They left out Magnet, which is probably a lot like CMJ and the CD I get every two months....
November 27, 2005
Playlist
A Letter From the Editor, and a Soundtrack, Too
By JESSE FOX MAYSHARK, The New York Times
MUSIC magazine racks could almost be mistaken for record stores nowadays. Almost every British music monthly (and there are a lot of them) comes equipped with a cover-mounted compact disc, and a growing number of American periodicals are also adding audio. Although big names like Rolling Stone, Spin and XXL have so far resisted, some newer titles and a few general-interest publications offer occasional songs with their words.
Dave Henderson, who oversees CD compilations for several British magazines owned by the Emap company (Mojo, Q and Kerrang!), said giveaway music started with plastic flexidiscs and cassettes in the 1970's and 80's. It became increasingly common in the age of CD's, to the extent that British readers have come to expect it. The proliferating freebies on the market - in titles ranging from Vice to The Believer - suggest Americans are not far behind.
Here's a quick survey of some of what is available between the pages - and how it gets there.
CMJ New Music Monthly
CMJ, the trade journal of college radio stations and sponsor of the annual music marathon in New York, also publishes a magazine for general consumption, with a CD attached. Steve Ciabattoni, the editor, said labels pay for placement on the disc, but "there is an editorial barrier" - the artists have to fit CMJ's indie-centric profile. Recent issues have offered new songs by Bjork, Animal Collective (which is on the current cover) and Death Cab for Cutie, along with alternative hip-hop (Blackalicious, Dangerdoom) and oddities like the classical prog rock of the East Village Opera Company. Over all, CMJ discs give a snapshot of the alternative mainstream, without the awkward pauses and technical difficulties of actual college radio.
Mixmag
This almost-venerable British dance magazine (it has been around since the 80's) takes an approach that befits its subject: each CD is a mix compiled by a popular artist or D.J. The sound and styles can vary widely, from high-energy anthems to moody micro-house. Ralph Moore, the senior music editor, solicits D.J.'s and makes suggestions but leaves a lot of the selection up to the guest, he said. Recent months have seen a minimalist mix by the Tunisian-German D.J. Loco Dice and a rowdier disc by the Scottish electro-house star Mylo. For Americans who will otherwise probably never hear this music outside of clubs or the Internet, the Mixmag CD's are a handy sampler of international dance floors.
Paste
A relatively new monthly, based in Decatur, Ga., Paste has included CD's from its first issue. (It has also recently added DVD's, with short films and movie trailers.) Nick Purdy, the publisher, said the CD's were "advertorial," with labels paying for inclusion but the editorial staff signing off on the selections. Paste showcases indie rockers (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) nestled next to Ozomatli and the dobro virtuoso Jerry Douglas. The selections are unlikely to clear the room - nothing here is too abrasive. Hip-hop makes appearances, but largely in its alternative form (RJD2, Blackalicious again).
Oxford American
This durable bimonthly, founded in Oxford, Miss., and now - after two deaths and rebirths - based outside of Little Rock, Ark., bills itself as "the Southern magazine of good writing." But its most popular edition every year is the music issue, which has included a CD ever since the first one in 1995. The discs are wide-ranging samplers of Southern sounds, including (in the most recent edition, last month) Ricky Skaggs, Vegas-era Elvis and Aretha Franklin's older sister Erma (singing "Piece of My Heart" a year before Janis Joplin did). The compilations are light on hip-hop, but otherwise diverse.
Ozone
Speaking of Southern hip-hop, this upstart rap monthly, based in Orlando, Fla., began experimenting with CD's a few years ago. "The first insert we did, a couple years ago, was just a mix CD of hot underground songs," Julia Beverly, the editor and publisher, said in an e-mail message. "People liked the idea so much, we started getting a lot of advertiser inquiries, so we started to include it as part of an advertising package." The discs are typically mixed by guest D.J.'s and sponsored by a label or artist (with the artist sometimes serving as host in classic mix-tape fashion). And true to Ozone's fierce regional pride (Ms. Beverly is on record as saying she finds New York accents "corny"), the spotlight is on Southern talent. The most recent insert was mixed by a Jacksonville, Fla., crew called Cool Runnings.
Songlines
Published bimonthly and based in London, this world-music magazine includes a two-part CD: 10 songs from albums reviewed in the issue ("This is 100 percent an editorial decision; there can be no paying for inclusion," the editor, Simon Broughton, said in an e-mail message), and five favorites selected by a guest (Philip Glass in the current issue, Kate Bush in the next). Recent discs have included classics by Fela Kuti and Elizabeth Cotten alongside Balkan techno-folk (Shantel), Algerian cabaret pop (Souad Massi) and Brazilian hip-hop (Rappin' Hood).
Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair's annual music issue includes a CD that tends to be as predictably trendy as the magazine itself. Compiled by the veteran music critic Lisa Robinson, this year's disc (in the November edition) skewed toward adult-alternative fare like the French neo-chanteuse Keren Ann, the earnest indie icon Bright Eyes, the rootsy rockers Jesse Malin and Ryan Adams, and idiosyncratic New Yorkers old (Patti Smith) and new (Regina Spektor). Some of the artists are well past the prime of their buzz - Fischerspooner, for example - but that makes their inclusion at least seem heartfelt. Labels do not pay for the privilege, but the disc does have corporate sponsors. This year's were DKNY Jeans and Step-Up Women's Network.
