Modern Music Mag for the Younger Crowd

Author's Rating:

Pros: Some good stories that keep you in touch with modern music; VERY low subscription price

Cons: Some articles are ridiculous; Older music only gets an occasional mention

Trendiness:

The Bottom Line: 
Pretty good magazine that will appeal mostly to the younger (16 to 30) music- loving crowd

Author's Review
Blender is a musical publication that targets the younger musical generation. This magazine was launched in 2001 and it is published by the same folks who bring us Maxim, Stuff, and other modern magazines.

Features of This Magazine:

Each issue of Blender includes the following regular monthly features:

Editor’s Letter- Found near the front of each issue and written by Editor in Chief Andy Pemberton, this is a short (200 words or so) introduction to each issue.

Letters- Like most magazines, Blender gets letters. And some of these make their way into each monthly issue in the Letters section. This part of the magazine is 2- 3 pages in length with short letters from readers. Some have answers to a question, while others are just statements.

Burner- Subtitled “All the Music, All the News, All the Time”, this part of Blender covers about twelve total pages and it includes a whole mess of short articles and stories about musical superstars who have made the news in the past month, along with an occasional joke and sometimes a short article about something newsworthy that is not related to music.

The Next Big Thing- This is included within the “Burner” section. It highlights a young, up- and- coming band that shows promise for making it big in the near future.

Dear Superstar- Here, readers can send in questions that they have always wanted to ask their favorite superstar. Blender compiles some of these together for the featured artist of the month and lets the artist answer the questions, then prints out the fan interview in “Dear Superstar”.

The Greatest Songs Ever- Two pages in length, this monthly feature selects a classic song from the past and gives the reader a breakdown of the vital stats of the song (artist, musical label, producer, highest chart position, etc.) along with a synopsis of the tune, what it was all about, and other significant facts about the song.

Ask Blender- In this section, you will find questions and answers about music trivia. The questions are sent in by Blender’s readers and they can cover almost anything, from trivial nonsense, to affairs, to business questions.

The Guide- Located near the end of each issue, this is a quick wrap- up of the latest releases in music, film, DVD’s, games, books (music related, of course), and other communication/entertainment mediums, complete with reviews and recommendations.

Who does (fill in the blank) think he/she is?- This can be found on the last page of each issue. It is a one- page article that features a star in the world of music complete with a photo and a few short questions and answers.

Along with these monthly features, Blender also includes several longer, more in- depth articles about popular musical acts, music producers, music trivia and opinion, and other articles that tie in with the overall theme of the magazine. You can expect to find about 5 to 8 longer articles of this sort in each issue.

Costs to Subscribe:

The standard subscription price for Blender is $11.97 for twelve monthly issues, which works out to just under $1 per copy. The cover price is $3.99, so this represents a savings of 75 percent from the newsstand price. Blender’s two- year deal can save a subscriber even more money, costing only $16.97 for 24 issues. It’s also common to see special deals on the internet that are extremely low, like $7.97 for one year. This works out to only about 66 cents per issue, making Blender one of the cheapest magazines you can get through a subscription.

Customer Service:

Blender Magazine’s headquarters is in Palm Coast Florida. You can contact them by calling toll- free, 877-382-0783. If you logon to the website (blender.com), you can select the link titled “Talk to Blender” and send an e-mail with a question about something you read in an issue, a letter to the editor, or a problem with the site.

Final Thoughts:

Blender magazine has been in publication now for a little more than two years. I received a complimentary subscription to Blender last summer that runs for two years total. Not really knowing much about Blender (I knew it was a music magazine, but that was it), I went ahead and accepted the offer anyway, mainly because it was free. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was free so I knew I wouldn’t be out anything is I accepted.

The first thing I noticed about Blender was that it was no Rolling Stone. I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way. I only mean that Blender is very different from these older, more “conservative” musical publications. I place the word conservative in quotations because, of course, Rolling Stone is not really a conservative publication at all. But it seems a little old- fashioned when you compare it to the more mod, hip, with- the- times feel that you get from Blender.

With Blender, the coverage is mostly centered around pop acts and alternative rock. There are a few articles about hip- hop artists, R&B, and other music. But the modern- day pop scene is the primary focus of each issue. And it’s not uncommon to see some artists mentioned in Blender several issues running, particularly if the artist is the type who frequently makes the news. Brittany Spears is one musical artist that comes to mind. She is often mentioned in the “Burner” section because of something controversial that she recently involved herself with. Other singers and musical groups are also frequently mentioned in the pages of Blender, particularly those who are younger and who appeal to the 16 to 30 age group.

Speaking of the featured artists, some of the more mature readers out there in Epinionsland should be aware that Blender isn't really made for the baby- boom generation or even the post baby- boom (older Gen-X) crowd. Older artists do get an occasional plug, like in the “where are they now” part of the “Burner” section or in “The Greatest Songs Ever”. Blender doesn’t necessarily discriminate against different types of music. You will find rap, R&B, rock, and pop articles throughout the magazine and even the “Greatest Song Ever” will sometimes feature a tune from a less popular realm of music. But the older bands, for the most part, are tossed aside. Blender makes mention of old- time musical groups only on occasion, and often the comments that the writers make toward these old bands and artists are less than flattering.

Blender has a slight obsession with lists. Making lists is popular with the public in general, so I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Blender would do the same thing. Blender's writers will often include lists that rank their own liking or disliking of something related to music, like "50 worst bands", "30 things you should know about this musical group", and so on. The lists are only the opinions of the writers, but I really must question the wisdom of some of the members of the Blender staff. For example, the "50 Worst Bands" was published a few months ago and it included, in its ranks, singers like Dan Fogelberg, Alan Parsons Project, Creed, the Doors, and other well- known musical acts from the past and present. While I can agree with some of them, I have to wonder what the writers were smoking when they came up with this list and the some of the laughable reasons why they decided that certain artists were worthy of the "worst band" designation. And even with some of those I somewhat agree with, like Dan Fogelberg, I still don't know if they were worthy of being labeled among the 50 worst. With all the terrible music that has been made over the past few decades, certainly there are at least 50 singers out there worse then Dan Fogelberg.

Blender includes a fair amount of advertising, with about 30 percent of the pages of each issue reserved for ads. Since the magazine is marketed to older teenagers and twenty- something adults, the ads center around merchandise like fashions from the Gap, Reebok, and other clothing companies, along with cheap fragrances, cigarettes, and bland beer, with an occasional “upscale” item thrown in, like an almost fancy car or a mid- sized SUV.

Overall, Blender is a magazine that passes with a grade of a “C”. You can’t argue with the price, especially the internet deals I have located that have Blender selling for only $7.95 for 12 issues (can you say “dirt cheap”?). Of course, the price I paid for my subscription was the best one of all (nothing!) but even if I had to pay for this magazine, I think the low price tag justifies its purchase. I read Blender more for the entertainment value than as something to take seriously (like the "50 worst bands" article I talked about above). The writers do succeed at presenting some good, personal stories about musical artists and their lives and careers. But the magazine is really aimed at the younger generation. And while I like to think of myself as young, I think I am past the pot- smoking, cigarette- loving, all- night boozing, party ‘til you drop phase that this magazine’s primary clientele are still engaged in. But Blender is still worth a look, even for those who have traded in their bongs long ago for a nice, comfortable pair of Depends. This magazine is hip to the max, and its stories will amuse most anyone, including fans of the “older” music of the fifties, sixties, and seventies. Pick up a copy, and see for yourself what modern- day music and the individuals who write and perform it are really like.