed before the mailing list went to the printers, the site says you'll be restarted with the latest issue.

What to expect after ordering

Getting help with an order or address change

Contact Vicki, DPN's Editorial Assistant, at [email protected] for:

• Questions about the status of your order or subscription
• Address updates
• A missing issue (the site asks you to reach out if it hasn't arrived by the second week of the expected month)

For general or editorial inquiries, the site lists [email protected].

Related resources on the site

• Back issues: Not for sale at this time. For a specific issue or article, check the DPN Archives or email [email protected].
• DPN Archives: Hosted free on the Internet Archive at archive.org, with individual issue links at dpnews.com/archives.
• Digital DPN: An online digital edition is in development; the site states the print edition is continuing.

Past issues of Dulcimer Players News are not sold through the website at this time. To find a specific issue or article, use the DPN Archives, which are hosted for free on the Internet Archive at archive.org. You can reach the archive through the "Archives" menu on dpnews.com or by visiting dpnews.com/archives, which lists links to individual issues. If the issue or article you want isn't in the archive, contact the staff at [email protected] to ask about it.

What Is Available and What Isn't

The site's July Update is explicit on this point: "Back issues are not for sale at this time." So there is no shopping cart or order form for old print copies. The archive is the intended route for reading back content, and it is free to access.

Using the DPN Archives

The archive was originally digitized by former editor Dan Landrum and is now hosted by the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library that provides free access to researchers, historians, scholars, people with print disabilities, and the general public.

To use it:

1. Go to dpnews.com/archives, or click "Archives" in the site menu.
2. Find the issue you want in the list of individual issue links.
3. Open the link, which takes you to that issue on archive.org.
4. Read or search the issue there using the Internet Archive's viewer.

The expected result is direct access to the digitized issue. A common snag is that a specific article may be hard to locate inside a full issue; in that case, note the issue and article title and email [email protected].

If You Need a Specific Article

The site suggests checking the DPN Archives first, then reaching out to [email protected] if the item isn't there. When you write, include the issue date and the article title or author so staff can check whether a copy is available. The site does not describe any fee for this, and it also does not promise that every request can be filled, so treat the reply as the answer on availability.

Related Access Notes

• Current subscriptions: New subscriptions begin with the latest issue while supplies last, and lapsed subscriptions restart with the latest issue if the lapse happened before the mailing list went to the printers. This matters if you are looking for a recent issue rather than an old one.
• Digital edition: A digital version of the magazine is in development. The site says the print edition is not going anywhere and that the digital version is intended to be more than a PDF replica, but no release date is given. Until it launches, the archive is the reliable way to read past content.
• Order and address questions: Contact Vicki, the editorial assistant, at [email protected] for order status, subscription questions, or address updates.

Dulcimer Players News (dpnews.com) is a quarterly print magazine for mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer players and enthusiasts. It publishes sheet music, tablature, musician-written articles, and stories about the instrument's traditions. If you play either style of dulcimer, build or teach the instrument, or simply enjoy its music and history, you are its intended reader. It is not a general folk-music magazine, and it is not aimed at beginners who have not yet chosen an instrument.

What You Will Find in Each Issue

The magazine's own description lists four recurring kinds of content:

• Sheet music and tablature — playable arrangements, useful whether you read standard notation or rely on dulcimer tab.
• Articles for musicians by musicians — practical writing from players rather than staff reporters.
• Tales and traditions — material connecting the instrument's past to its present practice.
• Cover and feature content — for example, the July 2026 update shows a cover photo by Fiona Potts of a Songbird "Chickadee" hammered dulcimer, indicating that instruments and makers get visible space.

The mix suits readers who want something to play, something to read, and some context about the instrument's culture in the same package.

Who Gets the Most Out of It

Print, Digital, and Archives

The print edition remains the main product. The site states plainly that the print magazine "is not going anywhere," while a digital version is being developed as more than a PDF replica. No launch date is given, so treat digital access as forthcoming rather than available.

For older material, back issues are not currently for sale. Instead, the DPN Archives are hosted on the Internet Archive at archive.org, with individual issues linked from dpnews.com/archives. That archive is free to access, which makes it the practical route for researching a specific past article or arrangement.

