Hey all,

As an ex-CMJ employee (and knowing the history of Obner with CMJ), I just thought I'd offer up for you guys to ask me just about anything about that old place. If I know the answer (and I knew a lot when I was there), I will answer it. Woo!

A little late to the party no?

Here is a question: WHERE IS MY MAGAZINE!!!!!

How many more years do you think they will survive? I'm amazed CMJ still exists. Other than their charts, they seem to not fulfill much of a function any more. Sorry if that's harsh. Maybe I'm an idiot.

Where is "Stains" Frampton at these days?

Where's my download mix? There wasn't one in the last issue.

Why is it only 20 pages now?

Why has every event advertised in the magazine already occured 3 MONTHS PRIOR to my receiving it?

A little late to the party no?
Yes, yes I am.

WHERE IS MY MAGAZINE!!!!!
Good question. I was basically let go right around the time when they stopped making the CMJ New Music Monthly altogether, so the short answer to this is that it doesn't exist anymore. The long answer is that they have been struggling financially for what seems like forever now. You don't get your magazine because someone refuses to pay to get it out on time.

How many more years do you think they will survive? I'm amazed CMJ still exists. Other than their charts, they seem to not fulfill much of a function any more. Sorry if that's harsh. Maybe I'm an idiot.
They have really fallen into a niche in this regard. CMJ actually gets most of it's money from the annual festival, so in a lot of ways that is treated like a priority over there. Even the publication surrounding the charts has suffered.

Where is "Stains" Frampton at these days?
I didn't work with him very long. I used to know the answer to this question but have forgotten. The last time I saw him, he was a talking head for those VH1 reality shows (seriously!), but that was a few years ago and I don't know what his full-time gig currently is.

How many more years do you think they will survive?
Oh, I realized I forgot to answer this above. I think CMJ will be around for many more years, because they do keep cutting back and cutting staff (heck, they still owe me money). It's likely that they will just be marginalized to a place where no one has heard of them.

Where's my download mix? There wasn't one in the last issue.
Ha! Well, I don't know, quite honestly. After my time! However, I'm guessing (since these are usually advertisements, basically) that they couldn't convince anybody (or maybe just not "enough" people) to buy into it. This regularly was a problem with the CDs back when they still did those.

Why is it only 20 pages now?
As stated above, they are cutting back. They don't really have the staff to write much more than that. They don't have the budget for more pages. They don't have the budget for a CD. Technically, what you are getting now isn't even the same magazine. It was sort of CMJ's way to try not to screw all the monthly subscribers while at the same time they totally screwed all the monthly subscribers.

Why has every event advertised in the magazine already occured 3 MONTHS PRIOR to my receiving it?
The same reason the date on the front of the magazine is 3 months off date, because someone isn't paying for it to go out on time over there.

well this thread has been illuminating

i was just thinking about CMJ this evening

well this thread has been illuminating
I try.

so essentially the product exists for no other reason than to ensure some people get a paycheck - how 21st century.....maybe next we can just dispense with the shitty product and just pay for nothing..

who the fuck cares about cmj.

this thread was to promote your sorry blog.

this is the only question worth asking

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!

This was better than my question: "This magazine always pretty much sucked anyway. True or False?"

Oh, come on! Your boy THEE INCIDENT wrote for it. That has to say something.

& how can we forget the intrepid teen who parlayed an irksome response about the end of the century Kid Rock cover into her first step into music writing excellence?

Oh... & Whiney's love of backpacker hip-hop. I know you're all about Def Jux, Loogs. Admit it.

Did somebody say blog?

thank god we had this thread. ive been worried sick

dale ftw

Speaking of your blog.
Way to pimp out The Show is the Rainbow and These Are Powers.

maybe next we can just dispense with the shitty product and just pay for nothing..
That's sort of what's happening, quite honestly.

who the fuck cares about cmj.
Just thought I'd offer because of the fact that obner started when the CMJ went DOWN.

this thread was to promote your sorry blog.
No, don't worry. I will have another thread later to do that.

This magazine always pretty much sucked anyway. True or False?
False. There was a time when there were good, accomplished writers working hard on the book; now it's written mainly by interns and whatnot.

Did somebody say blog?
I didn't, but maybe I should.

What I really should've done was use this to promote my band. Haha.

cmj charts don't mean shit, after what happened to me I don't feel bad saying that PROMO COMPANIES PESTER MUSIC DIRECTORS INTO BULLSHITTING THEIR CHARTS FOR PUBLICITY PURPOSES.

what happened to you, dave

Is this where we learn where the massive chip on dave's shoulder came from?