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May 23, 2008

Magazine Death Pool on Blender: 'The signs look bad'

Magazine Death Pool | Read Full Story >

Magazine Death Pool:

Blender: Perhaps the Quadrangle Group should have closed this one in addition to Stuff last year. The signs look bad. A number of small indie music rags have come to the end of their playlist this year, as we have noted. Blender’s ad pages are down 25%, and it’s not as if they were sky high before. Each issue is less than 100 pages. When the Reaper passes by The Blender Theater, it sees more authors speaking than bands playing. Anybody know about Blender’s digital strategy? Don’t know since the top digital person recently left after five months. They’re betting the house on stripped down girls on Maxim.com instead. Kent Brownridge is going to have some ‘splainin’ to do to the fat cats who backed him on this one.


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Previous comments include

#1 Blender insider says:

It's worse than you think.

#2 Harvey W. says:

You know, I can't help but think that the trend over the past 10 years or so to de-emphasize the name/banner of most magazine covers hasn't lead to the demise of these rags. When you half-see the name of the rag covered up by some head you've got to shake your head a bit. I mean, if people who aren't already readers/buyers can't see what the mag's name is - how do you attract more impulse buyers ? Small point, but one that might be examined as a possible contributing cause...just my 2 cents !

#3 insane skull says:

Joe Levy is doing an excellent job

#4 djd says:

good riddance.

#5 insane skull is really insane says:

Joe Levy is doing an excellent job...driving the magazine into the ground. Jann Wenner's having the last laugh on this without a doubt.

#6 Richard Fitzwell says:

..have any of you noticed that Rolling Stone is down 35% this year?

#7 hexagon says:

Joe levy is a tool. In general. This is truth. He must be shittin bricks right now! And. Tila is an STD-ridden freak whose waaaaay way way! Past her prime. Great idea mr. Rolling stone!

#8 elbeam says:

joe levy is far from a tool. have you ever engaged in a musical conversation with him? if you haven't, button your lip.

#9 jeramiah says:

I concur with "hexagon"'s use of tool. You can know a lot about music and still ruin a music magazine. Should every crate-surfer get an EIC position? I don't care if he's the rainman of music, the guy had big shoes to fill and he's got the too tiny feet.

#10 Sum of the parts... says:

----Harvey W.

It's called 'gestalt' and works fine, see every issue of Rolling Stone, Esquire, etc...
Hideous yes, but not innefective, and has been going on waaaay longer than 10 years.

#11 Who Loves Q? says:

Blender is the worst "music" magazine. I hate it. Every crap record is always rated very high, the "journalism" is scarce there really isn't much else to it.

Rolling Stone is the same, I can't pick up spin anymore because I'm not 16...

Q magazine is where it all comes together. American media has always been about bullshit. People eat it up though.

I've been reading Q for 8 years now and only once have I been disappointed by an issue.

Adam

www.myspace.com/itsallverysimple

#12 can't believe says:

that this is a subject of debate . . . Blender is (was) a piece of shit magazine; zero dedication to quality music . . . Blender totally pandered to generation seacrest . . . let him go market big macs to middle schoolers

#13 Tunetool says:

The mag has always been decent. Even though they'll have crappy people like Tila Tequila on the cover it's good for regular musicians (full disclosure: like me) that are grinding it out and can't get into Rolling Stone or Spin. It's the closest America has ever gotten to having a Mojo. And here's something else from this "report" that might not be true: The top digital person didn't leave, he had to have been fired after a few months because he was a complete idiot. I know someone who wanted to partner with them and they said they'd sooner quit the business forever than deal with that guy. A month later he was gone. Do the math: They bring in a big shot like Levy and fire a idiot. Sounds like progress to me.

#14 JGH says:

Too bad the Quadrangle Group didn't do a little more thorough background on not only the titles, but also on Kent. Kent's reputation in the advertising community (remember this is where the revenues are generated) is not stellar. When he was running a hot property like Rolling Stone in the 70's, or US Weekly in the last five years...He was allowed to be a dick. Now ad agency folks are sharpening their knives and happily slicing both Maxim and Blender off their advertising print plans. This is partly due to shit editorial and partly due to the fact that Kent is now in charge.

Kent's in trouble here big time.

#15 Dustin N'Guyen says:

Blender Blows!

It's one one step above Rolling Stone, which is the People magazine of music. Just god awful.

#16 Tallcan says:

I recently bought the latest copy. What a piece of shit. Tila Tequila??!??!?!? What the "F" has she done besides be on some lame realities shows and get herpes?! Then they have the nerve to put her in a Stones shirt as if to make a statement like, "Tila Rocks. She even likes the Stones!" This mag is shit and I will never buy one again.

#17 Feller says:

the sooner this magazine dies the better.

nothing good has come from the existence of blender - the ideas that other music magazines have stolen from it have hurt not only those other magazines but music journalism in general.

it's not like they even listen to records before they review them anyway.

#18 theshadowknows says:

Maybe they're going downhill since one of their reps is gay

#19 bitterrollingstoneemployee says:

Jann wasn't the only one happy to see joe go. He's got the most inflated ego and just has god awful ideas. Here, he never had to do anything. At blender, ha! Thinking of him in charge makes me laugh hysterically. He is not missed. And neither is his bitchy prima donna bullshit.

#20 there's no way says:

that the last comment was from a real RS employee.

#21 bitterrollingstoneemployee says:

Why not?

#22 Tell_All_I_Will says:

Who cares. Jann plays the skin flute. Many a tune from what I hear.


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