Practical Details Before You Subscribe

• Frequency: quarterly.
• New subscriptions begin with the latest issue while extra copies last.
• Lapsed subscriptions restart with the latest issue if the lapse happened before the mailing list went to the printer.
• Order processing: every 7–14 days between issues, with delivery usually within a week of mailing.
• Mailing timeline: printers take about 7–10 days, then postal time varies from a few days to a couple of weeks.
• Missing issue: contact Editorial Assistant Vicki at [email protected], who also handles order status and address changes.
• Renewal timing: the July 2026 update notes that renewals by August 7 would ship with the August mailing.

Current subscription prices and payment options are not stated in the material reviewed here; check the Subscribe page and the Subscription Types and FAQ page for those specifics.

Bottom Line

Subscribe if you actively play mountain or hammered dulcimer and want a quarterly supply of arrangements, player-written articles, and tradition-focused reading in print. Use the free Internet Archive collection first if you only need one specific past piece. If you are waiting for a digital edition, it is in progress but not yet released.

Dulcimer Players News (dpnews.com) is a quarterly print magazine for mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer enthusiasts. It publishes sheet music, tablature, articles written by musicians, and stories about the traditions that connect the instrument's past to its present. The website is mainly a companion to the print magazine: it's where you subscribe or renew, check order and delivery status, find the archive of past issues, and look up festivals.

Who it's for and what you get

The magazine assumes an interest in the dulcimer specifically, not general folk music. If you play mountain dulcimer or hammered dulcimer—or are learning—the content is aimed at you: arrangements and tablature you can play from, plus first-person articles by other players.

The site itself is not a content library you can browse freely. Most of the practical value sits behind a subscription, with the archive and festival listings as the main open entry points.

What the site offers

How delivery and timing work

The site is unusually explicit about scheduling, which matters if you're deciding when to subscribe. From the July 31, 2026 update:

• The August issue was running behind; once at the printer, printing and mailing typically takes about 7–10 days, and postal delivery varies from a few days to a couple of weeks.
• If your copy hasn't arrived by the second week of September, contact Editorial Assistant Vicki at [email protected]—also the address for order status, subscription questions, and address changes.
• Renewing by August 7 meant the August issue would be mailed with the rest.
• New subscriptions start with the latest issue while extra copies last; lapsed subscriptions restart with the latest issue if the lapse happened before the mailing list went to the printer.
• Between issues, orders are processed every 7–14 days, and magazines usually arrive within a week of mailing.

The practical takeaway: subscription timing is tied to the print cycle, so a new subscription won't necessarily start with the issue you had in mind, and delivery dates shift with printer and postal schedules.

Where to start

• Want to read the magazine: subscribe through the site, and use the FAQ page to pick a subscription type.
• Looking for a specific old article: check the DPN Archives first, then email [email protected] if it isn't there—back issues aren't currently sold individually.
• Want to hear the music live: use the festival listings to find an event near you.
• Waiting on a delivery: email [email protected] rather than assuming it's lost, especially given the stated processing windows.

One caveat worth knowing before you rely on the site: the digital edition is still in progress, so the print quarterly remains the actual product for now.

Not yet. As of the site's July 31, 2026 update, Dulcimer Players News (dpnews.com) is still a quarterly print magazine, and a digital edition is in development with no confirmed launch date. The print edition is explicitly continuing — the site states plainly that "the print edition of the magazine is not going anywhere."

What the site says about the digital edition

The update describes the project in the publisher's own terms:

• It will be more than a PDF replica. The stated goal is an online version that goes beyond a page-for-page copy of the print magazine.
• Accessibility is the motivation. The hope is that a digital DPN makes both the magazine and dulcimers in general more accessible to different audiences.
• No release date. The publisher says they are balancing rolling it out as soon as possible with getting it right the first time, and want to avoid major changes shortly after going live.

The excerpt also mentions Google Chrome in connection with the digital plans, but the text cuts off there, so nothing more specific about platform or format can be confirmed.

What to use in the meantime

If you want DPN content now, these are the working options:

Practical implications

• Don't wait on the digital version to subscribe if you want the August 2026 issue or later — the print magazine is the only current format, and renewal timing affects which issue you receive.
• Expect print delivery lag. The site notes printers take about 7–10 days to process and mail an issue, with postal times varying from a few days to a couple of weeks; orders between issues are processed every 7–14 days.
• Check the Archives first for any specific past article, since single back issues can't be purchased.

For the current status, the July Update on the homepage is the authoritative source; the digital edition will presumably be announced there when it launches.